THE EDSALL CLASS DE’S.

 

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 Viet Nam as picket ships during operation “Market Time.” They were tasked with interdicting Viet Cong supplies sent from the North, and various gunfire support missions. In this they were very successful, forcing the Viet Cong to send supplies over an in-land route called the “Ho Chi Min trail.”

 

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