View source for Edsall class destroyer escort

{{histinfo}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Edsall;0612901.jpg|300px]]
|Ship caption='''USS ''Edsall'' (DE-129)'''
}}
{{Infobox Ship Class Overview
|Name='''''Edsall'' class destroyer escort'''
|Builders=[[Consolidated Steel Corporation]], [[Orange, Texas]]<br />[[Brown Shipbuilding]], [[Houston, Texas]]
|Operators={{navy|United States}}<br>{{navy|United States|coast guard}}<br>{{navy|South Vietnam}}<br>{{navy|Philippines}}<br>{{navy|Tunisia}}<br>{{navy|Vietnam}}<br>{{navy|Mexico}}
|Class before=[[Cannon class destroyer escort]]
|Class after=[[Rudderow class destroyer escort]]
|Subclasses=
|Built range=
|In commission range=
|Total ships building=
|Total ships planned=85
|Total ships completed=85
|Total ships cancelled=
|Total ships active=0
|Total ships laid up=0
|Total ships lost=5
|Total ships retired=85
|Total ships preserved=1
|Total ships scrapped=75
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship type=[[Destroyer Escort]]
|Ship displacement=1,253&nbsp;tons standard<br/>1,590&nbsp;tons full load
|Ship length=306&nbsp;feet (93.27&nbsp;m)
|Ship beam=36.58&nbsp;feet (11.15&nbsp;m)
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=10.42 full load&nbsp;feet (3.18&nbsp;m)
|Ship propulsion=2-shaft Fairbanks Morse diesels, 6,000 bhp
|Ship speed=21&nbsp;[[knot (nautical)|knot]]s
|Ship range={{convert|10800|nmi|km|-1}} at {{convert|12|kn|km/h|0}}
|Ship complement=186
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament={{Edsall class destroyer escort armament}}
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The '''''Edsall''''' class [[destroyer escort]]s were built primarily for ocean anti-submarine escort service during [[World War II]]. The lead ship, [[USS Edsall (DE-129)|USS ''Edsall'' (DE-129)]] was commissioned on 10 April 1943 at [[Orange, Texas]].  The class was also known as the FMR type from their Fairbanks-Morse Reduction-geared diesel  drive used in the submarines of the time.  This was the only World War II DE class in which all the ships originally ordered were completed as [[United States Navy]] Destroyer Escorts.<ref>U.S. Destroyers, an illustrated design history by Norman Friedman, ISBN 1557504423 Chapter 7</ref>.Destroyer escorts were regular companions escorting the vulnerable cargo ships. In late WWII plans were made to replace the 3" guns with 5" guns. But only USS Camp (DE 251) was refitted after a collision. In Total all 85 were completed by three shipbuilding companies: Beth Staten Island (47), Consolidated Orange (18), and Houston (20). Many convoys were escorted by these ships and most were en route to the pacific theater when Japan surrendered. One of the ships participated in [[Operation Dragoon]] and two were attacked by [[German missiles of WW2|guided missile]]s used by the Germans.

==Hull Numbers==
A total of 85 ''Edsall'' class destroyer escorts were built. 

*DE-129 through DE-152 Beth Staten Island
*DE-238 through DE-255 Consolidated Orange
*DE-316 through DE-338 Beth Staten Island
*DE-382 through DE-401 Houston

===Fate of Ships===
===Destroyed or damaged in combat===
*[[USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)|DE-136 USS ''Frederick C. Davis'']] - sunk April 24, 1945 by [[Unterseeboot 546|U-546]] in the [[North Atlantic]]
*[[USS Fiske (DE-143)|DE-143 USS ''Fiske'']] - sunk August 2, 1944 by [[Unterseeboot 804|U-804]] north of the [[Azores]]
*[[USS Leopold (DE-319)|DE-319 USS ''Leopold'']] - torpedoed March 9, 1944 by [[Unterseeboot 371|U-371]] south of [[Iceland]]
*[[USS Menges (DE-320)|DE-320 USS ''Menges'']] - torpedoed April 20, 1944 by [[Unterseeboot 371|U-371]] off [[Algiers]], damaged
*[[USS Holder (DE-401)|DE-401 USS ''Holder'']] - damaged April 11, 1944 off [[Algiers]] by German aircraft

===Transferred to US Coast Guard from 1951 to 1954===
*[[USS Newell (DE-322)|DE-322 USS ''Newell'']] - redesignated WDE-422 
*[[USS Falgout (DE-324)|DE-324 USS ''Falgout'']] - redesignated WDE-424 
*[[USS Lowe (DE-325)|DE-325 USS ''Lowe'']] - redesignated WDE-425 
*[[USS Finch (DE-328)|DE-328 USS ''Finch'']] - redesignated WDE-428 
*[[USS Koiner (DE-331)|DE-331 USS ''Koiner'']] - redesignated WDE-431 
*[[USS Forster (DE-334)|DE-334 USS ''Forster'']] - redesignated WDE-434 
*[[USS Ramsden (DE-382)|DE-382 USS ''Ramsden'']] - redesignated WDE-482 
*[[USS Richey (DE-385)|DE-385 USS ''Richey'']] - redesignated WDE-485 
*[[USS Vance (DE-387)|DE-387 USS ''Vance'']] - redesignated WDE-487 
*[[USS Durant (DE-389)|DE-389 USS ''Durant'']] - redesignated WDE-489 
*[[USS Chambers (DE-391)|DE-391 USS ''Chambers'']] - redesignated WDE-491 

===Transferred to other countries===
*[[USS Hurst (DE-250)|DE-250 USS ''Hurst'']] - transferred to the [[Mexican Navy]] as ''Comodoro Manuel Azueta Perillos'' (E-30)
*[[USS Camp (DE-251)|DE-251 USS ''Camp'']] - transferred to [[South Vietnam]] as ''Tran Hung Dao''. Later, to [[Philippines]] as [[BRP Rajah Lakandula (PF-4)|''Rajah Lakandula'']] 
*[[USS Thomas J. Gary (DE-326)|DE-326 USS ''Thomas J. Gary'']] - transferred to [[Tunisia]]
*[[USS Forster (DE-334)|DE-334 USS ''Forster'']] - transferred to [[South Vietnam]] as ''Tran Khanh Du''. Later, captured by [[North Vietnam]] and used as training vessel

===Notable ships of class===
*[[USS Pillsbury (DE-133)]] sister ship of USS Pope. Was in TG 22.3 with Pope and participated in the capture of U-boat [[U-505]].
*[[USS Chatelain (DE-149)]] Was in TG 22.3 with Pope and Pillsbury and participated in the capture of U-505.
*[[USS Flaherty (DE-135)]] Was in TG 22.3 with Pope, Pillsbury, and Chatelain and participated in the capture of U-505.
*[[USS Pope (DE-134)]] was in Task Force 22.3 that was centered on Escort Carrier [[USS Guadalcanal]] which captured German U-boat U-505.
*[[USS Frost (DE-144)]] sank 5 German U-boats and awarded [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]], 7 [[battle stars]]. 
*[[USS Stewart (DE-238)]] - the sole surviving example of the ''Edsall''-class; a museum ship in [[Galveston, Texas]].
*[[USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)]] and [[USS Herbert C. Jones (DE-137)]] each received a Navy Unit Commendation for action during the [[Operation Shingle|Anzio]] campaign.
*[[USS Kretchmer (DE-329)]] received a [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for action three days after the war ended.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Edsall Class Destroyer Escorts|Edsall class destroyer escort}}
*[http://users3.ev1.net/~de238/stewart/edsall_list.html List of Edsall Class Destroyer Escorts]
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/142.htm  USS ''Fessenden'' DE/DER-142] 
*[http://www.destroyersonline.com/usndd/detypes.htm Destroyers OnLine: The Destroyer Escorts]
*[http://www.destroyerhistory.org/de/edsallclass.html Edsall Class] www.destroyerhistory.org
{{Edsall class destroyer escort}}
{{WWIIUSShips}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edsall Class Destroyer Escort}}
[[Category:Edsall class destroyer escorts| ]]
[[Category:United States Navy ships transferred to the United States Coast Guard]]

[[de:Edsall-Klasse]]
[[it:Classe Edsall]]
[[ja:エドサル級護衛駆逐艦]]
[[pl:Niszczyciele eskortowe typu Edsall]]