Early Allied Escort Vessels

America's sudden entry into World War II in December 1941 caught the Navy's anti-submarine forces unprepared. Although the need for a mass-produced anti-submarine warship had been recognized well before the war, construction priorities were given to larger warships and smaller landing craft. Thus, the United States Navy began the war with ships that were more or less inadequate to the technological demands of World War II combat. Read More…

Classes of Destroyer Escorts

The 563 destroyer escorts built during World War II were divided into six classes. Four of the six classes mounted 3"/50 guns, while the last two classes mounted the larger 5"/38 gun. The various destroyer escort classes also mounted different types of propulsion, depending primarily upon what type of engine was available due to the high demands of new construction. Read More…

Destroyer Escorts Modifications

Destroyer escorts proved to be highly versatile ships, capable of performing a wide range of missions. This versatility, combined with the abundance of available destroyer escorts due to the vast expansion of American shipbuilding during the war, meant that many destroyer escorts were converted during and after World War II into two new types of ships: high-speed transports (APDs) and radar picket ships (DERs). Although originally designed only as convoy escorts, the modified destroyer escorts soon proved themselves more than capable of fulfilling their new roles. Read More…

Weapons of Destroyer Escorts

Destroyer escorts mounted the most up-to-date anti-submarine weapons and detection gear available during World War II, including depth charges, hedgehogs, air and surface search radar, sonar, and a high-frequency radio direction finder known as HF/DF. This technology was housed in a sophisticated control station known as the Combat Information Center. DEs had forward-firing hedgehogs and conventional depth charges for attacking submerged boats, as well as large and small caliber deck guns. All of these technologies are preserved intact aboard the SLATER today. Read More…

Destroyer Escorts in the Atlantic

The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest battle of World War II, spanning from September 1939 to May 1945. During those six years, thousands of ships were sunk, and tens of thousands of men were killed in the Atlantic Ocean. The battle pitted Allied merchant and supply ships, along with their escorts, against German submarines, aircraft, and surface raiders. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said of the Battle of the Atlantic, "Everything else on land, sea, and air, depended ultimately on the outcome of this battle.” Thanks to destroyer escorts, the Allied powers won the Battle of the Atlantic. Read More…

Destroyer Escorts in the Pacific

Destroyer escorts played an equally vital, if less well-known, role in the Pacific Theater. The ships escorted American supply convoys over vast distances between Pacific islands. Destroyer escorts conducted anti-submarine sweeps—including one of the most important of the war, carried out by the USS ENGLAND DE-635— and provided defense for fleets of US warships. DEs converted to high-speed transports carried out shore bombardments and amphibious assaults, while those converted to radar picket ships helped during the Okinawa campaign, which was the costliest battle of the Pacific War. Read More…

Surviving Destroyer Escorts

Excluding the SLATER, there are currently eight destroyer escorts believed to exist around the world. Two of these ships are preserved as museums; the rest are still in some form of service in foreign fleets. Of the following ships, only the USS SLATER DE 766 is preserved and maintained in its World War II configuration. Read More…

Anecdotes

Because so many destroyer escorts were constructed, there are many stories about their namesakes, their war efforts, and their post-war services. For more information on:

• Destroyer Escorts in Movies

• The Eleven Destroyer Escorts named for Sailors from Frank Slater’s ship, USS SAN FRANCISCO

• The Myth of the Philadelphia Experiment

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