Edsall-class destroyer escort

The Edsall class destroyer escorts were built primarily for ocean anti-submarine 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 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 ("DET") class. This was the only World War II DE 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" guns with 5" guns but only USS Camp (DE-251) was refitted (after a collision). In total, all 85 were completed by three shipbuilding companies: Beth Staten Island (47), Consolidated Orange (18), and Houston (20). 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 Beth Staten Island
 * DE-238 through DE-255 Consolidated Orange
 * DE-316 through DE-338 Beth Staten Island
 * DE-382 through DE-401 Houston

Destroyed or damaged in combat

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

Transferred to US Coast Guard from 1951 to 1954

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

Transferred to other countries

 * DE-250 USS Hurst - transferred to the Mexican Navy as Comodoro Manuel Azueta Perillos (E-30)
 * DE-251 USS Camp - transferred to South Vietnam as Tran Hung Dao. Later, to Philippines as Rajah Lakandula
 * DE-326 USS Thomas J. Gary - transferred to Tunisia
 * DE-334 USS Forster - 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 U-505.
 * USS Joyce (DE-317) Participated in the sinking of U-boat 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.