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.
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 5adj=onNaNadj=on enclosed guns and two twin-40 mm mounts, instead of the three 3adj=onNaNadj=on open guns and one twin-40 mm or one quad 1.1inches 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.[1]
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.
| Ship name | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Fate | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE-224 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970 | |||||
| DE-225 | Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Mar 1969 | ||||||
| DE-230 | Charleston Navy Yard | Struck 17 Aug 1946; sold for scrap, 1948 | |||||
| DE-231 | Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 12 Sep 1973 | ||||||
| DE-579 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | Struck 25 Jan 1974; Taiwanese Tai Yuan, 1968; scrapped 1992 | |||||
| DE-580 | Struck 15 Jan 1972; sold for scrap, 13 Jun 1973 | ||||||
| DE-581 | Struck 1 Mar 1972; sunk as target, 16 Nov 1972 | ||||||
| DE-582 | Struck 30 Jun 1968; Sold for scrap, Jun 1969 | ||||||
| DE-583 | Struck 1 Nov 1965; sold for scrap, 19 Sep 1966 | ||||||
| DE-584 | Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Nov 1969 | ||||||
| DE-585 | Struck 1 May 1965; sold for scrap, 1 Mar 1966 | ||||||
| DE-586 | Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970 | ||||||
| DE-587 | Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 9 Jun 1973 | ||||||
| DE-588 | Struck 1 Dec 1966; sunk as target, 16 May 1967 | ||||||
| DE-589 | Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, 14 Sep 1973 | ||||||
| DE-684 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard | Struck 8 Aug 1969; sunk as target, 19 Feb 1970 | |||||
| DE-685 | Struck 30 Jan 1970; sunk as target, 19 Sep 1971 | ||||||
| DE-686 | Struck 30 Jun 1968, sold for scrap Jun 1969 | ||||||
| DE-706 | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan | Struck 15 Nov 1974; Korean Chung Nam, Jun 1963; scrapped 1984 | |||||
| DE-707 | Struck 1 Nov 1969, sold for scrap Oct 1970 | ||||||
| DE-708 | Struck 1 Jul 1970; sunk as target of Florida, 27 Oct 1970 | ||||||
| DE-709 APD-139 | Jan 1944 | reclassified APD-139 and converted, 16 July 1945 |