Cannon-class destroyer escort

The Cannon class was a class of destroyer escorts built by the United States primarily for antisubmarine warfare and convoy escort service during World War II. The lead ship, USS Cannon, was commissioned on 26 September 1943 at Wilmington, Delaware. Of the 116 ships ordered, 44 were cancelled and six were commissioned directly into the Free French Forces. Destroyer escorts were regular companions escorting vulnerable cargo 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 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 Evarts-class destroyer escort (GMT = General Motors Tandem) was identical. The DET's substitution for a turboelectric propulsion plant was the primary difference with the predecessor Buckley-class destroyer escort ("TE") class. The DET was, in turn, replaced with a direct-drive diesel plant to yield the design of the successor Edsall-class destroyer escort ("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.

Free French ships

 * USS Corbesier (DE-106) as Sénégalais
 * USS Cronin (DE-107) as Algérien
 * USS Crosley (DE-108) as Tunisien
 * USS Marocain (DE-109) as Marocain
 * USS Hova (DE-110) as Hova
 * USS Somali (DE-111) as Somali

Transferred to Brazil

 * USS Alger (DE-101) as Babitonga
 * USS Cannon (DE-99) as Baependi
 * USS Christopher (DE-100) as Benevente
 * USS Herzog (DE-178) as Beberibe
 * USS Marts (DE-174) as Bocaina
 * USS McAnn (DE-179) as Bauru - now a museum ship in Rio de Janeiro
 * USS Pennewill (DE-175) as Bertioga
 * USS Reybold (DE-177) 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

 * USS Baker (DE-190) as Malgache (F724); served 1952-1969
 * USS Bright (DE-747) as Touareg (F721); served 1950-1960
 * USS Cates (DE-763) as Soudanais (F722); served 1950-1959
 * USS Clarence L. Evans (DE-113) as Berbère (F723); served 1952-1960
 * USS Riddle (DE-185) as Kabyle (F718); served 1950-1959
 * USS Samuel S. Miles (DE-183) as Arabe (F717); served 1950-1968
 * USS Swearer (DE-186) as Bambara (F719); served 1950-1959
 * USS Wingfield (DE-194) as Sakalave (F720); served 1950-1960

Transferred to Greece

 * USS Eldridge (DE-173) as Leon; served 1951–1992
 * USS Slater (DE-766) as Aetos; served 1951–1991; now a museum ship in Albany, New York, the only destroyer escort afloat in the United States
 * USS Ebert (DE-768) as Ierax ; served 1951–1991
 * USS Garfield Thomas (DE-193) as Panthir; served 1951–1992

Transferred to Italy

 * USS Wesson (DE-184) as Andromeda (F 592) 1951; scrapped in 1972
 * USS Thornhill (DE-195) as Aldebaran (F 590) 1951; scrapped in 1976
 * USS Gandy (DE-764) as Altair (F 591) 1951; stricken and sunk as target in 1971

Transferred to Japan

 * USS Amick (DE-168) as Asahi (DE-262) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)
 * USS Atherton (DE-169) as Hatsuhi (DE-263) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)

Transferred to the Netherlands

 * USS Burrows (DE-105) as Van Amstel (F806) 1950
 * USS Rinehart (DE-196) as Bitter (F807) 1950
 * USS Gustafson (DE-182) as Van Ewijck (F808) 1950
 * USS O'Neill (DE-188) as Dubois (F809) 1950
 * USS Eisner (DE-192) as Zeeuw (F810) 1950
 * USS Stern (DE-187) as van Zijll (F811) 1950

Transferred to Peru

 * USS Bangust (DE-739) as BAP Castilla; served 1951–1979
 * USS Waterman (DE-740) as BAP Aguirre; served 1951–1974
 * USS Weaver (DE-741) as BAP Rodríguez; served 1951–1979

Transferred to the Philippines

 * USS Amick (DE-168) as BRP Datu Sikatuna (PF-5); scrapped in 1989
 * USS Atherton (DE-169) as BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11); retired in 2018
 * USS Booth (DE-170) as BRP Datu Kalantiaw (PS-76); sunk during a typhoon in 1981
 * USS Muir (DE-770)—cannibalized for parts
 * USS Sutton (DE-771)—cannibalized for parts

Transferred to South Korea

 * USS Muir (DE-770) as ROKN Kyong Ki (F-71); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)
 * USS Sutton (DE-771) as ROKN Kang Won (F-72); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)

Transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan)

 * USS Thomas (DE-102) as ROCN Taihe (太和)
 * USS Bostwick (DE-103) as ROCN Taicang (太倉)
 * USS Breeman (DE-104) as ROCN Taihu (太湖)
 * USS Carter (DE-112) as ROCN Taizhao (太昭)

Transferred to Thailand

 * USS Hemminger (DE-746) as HTMS Pin Klao (413)

Transferred to Uruguay

 * USS Baron (DE-166) as Uruguay (DE-1); served 1952–1990
 * USS Bronstein (DE-189) as Artigas (DE-2); served 1952–1988