USS Pillsbury DER-133- Destroyer Escort

The first orders were only placed on  November 1,1941 and the first keel laid at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.  The first  Destroyer Escort  that was commissioned was the USS Brennan DE 13  on Jan 20, 1943, at  Mare Island, Vallejo, Calif. the DEs would supply the United States Navy with the economical destroyer type ship which could be mass produced using less expensive material.

With the large amount of Destroyer Escorts to be ordered, there would not be enough shipyards available to build these warships. Even at the existing yards there would be a lack of space. To make up for this problem parts of the Destroyer Escort would be constructed at welding and fabrication shops across the United States and then when that piece or part of the ship was called for it would be sent, usually by rail to the shipyard for assembly of the ship.

After the end of World War II, many of the Destroyer Escorts were decommissioned and placed in moth balls. Some of these ships stayed in commission for several years. The machinery of a DE compared to that of the DD made the DE more suitable for Naval reserve duty. By 1950 the force of active DEs was reduced to 27 ships. During the Korean war the number of DEs in commission was increased to 52. In 1960 only 3 Destroyer Escorts served with fleet units. Another 28 DEs trained reservist. Mass scrapping of ships remaining in reserve began five years later. The last World War 2-built DEs were stricken in 1973. The Destroyer Escorts were known a heavy rollers, but also as good sea boats, at least in U.S. service. The Destroyer Escort provided a valuable service for the United States of America during World War ll.
No better example of this attack capability can be given than that of the Battle of Samar.
In 1975 all Destroyer Escorts then in commission were redesignated Frigates (FF) and the type name DE was discontinued by the US Navy. There would be six classes of Destroyer Escorts built.

Destroyer Escorts lay silently(almost ghostly)in mothballs at the Pacific Reserve Fleet in San Diego after World War 2. Some of these ships after being commissioned were in the fleet for one or two years then decommissioned placed in mothballs and would never see duty again.

The Evarts Class They would be the known as the short hull Destroyer Escorts. They would be found to be unsatisfactory and this class of ship would be scrapped soon after WW 2.

Ships General Info

Generally the Ships carried 12-15 Officers and 175-200 Crewmen.
The DEs top speed was 20 to 24 knots. Generally cruised at 17 knots.

Ships Armament

WW 2 Destroyer Escorts Damaged or Lost

Korean War

Destroyer Escorts  During WWII

USS Buckley DE 51

On 22 April 1944 she joined hunter-killer TG 21.11 for a sweep of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean convoy routes. On the morning of 6 May aircraft from Block Island (CVE-21) reported an enemy submarine near The Buckley. She steamed toward the surfaced submarine evading her torpedoes and gunfire, and commenced firing. At 0328 The Buckley rammed the German submarine U-66 and then backed off. Shortly thereafter, the submarine struck The Buckley, opening a hole in the escort vessel's starboard side. The U-66 drew astern of The Buckley and sank at 0341 in 17°17' N., 32°24' W. The Buckley picked up 36 German survivors and then retired to New York where she underwent repairs until 14 June 1944.

USS England

On 18 May 1944, with two other destroyers, The ENGLAND cleared Port Purvis on a hunt for Japanese submarines during a passage to Bougainville. During the next 8 days, she was to set an impressive record in antisubmarine warfare, never matched in World War II by any other American ship, as she hunted down and sank I-16 on 19 May, RO-106 on 22 May, RO-104 on 23 May, RO-116 on 24 May, and RO-108 on 26 May. In three of these cases, the other destroyers were in on the beginning of the actions, but the kill in every case was The ENGLAND's alone. Quickly replenishing depth charges at Manus, The ENGLAND was back in action on 31 May to join with four other ships in sinking RO-105. This superlative performance won for The ENGLAND a Presidential Unit Citation.

USS Mason DE 529

The USS MASON, the first Navy ship with a predominantly Negro crew, departed Charleston 14 June escorting a convoy bound for Europe, The MASON would escort convoys six times across the Atlantic.

USS Pillsbury

On 4 June, about 100 miles off the Cape Verdes, sound contact was made on a U-boat trying to penetrate the destroyer screen for a shot at Guadalcanal. Two pilots sighted the submarine running under the surface, and splashed the sea with gunfire to point out the contact to Pillsbury, Jenks (DE-665), and Chatelain (DE-149) rushing to the attack. The destroyers fired their depth charges and in 13 minutes forced the submarine to the surface. In a withering fire of small ar ms and light gunnery the German gun crews were swept from the decks. Pillsbury lowered a boarding party and, in a drama reminiscent of old Navy days, the boarding party rushed on board and took as prisoners the U-boat Captain, five officers, and fifty-three of her crew. A 2,500 mile haul to Bermuda was made, with U-505 trailing meekly on the end of a tow line. The captured submarine revealed some of the German Navy's most guarded secrets. For this demonstration of conspicuous gallantry and achievement, Pillsbury was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

USS John C. Butler

Admiral Kurita's Center Force still transited San Bernardino Strait the night of 24-25 October and just after sunrise bore down on the relatively unprotected "Taffy 3," including JOHN C. BUTLER. The 2-hour battle off Samar which followed has taken a rightful place among the most memorable actions in naval history. The slow escort carriers launched all planes to attack the Japanese cruisers and battleships, and JOHN C. BUTLER and her sisters laid heavy smoke to confuse enemy batteries. A rain squall provided cover for a turn to the south, and just after 0730 the destroyers began their gallant torpedo attacks against great odds. JOHNSTON (DD-557), HOEL (DD-533), HEERMAN (DD-532), and escort SAMUEL B. ROBERTS (DE-413) made close-in attacks on cruisers and battleships, forcing them to zigzag, while aircraft made continuous attacks. Soon after this first attack, JOHN C. BUTLER turned from the carriers to launch her remaining torpedoes, then exchanged gunfire with a heavy cruiser. The destroyer escort continued to fire and dodge heavy-caliber fire until dangerously low on ammunition, then returned to the carrier formation to provide smoke coverage.

USS Samuel B. Roberts DE 412

When the order was given to the large FLETCHER Class destroyers of Taffy III to engage the Japanese, light-weight (BUTLER Class DE) ROBERTS joined fleet destroyers HOEL and HEERMANN on their torpedo attack. She chose HIJMS CHOKAI as the target for her three torpedoes and was credited with one hit. Later, she engaged the heavy cruiser HIJMS CHIKUMA with 5-inch gun fire and knocked out her #3 8-inch turret. In the thick of battle all morning long, ROBERTS was finally hit by several 8-inch shells after trying avoid 14-inch battleship shells from HIJMS KONGO. Eighty-nine men lost their lives on this, the only DE of Taffy III to be lost during the Battle Off Samar. Admiral C. A. F. Sprague, commander of Taffy 3, later described the next surprising development: "At 0925 my mind was occupied with dodging torpedoes when near the bridge I heard one of the signalmen yell, ‘. . . dammit, boys, they're getting away!’ I could not believe my eyes, but it looked as if the whole Japanese fleet was indeed retiring.... At best, I had expected to be swimming by this time." The Japanese, damaged and fearing heavier air attack, had indeed reversed course. Though the escort carriers lost two of their number and three escorts, their valiant fight had stopped the Japanese from attacking the transports in Leyte Gulf.

Life aboard a Destroyer Escort in a wild Pacific storm known as a typhoon is an experience a young sailor would remember for a long long time. Because the sailors were young, late teens and early twenties is probably why they could endure the wild rolling and pitching, the constant sound of the bow smashing into the huge waves.Then as the bow ducked under the wave, the stern would rise up out of the water and the sound of the screws turning in air would be a very nerve racking, especially at night when the crew was trying to sleep. That sound would last a short while, and then the stern would drop back into the sea making a terrible sound. like a heavy hammer hitting a large piece of steel and that sound would vibrate though the ship.