Rudderow class destroyer escort

The "Rudderow" class destroyer escorts were destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1943 to 1945. Of this class, 22 were completed as destroyer escorts, many others were converted to Crosley class fast transports and were re-classified as APDs, and many of the class were cancelled near the end of the war. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships. The lead ship was USS "Rudderow" (DE-224) which was launched on 14 October 1943. The ships had General Electric steam turbo-electric drive engines. The ships were built at various shipyards in the United States, including the Philadelphia Navy Yard and Defoe Shipbuilding Company. They were very similar to the Buckley class destroyer escort, having the same hull and machinery. The main differences were the Rudderows had two 5-inch guns and two twin-40 mm mounts, instead of the three 3-inch guns and one twin-40 mm or one quad-1.1 inch mount of the Buckleys.

After World War II, most of the surviving units of this class were transferred to Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Mexico, and other countries. The rest were retained by the US Navy's reserve fleet until they were decommissioned.

ee also

* List of destroyer escorts of the United States Navy
* List of frigates of the United States Navy subset of above with hull numbers DE/FF 1037 and higher plus all DEG/FFGs because of the United States Navy 1975 ship reclassification
* List of frigates

External links

* [http://www.desausa.org/ http://www.desausa.org/] Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA).
* [http://www.ussslater.org/ http://www.ussslater.org/] USS Slater, the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum.
* [http://www.uboat.net/allies/warships/types.html?type=Destroyer+Escort http://www.uboat.net/]
* [http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/detypes.htm Destroyers Online - List of Destroyer Escort classes]