USS Rudderow
Class overview
Name	Rudderow class
Builders	Bethlehem Hingham, MA Bethlehem Fore River, MA Charleston Navy Yard, SC Defoe Shipbuilding, MI Philadelphia Navy Yard, PA
Operators	United States Navy  Republic of China Navy  Colombian National Navy  Republic of Korea Navy  Mexican Navy
Preceded by	Edsall class
Succeeded by	John C. Butler class
Built	1943–1944
In commission	1943–1992
Planned	252
Completed	22
Cancelled	180
Preserved	1
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer escort
Displacement	1,740 tons (1,770 metric tons) (fully loaded)
Length	306 ft (93.3 m) (overall)
Beam	36 ft 6 in (11.1 m)
Draft	11 ft (3.4 m) (fully loaded)
Propulsion	General Electric steam turbo-electric drive engine Two 3-bladed propellers 8 ft 5 in (2.6 m) diameter
Speed	24 knots (most ships could attain 26/27 knots)
Range	5,500 nautical miles at 15 knots (10,200 km at 28 km/h)
Complement	15 Officers, 168 Enlisted
Sensors and 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	2 x 5-inch/38 dual-purpose 4 x 40 mm Bofors in twin mounts in the 'B' and 'X' position. 10 x 20 mm single mount Oerlikon cannon, four either side of the bridge, four in sponsons abaft the funnel, two on the fantail Torpedo tubes: three 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes aft of the stack. Hedgehog: anti-submarine mortar, on the main deck aft of 'A' gun. Depth charges: Two double rails at the stern and eight K-gun throwers.

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.

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.

• 
  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.

Ships in Class

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

References

External links

Media related to Rudderow class destroyer escorts at Wikimedia Commons

• Destroyer History.org - Rudderow-class destroyer escort
• http://www.desausa.org/ Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA).