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Osprey New Vanguard #289
US Navy Destroyer Escorts of World War II
A history of America's small but gallant World War II warships, which were at the forefront of the battle against U-boats and kamikazes, and fought some of the most dramatic actions of the war.
The Destroyer Escort was the smallest ocean-going escort built for the United States Navy--a downsized destroyer with less speed, fewer guns, and fewer torpedoes than its big brother, The Fleet Destroyer. Destroyer escorts first went into production because the Royal Navy needed an escort warship which was larger than a corvette, but which could be built faster than a destroyer. Lacking the shipyards to build these types of ships in Britain, they ordered them in the US. Once the US unexpectedly entered World War II, its navy suddenly also needed more escort warships, even warships less capable than destroyers, and the destroyer escort was reluctantly picked to fill the gap.
Despite the Navy's initial reservations, these ships did yeoman service during World War II, fighting in both the Atlantic and Pacific, taking on both U-boat and Japanese submarines and serving as the early warning pickets against kamikazes later in the war. They also participated in such dramatic actions as the Battle off Samar (where a group of destroyers and destroyer escorts fought Japanese battleships and cruisers to protect the escort carriers they were shielding) and the capture of the U-505 (the only major naval vessel captured at sea by the US Navy). The destroyer escorts soldiered on after World War II in both the United States Navy and a large number of navies throughout the world, with several serving into the 21st century. This book tells the full story of these plucky ships, from their design and development to their service around the world, complete with stunning illustrations and contemporary photographs.
The Destroyer Escort was the smallest ocean-going escort built for the United States Navy--a downsized destroyer with less speed, fewer guns, and fewer torpedoes than its big brother, The Fleet Destroyer. Destroyer escorts first went into production because the Royal Navy needed an escort warship which was larger than a corvette, but which could be built faster than a destroyer. Lacking the shipyards to build these types of ships in Britain, they ordered them in the US. Once the US unexpectedly entered World War II, its navy suddenly also needed more escort warships, even warships less capable than destroyers, and the destroyer escort was reluctantly picked to fill the gap.
Despite the Navy's initial reservations, these ships did yeoman service during World War II, fighting in both the Atlantic and Pacific, taking on both U-boat and Japanese submarines and serving as the early warning pickets against kamikazes later in the war. They also participated in such dramatic actions as the Battle off Samar (where a group of destroyers and destroyer escorts fought Japanese battleships and cruisers to protect the escort carriers they were shielding) and the capture of the U-505 (the only major naval vessel captured at sea by the US Navy). The destroyer escorts soldiered on after World War II in both the United States Navy and a large number of navies throughout the world, with several serving into the 21st century. This book tells the full story of these plucky ships, from their design and development to their service around the world, complete with stunning illustrations and contemporary photographs.
48 pages, Paperback
First published November 26, 2020
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13 people want to read
About the author
Mark Lardas
64 books9 followersMark Lardas holds a degree in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, but spent his early career at the Johnson Space Center doing Space Shuttle structural analysis, and space navigation. An amateur historian and a long-time ship modeller, Mark Lardas is currently a freelance writer in Palestine, Texas. He has written extensively about modelling as well as naval, maritime, and military history.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 19, 2020
Short history of US destroyer escort class ships built to meet the demands of convoy escorting in WWII. The book does a thorough job detailing the philosophy, development, and deployment of this new ship class in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters, plus lend-lease use, postwar service in Korea, and conversion to radar pickets, mine layers, and APD transports. This was the ship class featured in the 1957 film, THE ENEMY BELOW, loosely based on the exploits of the USS Buckley, and of course I built the Revell model of the Buckley around 1962.
July 18, 2023
I liked how this book talked about different ships that were the same type: Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts.
March 22, 2024
Quick read with detailed information
Quick read that is very detailed on the Destroyer Escorts of WW2. While purpose built for ASW work, they became the Swiss Army knife of the navy and proved to be adaptable.
Quick read that is very detailed on the Destroyer Escorts of WW2. While purpose built for ASW work, they became the Swiss Army knife of the navy and proved to be adaptable.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews