Rudderow-class destroyer escort

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USS Rudderow (DE-224) underway off the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 15 July 1944 (19-N-69261).jpg
USS Rudderow
Class overview
NameRudderow class
Builders
Operators
Preceded by Edsall class
Succeeded by John C. Butler class
Built1943–1944
In commission1943–1992
Planned252
Completed22
Cancelled180
Preserved1
General characteristics
Type Destroyer escort
Displacement1,740 tons (1,770 metric tons) (fully loaded)
Length306 ft (93.3 m) (overall)
Beam36 ft 6 in (11.1 m)
Draft11 ft (3.4 m) (fully loaded)
Propulsion
Speed24 knots (most ships could attain 26/27 knots)
Range5,500 nautical miles at 15 knots (10,200 km at 28 km/h)
Complement15 Officers, 168 Enlisted
Sensors &
processing systems
  • Radar: Type SL surface search on mast above yard arm (type SC and SA air search fitted to certain ships).
  • Sonar: Type 128D or Type 144 both in retractable dome..
  • Direction Finding: MF antenna in front of the bridge and HF/DF Type FH 4 antenna fitted on mast.
Armament

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 Crosley-class high speed transports 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.

Contents

History

The lead ship was USS Rudderow 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 Buckley class, having the same hull and machinery. The main differences were the Rudderows had two 5-inch (127 mm) enclosed guns and two twin-40 mm mounts, instead of the three 3-inch (76 mm) open guns and one twin-40 mm or one quad 1.1-inch (28 mm) 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.[ citation needed ] The USS Ruchamkin, sold to the Colombian Navy and renamed to the ARC Córdoba (DT 15), [2] is the sole survivor of her class and is preserved at the Jaime Duque amusement park at Tocancipá, near Bogotá in Colombia. [3]

Diagram of US Navy WWII destroyer escort.png

Ships in Class

Construction data
Ship nameHull no.BuilderLaid downLaunchedComm.Decomm.Fate
Rudderow DE-224 Philadelphia Navy Yard 15 Jul 194314 Oct 194314 May 194415 Jan 1947Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970
Day DE-22515 Jul 194314 Oct 194310 Jun 194416 May 1946Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Mar 1969
Ruchamkin DE-22814 Feb 194415 Jun 194416 Sep 194524 Nov 1969Struck 31 Oct 1977; Colombian Córdoba, museum ship 1980
Chaffee DE-230 Charleston Navy Yard 26 Aug 194327 Nov 19439 May 194415 Apr 1946Struck 17 Aug 1946; sold for scrap, 1948
Hodges DE-2319 Sep 19439 Dec 194327 May 194422 Jun 1946Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 12 Sep 1973
Riley DE-579 Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard 20 Oct 194329 Dec 194313 Mar 194415 Jan 1947Struck 25 Jan 1974; Taiwanese Tai Yuan, 1968; scrapped 1992
Leslie L.B. Knox DE-5807 Nov 19438 Jan 194422 Mar 194415 Jun 1946Struck 15 Jan 1972; sold for scrap, 13 Jun 1973
McNulty DE-58117 Nov 19438 Jan 194431 Mar 19442 Jul 1946Struck 1 Mar 1972; sunk as target, 16 Nov 1972
Metivier DE-58224 Nov 194312 Jan 19447 Apr 19441 Jun 1946Struck 30 Jun 1968; Sold for scrap, Jun 1969
George A. Johnson DE-58324 Nov 194312 Jan 194415 Apr 1944Sep 1957Struck 1 Nov 1965; sold for scrap, 19 Sep 1966
Charles J. Kimmel DE-5841 Dec 194315 Jan 194420 Apr 194415 Jan 1947Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Nov 1969
Daniel A. Joy DE-5851 Dec 194315 Jan 194428 Apr 19441 May 1965Struck 1 May 1965; sold for scrap, 1 Mar 1966
Lough DE-5868 Dec 194322 Jan 19442 May 194424 Jun 1946Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970
Thomas F. Nickel DE-58715 Dec 194322 Jan 19449 Jun 194426 Feb 1958Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 9 Jun 1973
Peiffer DE-58821 Dec 194326 Jan 194415 Jun 19441 Jun 1946Struck 1 Dec 1966; sunk as target, 16 May 1967
Tinsman DE-58921 Dec 194326 Jan 194426 Jun 194411 May 1946Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, 14 Sep 1973
DeLong DE-684 Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard 19 Oct 194323 Nov 194331 Dec 19438 Aug 1969Struck 8 Aug 1969; sunk as target, 19 Feb 1970
Coates DE-6858 Nov 19439 Dec 194324 Jan 194430 Jan 1970Struck 30 Jan 1970; sunk as target, 19 Sep 1971
Eugene E. Elmore DE-68627 Nov 194323 Dec 19434 Feb 194431 May 1946Struck 30 Jun 1968, sold for scrap Jun 1969
Holt DE-706 Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan 28 Nov 194315 Feb 19449 Jun 19442 Jul 1946Struck 15 Nov 1974; Korean Chung Nam, Jun 1963; scrapped 1984
Jobb DE-70720 Dec 19434 Mar 19444 Jul 194413 May 1946Struck 1 Nov 1969, sold for scrap Oct 1970
Parle DE-7088 Jan 194425 Mar 194429 Jul 19441 Jul 1970Struck 1 Jul 1970; sunk as target of Florida, 27 Oct 1970
Bray DE-709
APD-139
Jan 194415 Apr 19444 Sep 194410 May 1946reclassified APD-139 and converted, 16 July 1945

See also

References

  1. U.S. Destroyers, an illustrated design history by Norman Friedman, ISBN   1-55750-442-3 Chapter 7
  2. "Ruchamkin (DE-228)". Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  3. "High-speed Transport APD/LPR-89 Ruchamkin". NavSource. Retrieved 14 November 2024.

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