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DE Greyhounds of the Fleet
A Destroyer Escort (DE) is the classification for a small, relatively slow warship (when compared to first-rate naval fleet vessels) designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection against aircraft and smaller attack vessels employed in this application. The US built roughly 457 destroyer escorts spread out over 8 classes.Full size destroyers must be able to keep up with and exceed the speed of fast capital ships, typically needing better than 25-35 knot speeds (dependent upon the era and navy) and carrying torpedoes and a relatively smaller caliber of cannon to use against enemy ships, as well as anti-submarine detection equipment and weapons. However, a destroyer escort need only be able to maneuver relative to a slow convoy (which in World War II would travel at 10 to 12 knots), defend itself against aircraft, and detect, chase down, and attack a submerged (3 to 6 knot speed) or surfaced (22 knot speed) submarine. These lower requirements greatly reduce the size, cost,and crew required for the destroyer escort. While fleet destroyers were still more effective for anti-submarine warfare, the destroyer escort outweighed this by being able to be built considerably faster and more economically. Destroyer escorts were also useful for coastal anti-submarine and radar picket ship duty.
The production of destroyer escorts was considered by the United States Navy in 1939,when war clouds were gathering in Europe. Even then,it was suspected that ,in the event of war, there would be a need for a mass produced destroyer type capable of transoceanic convoy and anti-submarine warfare.The capability of submarines to interdict their enemy's supply lines and to destroy his ability to wage war was the single reason for the inception of the destroyer escort.Since the destroyer was the only surface fleet unit that could effectively locate, attack and destroy a submarine,it was logical that we should develop a destroyer type that would concentrate on the submarine and thereby release destroyers for fleet assignment.
Destroyer Escort Association
