A total of 85 Edsall Class Destroyer Escorts were
built between 1943 & 1944 either at Brown Shipbuilding, Houston TX, or
Consolidated Steel Shipbuilders, Orange TX. The Edsall Class, and the lead ship
of the Class, USS Edsall DE-129, was named after the USS Edsall DD-219, a
Clemson class Destroyer sunk in the early days of WW2. Edsall class DEs as
built are 306’ long with beam of 36’ 10”. Displacement is 1253 tons standard,
1590 tons full load. All of this class were powered by Fairbanks Morse 38ND 8
1/8 10 cylinder diesel engines. During WW2 Edsall class DEs served with
distinction in both the Atlantic and Pacific regions, and assisted in sinking
many enemy submarines. 28 of these ships were manned by US Coast Guard crews.
In the early 1950’s, 11 Edsall Class DEs were transferred to the Coast Guard as WDEs, where they served for another 4 years. In the mid
1950’s a number of Edsall Class DEs were converted to DERs with enhanced living
conditions and additional long range radar suites. These ships served as the
East and West ends of the Distant Early Warning line (DEW line) in the effort
to detect ICBM’s that might be launched over the polar cap during the Cold War.
In 1965 a number of DERs were sent to
Most of the 85 Edsall Class DEs were either sold for
scrap or sunk as gunfire targets by the early 1970’s, except the USS Hurst
DER-250 transferred to the Mexican Navy as Comodoro Manuel Azueta Perillos
(E-30), USS Camp DER-251 transferred to South Vietnam as Tran Hung Dao and
later to the Philippines as Rajah Lakandula. Also, USS Thomas J. Gary DE-326
transferred to Tunisia, and USS Forster DER-334 transferred to South Vietnam as
Tran Khanh Du. Later, she was captured by North Vietnam and used as a training
vessel.
THE ONLY ONE LEFT!
The
only Edsall Class DE on public display in North America is the USS Stewart
DE-238. She is on display in the American Undersea Warfare Center, Seawolf
Park, Galveston Texas. The USS Stewart is on the National Register of Historic
Places.
A LISTING OF EDSALL CLASS DE’S
USS Edsall DE-129 USS
Joyce DE-317
USS Jacob Jones DE-130 USS
Kirkpatrick DE-318
USS Hammann DE-131 USS
Leopold DE-319
USS Robert E.
Peary DE-132 USS
Menges DE-320
USS Pillsbury
DE-133 USS Mosley DE-321
USS Pope DE-134 USS
Newell DE-322
USS Flaherty
DE-135 USS
Pride DE-323
USS Frederick C.
Davis DE-136 USS
Falgout DE-324
USS Herbert C.
Jones DE-137 USS Lowe DE-325
USS Douglas L.
Howard DE-138 USS Gary
DE-326
USS Farquhar
DE-139 USS Brister
DE-327
USS J.R.Y Blakely
DE-140 USS
Finch DE-328
USS Hill DE-141 USS
Kretchmer DE-329
USS Fessenden
DE-142 USS
O’Reilly DE-330
USS Fiske DE-143 USS
Koiner DE-331
USS Frost DE-144 USS Price DE-332
USS Huse DE-145 USS
Strickland DE-333
USS Inch DE-146 USS
Forster DE-334
USS Blair DE-147 USS
Daniel DE-335
USS Brough DE-148 USS
Roy O. Hale DE-336
USS Chatelaine
DE-149 USS
Dale W. Peterson DE-337
USS Neunzer DE-150 USS Martin H. Ray DE-338
USS Poole DE-151 USS
Ramsden DE-382
USS Peterson
DE-152 USS Mills DE-383
USS Stewart
DE-238 USS
Rhodes DE-384
USS Sturtevant
DE-239 USS
Richey DE-385
USS Moore DE-240 USS
Savage DE-386
USS Keith DE-241 USS
Vance DE-387
USS Tomich DE-242 USS
Lansing DE-388
USS J. Richard
Ward DE-243 USS Durant DE-389
USS Otterstetter DE-244 USS
Calcaterra DE-390
USS Sloat DE-245 USS
Chambers DE-391
USS Snowden
DE-246 USS Merrill DE-392
USS Stanton
DE-247 USS
Haverfield DE-393
USS Swasey DE-248 USS
Swenning DE-394
USS Marchand DE-249 USS
Willis DE-395
USS Hurst DE-250 USS
Janssen DE-396
USS Camp DE-251 USS
Wilhoite DE-397
USS Howard D.
Crow DE-252 USS Cockrill
DE-398
USS Pettot DE-253 USS
Stockdale DE-399
USS Ricketts
DE-254 USS
Hissem DE-400
USS Sellstrom DE-255 USS Holder DE-401
USS Harveson DE-316