# Rudderow-class destroyer escort

The Rudderow-class destroyer escorts were destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1943 to 1945. Of this class, 22 were completed as destroyer escorts, and 50 were completed as Crosley-class high speed transports and were re-classified as high speed transport APDs. One ship was converted to an APD after completion. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships.

## History

The lead ship was USS Rudderow which was launched on 14 October 1943. The ships had General Electric steam turbo-electric drive engines. The ships were built at various shipyards in the United States, including the Philadelphia Navy Yard and Defoe Shipbuilding Company. They were very similar to the Buckley class, having the same hull and machinery. The main differences were the Rudderows had two 5-inch (127 mm) enclosed guns and two twin-40 mm mounts, instead of the three 3-inch (76 mm) open guns and one twin-40 mm or one quad 1.1-inch (28 mm) mount of the Buckleys. Another major difference is the style of the configuration of the area of the bridge and pilothouse which is low and enclosed compared to the Buckley Class which is tall and enclosed. The Rudderow Class is similar to the John C. Butler Class in this case and a distinguishing feature between these two class DEs is the size and number of the portholes in the pilothouse. The Rudderow class has seven 16-inch portholes and the John C. Butler Class has nine 12-inch portholes, with both classes having three portholes facing the bow. The class was also known as the TEV type from their Turbo-Electric drive and 5-inch (V) guns.
The final 180 of the class were canceled near the end of the war. After World War II, some of the surviving units of this class were transferred to Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and other countries. The rest were retained by the US Navy's reserve fleet until they were decommissioned. The USS Ruchamkin, sold to the Colombian Navy and renamed to the ARC Córdoba (DT 15), is the sole survivor of her class and is preserved at the Jaime Duque amusement park at Tocancipá, near Bogotá in Colombia.
* View forward from the mast of Rudderow-class USS Chaffee (DE-230) showing 5in and 40mm guns.
* View aft from the mast of Rudderow-class USS Chaffee (DE-230) showing rear 5in and 40mm guns, depth charge racks, depth charge projectors and torpedo tubes.

## Ships in Class

Construction data :
| Ship name | Hull no. | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Comm. | Decomm. | Fate |
| Rudderow | DE-224 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 15 Jul 1943 | 14 Oct 1943 | 14 May 1944 | 15 Jan 1947 | Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970 |
| Day | DE-225 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 15 Jul 1943 | 14 Oct 1943 | 10 Jun 1944 | 16 May 1946 | Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Mar 1969 |
| Ruchamkin | DE-228 | Philadelphia Navy Yard | 14 Feb 1944 | 15 Jun 1944 | 16 Sep 1945 | 24 Nov 1969 | Struck 31 Oct 1977; Colombian Córdoba, museum ship 1980 |
| Chaffee | DE-230 | Charleston Navy Yard | 26 Aug 1943 | 27 Nov 1943 | 9 May 1944 | 15 Apr 1946 | Struck 17 Aug 1946; sold for scrap, 1948 |
| Hodges | DE-231 | Charleston Navy Yard | 9 Sep 1943 | 9 Dec 1943 | 27 May 1944 | 22 Jun 1946 | Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 12 Sep 1973 |
| Riley | DE-579 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 20 Oct 1943 | 29 Dec 1943 | 13 Mar 1944 | 15 Jan 1947 | Struck 25 Jan 1974; Taiwanese Tai Yuan, 1968; scrapped 1992 |
| Leslie L.B. Knox | DE-580 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 7 Nov 1943 | 8 Jan 1944 | 22 Mar 1944 | 15 Jun 1946 | Struck 15 Jan 1972; sold for scrap, 13 Jun 1973 |
| McNulty | DE-581 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 17 Nov 1943 | 8 Jan 1944 | 31 Mar 1944 | 2 Jul 1946 | Struck 1 Mar 1972; sunk as target, 16 Nov 1972 |
| Metivier | DE-582 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 24 Nov 1943 | 12 Jan 1944 | 7 Apr 1944 | 1 Jun 1946 | Struck 30 Jun 1968; Sold for scrap, Jun 1969 |
| George A. Johnson | DE-583 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 24 Nov 1943 | 12 Jan 1944 | 15 Apr 1944 | Sep 1957 | Struck 1 Nov 1965; sold for scrap, 19 Sep 1966 |
| Charles J. Kimmel | DE-584 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 1 Dec 1943 | 15 Jan 1944 | 20 Apr 1944 | 15 Jan 1947 | Struck 30 Jun 1968; sunk as target, 1 Nov 1969 |
| Daniel A. Joy | DE-585 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 1 Dec 1943 | 15 Jan 1944 | 28 Apr 1944 | 1 May 1965 | Struck 1 May 1965; sold for scrap, 1 Mar 1966 |
| Lough | DE-586 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 8 Dec 1943 | 22 Jan 1944 | 2 May 1944 | 24 Jun 1946 | Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, Oct 1970 |
| Thomas F. Nickel | DE-587 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 15 Dec 1943 | 22 Jan 1944 | 9 Jun 1944 | 26 Feb 1958 | Struck 1 Dec 1972; sold for scrap, 9 Jun 1973 |
| Peiffer | DE-588 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 21 Dec 1943 | 26 Jan 1944 | 15 Jun 1944 | 1 Jun 1946 | Struck 1 Dec 1966; sunk as target, 16 May 1967 |
| Tinsman | DE-589 | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard | 21 Dec 1943 | 26 Jan 1944 | 26 Jun 1944 | 11 May 1946 | Struck 1 Nov 1969; sold for scrap, 14 Sep 1973 |
| DeLong | DE-684 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard | 19 Oct 1943 | 23 Nov 1943 | 31 Dec 1943 | 8 Aug 1969 | Struck 8 Aug 1969; sunk as target, 19 Feb 1970 |
| Coates | DE-685 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard | 8 Nov 1943 | 9 Dec 1943 | 24 Jan 1944 | 30 Jan 1970 | Struck 30 Jan 1970; sunk as target, 19 Sep 1971 |
| Eugene E. Elmore | DE-686 | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Fore River Shipyard | 27 Nov 1943 | 23 Dec 1943 | 4 Feb 1944 | 31 May 1946 | Struck 30 Jun 1968, sold for scrap Jun 1969 |
| Holt | DE-706 | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan | 28 Nov 1943 | 15 Feb 1944 | 9 Jun 1944 | 2 Jul 1946 | Struck 15 Nov 1974; Korean Chung Nam, Jun 1963; scrapped 1984 |
| Jobb | DE-707 | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan | 20 Dec 1943 | 4 Mar 1944 | 4 Jul 1944 | 13 May 1946 | Struck 1 Nov 1969, sold for scrap Oct 1970 |
| Parle | DE-708 | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan | 8 Jan 1944 | 25 Mar 1944 | 29 Jul 1944 | 1 Jul 1970 | Struck 1 Jul 1970; sunk as target of Florida, 27 Oct 1970 |
| Bray | DE-709 APD-139 | Defoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan | Jan 1944 | 15 Apr 1944 | 4 Sep 1944 | 10 May 1946 | reclassified APD-139 and converted, 16 July 1945 |