Buckley-class destroyer escort
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USS Buckley (DE-51)
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Class overview | |
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Name | Buckley-class destroyer escort |
Operators | list error: <br /> list (help) World War II United States Navy Royal Navy Post-War Chilean Navy Republic of China Navy Colombian National Navy Ecuadorian Navy Republic of Korea Navy Mexican Navy Philippine Navy Royal Navy United States Navy |
Preceded by | Template:Sclass- |
Succeeded by | Template:Sclass- |
Planned | 154 |
Completed | 102 |
Cancelled | 0 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Destroyer Escort |
Displacement | 1,740 tons (fully loaded) |
Length | 306 ft (93.3 m) |
Beam | 36 ft 6 in (11.1 m) |
Draft | 11 ft (3.4 m) (fully loaded) |
Propulsion | turbo-electric transmission, two 3-bladed propellers solid manganese-bronze, 8.5 ft (2.6 m) diameter |
Speed | 24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) (most ships could attain 26/27 knots) |
Range | 5,500 nautical miles (10,190 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h) |
Capacity | 350 tons oil (fuel) |
Sensors and processing systems | list error: <br /> list (help) Radar: Type SL surface search fixed to mast above yard arm and type SA air search only fitted to certain ships. Sonar: Type 128D or Type 144 both in retractable dome. |
Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) Main guns: 3 × 3 inch /50 Mk 22 dual purpose open mount, and fixed fire shot (anti-aircraft, armor piercing, or starshell) and had a range of 14,600 yards (13,400 m) at 45 degrees, and an anti-aircraft ceiling of 28,000 feet (8,500 m) Anti-aircraft guns: 4 × 1.1 inch or 2 × 40 mm Bofors guns were fitted in the 'X' position on the Buckley-Class units; these were not included in the Captain-Class units. 8 × 20 mm Oerlikon single-mount cannon positioned two in front of the bridge behind and above B gun mount, one each side of B gun mount in sponsons, and two each side of the ship in sponsons just abaft the funnel. Some of the ships had an extra one or two Oerlikons fitted on top of the superstructure amidships. The Captain-Class units had additional 20 mm guns fitted in 'X' position, and on the director stand for 'X' position. |
The Buckley-class destroyer escorts were 102 destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1943–44. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships. The lead ship was USS Buckley (DE-51) which was launched on 9 January 1943. The ships had General Electric steam turbo-electric transmission. The ships were prefabricated at various factories in the United States, and the units brought together in the shipyards, where they were welded together on the slipways.
The Buckley was the second class of destroyer escort, succeeding the Evarts-class destroyer escort. One of the main design differences was that the hull was significantly lengthened on the Buckley; this long-hull design proved so successful that it was used for all further destroyer escort classes. The class was also known as the TE type, from Turbo Electric drive. The TE was replaced with a diesel-electric plant to yield the design of the successor Cannon-class destroyer escort ("DET").[1]
A total of 154 were ordered with 6 being completed as high speed transport APDs. A further 37 were later converted after completion while 46 of the Buckleys were delivered to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease agreement. They were classed as frigates and named after captains of the Napoleonic Wars, and formed part of the Captain-class frigate along with 32 ships of the Evarts-class destroyer escort.
After World War II, most of the surviving units of this class were transferred to Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Mexico and other countries. The rest were retained by the US Navy's reserve fleet until they were decommissioned.
Film appearance
Most of the film The Enemy Below (1957) was filmed on USS Whitehurst, a Buckley-class DE. The rest of the film is set in the submarine that it is hunting.
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
- ^ Rivet, Eric; Stenzel, Michael (22 April 2011). "History of Destroyer Escorts". Destroyer Escort Historical Museum. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
The CANNON class was very similar in design to the BUCKLEY class, the primary difference being a diesel-electric power plant instead of the BUCKLEY class's turbo-electric design. The fuel efficient diesel electric plant greatly improved the range of the CANNON class, but at the cost of speed.
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- Franklin, Bruce Hampton (1999). The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts. Chatham Publishing. ISBN 1-86176-118-X.
- Collingwood, Donald (1998). The Captain-Class Frigates in the Second World War. Leo Cooper. ISBN 0-85052-615-9.
External links
Media related to Buckley class destroyer escorts at Wikimedia Commons
- http://www.desausa.org/ Destroyer Escort Sailors Association (DESA).
- USS Slater, the Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
- Captain-Class Frigates Association
- uboat.net: Destroyer Escorts
- destroyersonline.com: Buckley-class
- USS Slater — Photos on board the destroyer escort USS Slater
- USS Bangust — Photos of life on board the destroyer escort USS Bangust (DE-739) in World War II
- Destroyers Online - Buckley-class destroyer escorts