Found on the back of a photograph with
The Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA) logo on
the rear.
Just prior to our entry into World War II, the U.S.
Congress established the Lend-Lease Act to bring American
industrial strength to the aid of England. As part of the
agreement the U.S. placed an order in early 1941 for
fifty Destroyer Escorts, a specially designed ship that
was third of the cost of fleet destroyers, would take
much less time to construct and yet have the same escort
and anti-submarine capabilities.
Five U.S. Navy Yards and twelve shipbuilding companies
launched 563 DEs between 1942 and 1945, and the average
construction time was eleven months. Seventy-eight of the
ships were transferred to the Royal Navy, 12 went to
Brazil and France and 94 were completed or converted to
APDs (high speed transports for Pacific invasions).
The destroyer escorts proved to be extremely effective
and highly adaptable for services far beyond their
original purpose of anti-submarine warfare/escort duties.
This ability and versatility was demonstrated by DEs in
their efforts as partners with light carriers in
anti-U-boat hunter/killer teams, participants in the
Normandy and southern France invasions, accounting for
the sinking of 28 Nazi submarines, downing of a number of
German aircraft and rescuing of many merchant seamen and
combatants at sea.
In the Pacific, DEs fought against Japanese
warships at Samar and Leyte Gulf. They served on the
Okinawa radar picket line with 22 of the 50 participants
being damaged by Kamikaze attacks. Thirty Japanese
submarines were sunk, with six of them being destroyed
within twelve days by the USS ENGLAND (DE635). In
addition, the DEs battled against midget submarines and
human torpedoes, and helped save the lives of survivors
of the USS INDIANAPOLIS.
Although most of them have been scrapped, sunk or used
for targets, it is interesting to note that thirty-four
escorts are still in active service in the navies of
eleven foreign nations...more than four decades after
they were constructed.
Dr. Martin Davis
Director of Historic Projects
Dr. Davis is a professor at Hofstra University,
and Chairman of the Statue of Liberty Chapter (NY) of
Desa.
This information is possibably from a 1993 reprinting
This story was sent to me by Jack Jenkins,
CCS, Plank Owner
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