The ''Cannon'' class was a
class
Class, Classes, or The Class may refer to:
Common uses not otherwise categorized
* Class (biology), a taxonomic rank
* Class (knowledge representation), a collection of individuals or objects
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of
destroyer escort
Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships.
Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...
s built by the
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
primarily for
antisubmarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in the older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations a ...
and convoy escort service during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The lead ship,
USS ''Cannon'', was commissioned on 26 September 1943 at
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...
. Of the 116 ships ordered, 44 were cancelled and six were commissioned directly into the
Free French Forces
__NOTOC__
The French Liberation Army ( ; AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (; FFL) during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated ...
. Destroyer escorts were regular companions escorting vulnerable
cargo
In transportation, cargo refers to goods transported by land, water or air, while freight refers to its conveyance. In economics, freight refers to goods transported at a freight rate for commercial gain. The term cargo is also used in cas ...
ships.
With the decommissioning of the Philippine Navy's
BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' (PS-11) in March 2018;
HTMS ''Pin Klao'' (DE-413) of the
Royal Thai Navy
The Royal Thai Navy (Abbreviation, Abrv: RTN, ทร.; , ) is the Navy, naval warfare force of Thailand. Established in 1906, it was modernised by the Admiral Prince Abhakara Kiartiwongse (1880–1923) who is known as the father of the Royal N ...
is the only ship of the class in commission.
Propulsion
The class was also known as the DET type from their diesel electric tandem drives. The propulsion system of the (GMT = General Motors Tandem) was identical. The DET's substitution for a turboelectric propulsion plant was the primary difference with the predecessor ("TE") class. The DET was, in turn, replaced with a direct-drive diesel plant to yield the design of the successor ("FMR") class.
Hull numbers
A total of 72 ships of the ''Cannon'' class were built.
* DE-99 through DE-113 (six are French)
* DE-162 through DE-197
* DE-739 through DE-750
* DE-763 through DE-771
Wartime transfers
During World War II, six ships of the class were earmarked for the Free French Naval Forces and a further eight were transferred the
Brazilian Navy
The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations.
The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...
.
Free French ships
* as ''Sénégalais''
* as ''Algérien''
* as ''Tunisien''
* as ''Marocain''
* as ''Hova''
* as ''Somali''
Transferred to Brazil
* as ''Babitonga''
* as ''Baependi''
* as ''Benevente''
* as ''Beberibe''
* as ''Bocaina''
* as ''Bauru'' - now a museum ship in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
* as ''Bertioga''
* as ''Bracui''
Postwar dispersal
After the end of World War II, the United States Navy transferred many ships of the ''Cannon'' class to other navies.
Transferred to France
* as ''Malgache'' (F724); served 1952-1969
* as ''Touareg'' (F721); served 1950-1960
* as ''Soudanais'' (F722); served 1950-1959
* as ''Berbère'' (F723); served 1952-1960
* as ''Kabyle'' (F718); served 1950-1959
* as ''Arabe'' (F717); served 1950-1968
* as ''Bambara'' (F719); served 1950-1959
* as ''Sakalave'' (F720); served 1950-1960
Transferred to Greece
* as ''Leon''; served 1951–1992
* as ''Aetos''; served 1951–1991; now a museum ship in Albany, New York, the only destroyer escort afloat in the United States
* as ''Ierax ''; served 1951–1991
* as ''Panthir''; served 1951–1992
Transferred to Italy
* as ''Andromeda'' (F 592) 1951; scrapped in 1972
* as ''Aldebaran'' (F 590) 1951; scrapped in 1976
* as ''Altair'' (F 591) 1951; stricken and sunk as target in 1971
Transferred to Japan
* as ''Asahi'' (DE-262) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)
* as ''Hatsuhi'' (DE-263) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)
Transferred to the Netherlands
* as ''Van Amstel'' (F806) 1950
* as ''Bitter'' (F807) 1950
* as ''Van Ewijck'' (F808) 1950
* as ''Dubois'' (F809) 1950
* as ''Zeeuw'' (F810) 1950
* as ''van Zijll'' (F811) 1950
Transferred to Peru
* as BAP ''Castilla''; served 1951–1979
* as BAP ''Aguirre''; served 1951–1974
* as BAP ''Rodríguez''; served 1951–1979
Transferred to the Philippines
* as
BRP ''Datu Sikatuna'' (PF-5); scrapped in 1989
* as
BRP ''Rajah Humabon'' (PF-11); retired in 2018; possibly scrapped after capsizing in a typhoon in 2022
* as
BRP ''Datu Kalantiaw'' (PS-76); sunk during a
typhoon
A typhoon is a tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere and which produces sustained hurricane-force winds of at least . This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, accounting for a ...
in 1981
* —cannibalized for parts
* —cannibalized for parts
Transferred to South Korea
* as ROKN ''Kyong Ki'' (F-71); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)
* as ROKN ''Kang Won'' (F-72); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)
Transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan)
* as
ROCN ''Taihe'' (太和)
* as ROCN ''Taicang'' (太倉)
* as ROCN ''Taihu'' (太湖)
* as ROCN ''Taizhao'' (太昭)
Transferred to Thailand
* as HTMS ''Pin Klao'' (413)
Transferred to Uruguay
* as ''Uruguay'' (DE-1); served 1952–1990
* as ''Artigas'' (DE-2); served 1952–1988
Ships in Class
See also
*
List of Escorteurs of the French Navy
*
List of ship classes of the Second World War
*
List of naval ship classes in service
References
External links
List of Cannon class Destroyer EscortsUSS Slater
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cannon Class Destroyer Escort
Frigate classes
Ship classes of the French Navy