The DE was said to be "Trim but Deadly" and was classified as a major combat
vessel. There were few tasks DEs could not perform. They engaged shore batteries, suicide
manned torpedoes and suicide speed boats. They guarded minesweepers while they performed
their dangerous tasks. They even delivered personal mail to other fleet units, a highly
important morale function.
Do not envision a Destroyer
and think of a DE. Despite its battle strength, the DE was a small ship.
They varied from only 1140 to 1450 tons unloaded displacement, 300 tons more when fully
loaded, and only 290 to 308 feet in length. Complements ranged from 180 to 220
officers and men. They were vastly more maneuverable than destroyers and had a much
smaller turning circle. Also, they had the latest and best equipment in
antisubmarine warfare and some were equiped with air search radar.
The destroyer escort played a major role in breaking the back of the
German and Japanese submarine fleets and, together with APDs, contributed heavily to the
defense against the Kamikaze corps. Read more about and see more photos on the History of the DE pages.
Ask a DE sailor about his time aboard and he will describe the
rough-and-tumble ride, rolling one minute and plunging the next, with waves crashing over
the forward guns. These sailors say they should have received both flight and sub
pay because they were in the air half the time, under the water the other half.
Come aboard to relive the memories or learn more about
life aboard a destroyer escort. These pages attempt to show all areas aboard the DE.
More photos will be added in the future.
These pages contain thumbnail (very small) images.
Click on a thumbnail for a larger view and information about the photo. These pages
are slow to load due to the number and high quality of the photos. Please be
patient while they load! The quality has been maintained so you may print a good quality
photo. Use photo quality printer paper for best results.
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