Buckley-class destroyer escort

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USS Buckley (DE-51)
Class overview
Name	Buckley class
Builders	Bethlehem Hingham, MA Bethlehem Fore River, MA Bethlehem San Francisco, CA Charleston Navy Yard, SC Consolidated Steel, TX Defoe Shipbuilding, MI Dravo Corporation, PA Norfolk Navy Yard, VA Philadelphia Navy Yard, PA
Operators	World War II  United States Navy  Royal Navy Post-War  Chilean Navy  Republic of China Navy  Colombian National Navy  Ecuadorian Navy  Republic of Korea Navy  Mexican Navy  Philippine Navy  Royal Navy  United States Navy
Preceded by	Evarts class
Succeeded by	Cannon class
Planned	154
Completed	148
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer escort
Displacement	1,740 tons (fully loaded)
Length	306 ft (93.3 m)
Beam	36 ft 6 in (11.1 m)
Draft	11 ft (3.4 m) (fully loaded)
Propulsion	Two 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
Speed	24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph) (most ships could attain 26/27 knots)
Range	5,500 nautical miles (10,190 km) at 15 knots (28 km/h)
Capacity	350 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	Main guns: 3 × 3 inch /50 Mk 22 dual-purpose open mount Anti-aircraft guns: 4 × 1.1 inch/75 (28mm) guns or 2 × 40 mm Bofors guns (not included on Captain-class ships) 8 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannon Some of the ships had an extra one or two Oerlikons fitted on top of the superstructure amidships Captain-Class units had additional 20 mm guns Torpedo tubes: 3 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in a triple mount Hedgehog mortar Up to 200 depth charges

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.