Edsall-class destroyer escort

The Edsall-class destroyer escorts were destroyer escorts built primarily for ocean antisubmarine escort service during World War II. The lead ship, USS Edsall (DE-129), was commissioned on 10 April 1943 at Orange, Texas. The class was also known as the FMR type from their Fairbanks-Morse reduction-geared diesel drive, with a type of engine used in the submarines of the time. The FMR's substitution for a diesel-electric power plant was the essential difference from the predecessor Cannon-class destroyer escort ("DET") class. This was the only World War II destroyer escort class in which all the ships originally ordered were completed as United States Navy destroyer escorts. Destroyer escorts were regular companions escorting the vulnerable cargo ships. Late in the war, plans were made to replace the 3 in guns with 5 in guns, but only USS Camp (DE-251) was refitted (after a collision). In total, all 85 were completed by two shipbuilding companies: Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas (47), and Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas (38). Most were en route to the Pacific Theater when Japan surrendered. One of the ships participated in Operation Dragoon and two were attacked by German guided missiles.

Hull numbers
A total of 85 Edsall-class destroyer escorts were built.


 * DE-129 through DE-152 Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
 * DE-238 through DE-255 Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas
 * DE-316 through DE-338 Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
 * DE-382 through DE-401 Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas

Destroyed or damaged in combat

 * USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136) – sunk 24 April 1945 by GERMAN SUBMARINE U-546 in the North Atlantic
 * USS Fiske (DE-143) – sunk 2 August 1944 by GERMAN SUBMARINE U-804 north of the Azores
 * USS Leopold (DE-319) – torpedoed 9 March 1944 by GERMAN SUBMARINE U-255 south of Iceland
 * USS Menges (DE-320) – torpedoed 20 April 1944 by U-371 off Algiers, damaged
 * USS Holder (DE-401) – damaged 11 April 1944 off Algiers by German aircraft

Transferred to US Coast Guard from 1951 to 1954

 * USS Newell (DE-322) – redesignated WDE-422
 * USS Falgout (DE-324) – redesignated WDE-424
 * USS Lowe (DE-325) – redesignated WDE-425
 * USS Finch (DE-328) – redesignated WDE-428
 * USS Koiner (DE-331) – redesignated WDE-431
 * USS Forster (DE-334) – redesignated WDE-434
 * USS Ramsden (DE-382) – redesignated WDE-482
 * USS Richey (DE-385) – redesignated WDE-485
 * USS Vance (DE-387) – redesignated WDE-487
 * USS Lansing (DE-388) – redesignated WDE-488
 * USS Durant (DE-389) – redesignated WDE-489
 * USS Chambers (DE-391) – redesignated WDE-491

Transferred to other countries

 * USS Hurst (DE-250) – transferred to the Mexican Navy as Comodoro Manuel Azueta (A06), last of class in active service (decommissioned 2015)
 * USS Camp (DE-251) – transferred to South Vietnam as Tran Hung Dao. Later, to Philippines as BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4)
 * USS Thomas J. Gary (DE-326) – transferred to Tunisia
 * USS Forster (DE-334) – transferred to South Vietnam as Tran Khanh Du. Later, captured by North Vietnam and used as training vessel

Notable ships of class

 * USS Pillsbury (DE-133) sister ship of USS Pope. Was in TG 22.3 with Pope and participated in the capture of U-boat GERMAN SUBMARINE U-505.
 * USS Joyce (DE-317) Participated in the sinking of U-boat GERMAN SUBMARINE U-550.
 * USS Peterson (DE-152) Also participated in the sinking of U-boat GERMAN SUBMARINE U-550.
 * USS Pope (DE-134) was in Task Force 22.3 that was centered on escort carrier USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60), which captured German U-boat U-505.
 * USS Flaherty (DE-135) was in TG 22.3 with Pope, Pillsbury and Chatelain and participated in the capture of U-505.
 * USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136) and USS Herbert C. Jones (DE-137) each received a Navy Unit Commendation for action during the Anzio campaign.
 * USS Frost (DE-144) sank 5 German U-boats and awarded Presidential Unit Citation, 7 battle stars.
 * USS Chatelain (DE-149) was in TG 22.3 with Pope and Pillsbury and participated in the capture of U-505.
 * USS Stewart (DE-238) – the sole surviving example of the Edsall-class; a museum ship in Galveston, Texas.
 * USS Kretchmer (DE-329) received a Navy Unit Commendation for action three days after the war ended.
 * USS Stanton (DE-247) won two battle stars in a single engagement sinking two U-boats with the USS Frost (DE-144).