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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Photo # NH 53909:  USS Fiske in New York Harbor, 20 October 1943

Online Library of Selected Images:
U.S. NAVY SHIPS -- Listed by Hull Number

DE -- Escort Ships.
Includes DE, DEC, and DER
Does not include DEG.

The DE hull number series came into being in 1941, in conjunction with a program to build escort ships for transfer to the British under Lend Lease. However, concept formulation for specialized ocean escorts had begun earlier in that year, taking as point of departure an abortive late 1940 design for small (1175-ton), slow (24.5-knot) destroyers (DD-503 through DD-506).

The initial 50 DEs (classified as "Escort Vessels" or "Escort Ships", though the DE designation falls in the destroyer series and has been frequently mis-interpreted to mean "Destroyer Escort") were ordered on British account as BDEs (with the letter "B" for "British"), as were a subsequent 250, but most of these 300 ships were later reallocated to the U.S. Navy. As World War II went on the type was further developed, incorporating a lengthened hull and a variety of diesel and steam power plants, resulting in six distinct classes (three propelled by diesels and three by steam turbines). Wartime DE hull numbers ran through 1005, though construction cancellations reduced the quantity of completed ships to somewhat more than half that many.

Later in the conflict many of the steam DEs were converted to (or completed as) high-speed transports and redesignated in a separate APD number series. A few others, modified for radar picket and amphibious control missions, were later redesignated DER and DEC, but retained their original DE series numbers. The DER category was further expanded during the 1950s, with the conversion of a good many wartime DEs, mainly of the relatively slow, but longer-ranged, diesel-powered Edsall (DE-129) class.

The 1950s also generated seven new classes of escort ships, two for U.S. Navy use and five (all built abroad) for the navies of foreign allies. These were all relatively small ships, similar in size to the World War II DEs, and were numbered from DE-1006 through 1036, plus 1039, 1042 and 1046. The 1960s saw the construction of three classes of much larger escort ships, which carried DE numbers up through 1107, though the final ten were cancelled. In 1975 all of the larger DEs were reclassified as "Frigates", thus reintroducing a classification that the U.S. Navy had previously used for both smaller escorts (PF) and large surface combatants (DL and DLG). Redesignated FF, they retained the numbers they carried as DEs.

Two classes of guided missile escort ships were also produced during the 1960s, both derived from larger DE designs. These were designated DEG, but numbered separately from the DEs. The six ships of the first class were built for the U.S. Navy, and were redesignated FFG in 1975, keeping their original DEG numbers. The other class, built in Spain for that nation's navy, had USN hull numbers (DEG-7 through DEG-11) assigned for financial accounting purposes. A final class of guided-missile escorts, built during the 1970s and 1980s and classified as frigates (FFG) essentially from the first, reused the numbers originally assigned to the Spanish DEGs.

This page, and those linked from it, provide the hull numbers of all U.S. Navy escort ships numbered in the DE series, with links to those ships with photos available in the Online Library.

This page covers escort ship hull numbers from DE-1 through DE-199. For coverage of higher "DE" series numbers, see:

  • DE -- Escort Ships, numbered from DE 200 through DE-399;
  • DE -- Escort Ships, numbered from DE 400 through DE-699; and
  • DE -- Escort Ships, numbered from DE 700 through DE-1107.


    See the list below to locate photographs of individual escort ships.

    If the escort ship you want does not have an active link on this page, contact the Photographic Section concerning other research options.


    Left Column --
    Escort Ships numbered
    DE-1 through DE-99:

  • Note: DE-1 through DE-4, transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943, were not assigned U.S. Navy names.

  • Note: DE-12, transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943, was not assigned a U.S. Navy name.

  • Note: DE-46, transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943, was not assigned a U.S. Navy name.

    • DE-47: Decker (1943-1945)
    • DE-48: Dobler (1943-1946)
    • DE-49: Doneff (1943-1947)
    • DE-50: Engstrom (1943-1946)

    • DE-51: Buckley (1943-1969), later DER-51 & DE-51
    • DE-52: Bull (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-53: Charles Lawrence (1943-1966), later APD-37
    • DE-54: Daniel T. Griffin (1943-1966), later APD-38
    • DE-55: Donaldson (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-56: Donnell (1943-1946), later IX-182
    • DE-57: Fogg (1943-1966), later DER-57
    • DE-58: Formoe (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-59: Foss (1943-1965)

    • DE-60: Gantner (1943-1966), later APD-42
    • DE-61: Thomas J. Gary (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-62: George W. Ingram (1943-1967), later APD-43
    • DE-63: Ira Jeffery (1943-1962), later APD-44
    • DE-64: Lamons (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-65: Lee Fox (1943-1966), later APD-45
    • DE-66: Amesbury (1943-1962), later APD-46
    • DE-67: Essington (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-68: Bates (1943-1945), later APD-47
    • DE-69: Blessman (1943-1967), later APD-48

    • DE-70: Joseph E. Campbell (1943-1966), later APD-49
    • DE-71: Oswald (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-72: Harmon (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-73: McAnn (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-74: Ebert (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-75: Eisele (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-76: Liddle (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)
    • DE-77: Straub (transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943)

  • Note: DE-78 through DE-98, transferred to Great Britain upon completion in 1943, were not assigned U.S. Navy names.

    • DE-99: Cannon (1943-1944)
  • Right Column --
    Escort Ships numbered
    DE-100 through DE-199:

    • DE-100: Christopher (1943-1944)
    • DE-101: Alger (1943-1945)
    • DE-102: Thomas (1943-1948)
    • DE-103: Bostwick (1943-1948)
    • DE-104: Breeman (1943-1948)
    • DE-105: Burrows (1943-1950)
    • DE-106: Corbesier (1943-1944)
    • DE-107: Cronin (1944-1944)
    • DE-108: Crosley (1944-1944)

  • Note: DE-109 through DE-111, transferred to France upon completion in 1943, were not assigned U.S. Navy names.

    • DE-112: Carter (1944-1948)
    • DE-113: Clarence L. Evans (1944-1952)

  • Note: DE-114 through DE-128 were cancelled in October 1943, before their construction had begun.

    • DE-129: Edsall (1943-1969)
    • DE-130: Jacob Jones (1943-1973)
    • DE-131: Hammann (1943-1974)
    • DE-132: Robert E. Peary (1943-1967)
    • DE-133: Pillsbury (1943-1966), later DER-133
    • DE-134: Pope (1943-1973)
    • DE-135: Flaherty (1943-1966)
    • DE-136: Frederick C. Davis (1943-1945)
    • DE-137: Herbert C. Jones (1943-1973)
    • DE-138: Douglas L. Howard (1943-1974)
    • DE-139: Farquhar (1943-1974)

    • DE-140: J.R.Y. Blakely (1943-1973)
    • DE-141: Hill (1943-1974)
    • DE-142: Fessenden (1943-1967), later DER-142
    • DE-143: Fiske (1943-1944)
    • DE-144: Frost (1943-1966)
    • DE-145: Huse (1943-1974)
    • DE-146: Inch (1943-1974)
    • DE-147: Blair (1943-1974), later DER-147
    • DE-148: Brough (1943-1966)
    • DE-149: Chatelain (1943-1974)

    • DE-150: Neunzer (1943-1973)
    • DE-151: Poole (1943-1974)
    • DE-152: Peterson (1943-1974)

    • DE-153: Reuben James (1943-1971), later DER-153
    • DE-154: Sims (1943-1961), later APD-50
    • DE-155: Hopping (1943-1966), later APD-51
    • DE-156: Reeves (1943-1960), later APD-52
    • DE-157: Fechteler (1943-1944)
    • DE-158: Chase (1943-1946), later APD-54
    • DE-159: Laning (1943-1975), later APD-55 and LPR-55
    • DE-160: Loy (1943-1966), later APD-56
    • DE-161: Barber (1943-1969), later APD-57 and LPR-57

    • DE-162: Levy (1943-1974)
    • DE-163: McConnell (1943-1974)
    • DE-164: Osterhaus (1943-1974)
    • DE-165: Parks (1943-1973)
    • DE-166: Baron (1943-1952)
    • DE-167: Acree (1943-1973)
    • DE-168: Amick (1943-1955)
    • DE-169: Atherton (1943-1955)

    • DE-170: Booth (1943-1967)
    • DE-171: Carroll (1943-1966)
    • DE-172: Cooner (1943-1973)
    • DE-173: Eldridge (1943-1951)
    • DE-174: Marts (1943-1945)
    • DE-175: Pennewell (1943-1944)
    • DE-176: Micka (1943-1967)
    • DE-177: Reybold (1943-1944)
    • DE-178: Herzog (1943-1944)
    • DE-179: McAnn (1943-1944)

    • DE-180: Trumpeter (1943-1974)
    • DE-181: Straub (1943-1974)
    • DE-182: Gustafson (1943-1950)
    • DE-183: Miles (1943-1950). Later renamed Samuel S. Miles
    • DE-184: Wesson (1943-1951)
    • DE-185: Riddle (1943-1950)
    • DE-186: Swearer (1943-1950)
    • DE-187: Stern (1943-1951)
    • DE-188: O'Neill (1943-1950)
    • DE-189: Bronstein (1943-1952)

    • DE-190: Baker (1943-1952)
    • DE-191: Coffman (1943-1973)
    • DE-192: Eisner (1944-1951)
    • DE-193: Garfield Thomas (1944-1951). Name changed from William G. Thomas before launching.
    • DE-194: Wingfield (1944-1950)
    • DE-195: Thornhill (1944-1951)
    • DE-196: Rinehart (1944-1950)
    • DE-197: Roche (1944-1946)

    • DE-198: Lovelace (1943-1968)
    • DE-199: Manning (1943-1969)
  • This page covers escort ship hull numbers from DE-1 through DE-199. For coverage of higher "DE" series numbers, see:

  • DE -- Escort Ships, numbered from DE 200 through DE-399;
  • DE -- Escort Ships, numbered from DE 400 through DE-699; and
  • DE -- Escort Ships, numbered from DE 700 through DE-1107.


    NOTES:

  • To the best of our knowledge, the Online Library's pictures are all in the Public Domain, and can therefore be freely downloaded and used for any purpose.

  • Some images linked from this page may bear obsolete credit lines citing the organization name: "Naval Historical Center". Effective 1 December 2008 the name should be cited as: "Naval History and Heritage Command".


    If you want higher resolution reproductions than the Online Library's digital images, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


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    Page made 27 July 2007
    New ships added 16 December 2010