Buckley-class destroyer escort

USS Buckley (DE-51)
Class overview
NameBuckley class
Builders
Operators
Preceded byEvarts class
Succeeded byCannon class
Planned154
Completed148
General characteristics
TypeDestroyer escort
Displacement1,740 tons (fully loaded)
Length306 ft (93.3 m)
Beam36 ft 6 in (11.1 m)
Draft11 ft (3.4 m) (fully loaded)
PropulsionTwo Foster-Wheeler Express "D"-type water-tube boilers, two GE steam turbines of 13,500 horsepower (10,100 kW) total, two generators (9,200 kilowatts (12,300 hp) total), 12,000 horsepower (8,900 kW) of electric motors drove the two propeller shafts
Speed24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) (most ships could attain 26/27 knots)
Range5,500 nautical miles (10,190 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Capacity350 tons oil (fuel)
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Radar: Type SL surface search fixed to mast above yard arm, type SC and SA air search only fitted to certain ships
  • Sonar: Type 128D or Type 144 both in retractable dome.
  • Direction Finding: MF direction finding antenna fitted in front of the bridge and HF/DF Type FH 4 antenna fitted on top of mast
Armament

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 antisubmarine warfare ships. The lead ship was USS Buckley 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 class was the second class of destroyer escorts, succeeding the Evarts-class destroyer escorts. One of the main design differences was that the hull was significantly lengthened on the Buckley class; 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 ("DET").[1][2]

In total, 154 were ordered with six being completed as high-speed transport ("APD"). A further 37 were later converted after completion, while 46 of the Buckleys were delivered to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease agreement. These 46 were classed as frigates and named after Royal Navy captains of the Napoleonic Wars, forming part of the Captain-class frigate along with 32 Lend-Lease ships of the Evarts class.

After World War II, most of the surviving units of this class were transferred to Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Mexico, or other countries. The rest were retained by the US Navy's reserve fleet until they were decommissioned.

  1. ^ "Classes of Destroyer Escorts". Archived from the original on 29 December 2019. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  2. ^ Rivet, Eric; Stenzel, Michael (22 April 2011). "History of Destroyer Escorts". Destroyer Escort Historical Museum. Archived from the original on 4 May 2018. 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.