Rudderow-class destroyer escort

USS Rudderow

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, and 50 were completed as s and were re-classified as high speed transport APDs. One ship was converted to an APD after completion. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships.

History

The lead ship was 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 , having the same hull and machinery. The main differences were the Rudderows had two enclosed guns and two twin-40 mm mounts, instead of the three open guns and one twin-40 mm or one quad mount of the Buckleys. Another major difference is the style of the configuration of the area of the bridge and pilothouse which is low and enclosed compared to the Buckley Class which is tall and enclosed. The Rudderow Class is similar to the John C. Butler Class in this case and a distinguishing feature between these two class DEs is the size and number of the portholes in the pilothouse. The Rudderow class has seven 16-inch portholes and the John C. Butler Class has nine 12-inch portholes, with both classes having three portholes facing the bow. The class was also known as the TEV type from their Turbo-Electric drive and 5-inch (V) guns.

The final 180 of the class were canceled near the end of the war. After World War II, some of the surviving units of this class were transferred to Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and other countries. The rest were retained by the US Navy's reserve fleet until they were decommissioned. The , sold to the Colombian Navy and renamed to the ARC Córdoba (DT 15), is the sole survivor of her class and is preserved at the Jaime Duque amusement park at Tocancipá, near Bogotá in Colombia.

File:Diagram of US Navy WWII destroyer escort.png

• View forward from the mast of Rudderow-class USS Chaffee (DE-230) showing 5in and 40mm guns.
  View forward from the mast of Rudderow-class USS Chaffee (DE-230) showing 5in and 40mm guns.
• View aft from the mast of Rudderow-class USS Chaffee (DE-230) showing rear 5in and 40mm guns, depth charge racks, depth charge projectors and torpedo tubes.
  View aft from the mast of Rudderow-class USS Chaffee (DE-230) showing rear 5in and 40mm guns, depth charge racks, depth charge projectors and torpedo tubes.

Ships in Class

Construction data

Ship name	Hull no.	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comm.	Decomm.	Fate
	DE-224	Philadelphia Navy Yard	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970
	DE-225		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Mar 1969
	DE-228		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 31 Oct 1977; Colombian Córdoba, museum ship 1980
	DE-230	Charleston Navy Yard	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 17 Aug 1946; sold for scrap, 1948
	DE-231		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 12 Sep 1973
	DE-579	Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 25 Jan 1974; Taiwanese Tai Yuan, 1968; scrapped 1992
	DE-580		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 15 Jan 1972; sold for scrap, 13 Jun 1973
	DE-581		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Mar 1972; sunk as target, 16 Nov 1972
	DE-582		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 30 Jun 1968; Sold for scrap, Jun 1969
	DE-583		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Nov 1965; sold for scrap, 19 Sep 1966
	DE-584		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Nov 1969
	DE-585		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 May 1965; sold for scrap, 1 Mar 1966
	DE-586		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970
	DE-587		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 9 Jun 1973
	DE-588		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Dec 1966; sunk as target, 16 May 1967
	DE-589		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, 14 Sep 1973
	DE-684	Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 8 Aug 1969; sunk as target, 19 Feb 1970
	DE-685		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 30 Jan 1970; sunk as target, 19 Sep 1971
	DE-686		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 30 Jun 1968, sold for scrap Jun 1969
	DE-706	Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 15 Nov 1974; Korean Chung Nam, Jun 1963; scrapped 1984
	DE-707		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Nov 1969, sold for scrap Oct 1970
	DE-708		Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Struck 1 Jul 1970; sunk as target of Florida, 27 Oct 1970
	DE-709 APD-139		Jan 1944	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	Template:Dts	reclassified APD-139 and converted, 16 July 1945

See 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

• Destroyer History.org - Rudderow-class destroyer escort
• Article titleTemplate:Category handler Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA).