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Cannon-class destroyer escort

The Cannon class was a class of destroyer escorts built by the United States primarily for antisubmarine warfare and convoy escort service during World War II. The lead ship, USS Cannon, was commissioned on 26 September 1943 at Wilmington, Delaware. Of the 116 ships ordered, 44 were cancelled and six were commissioned directly into the Free French Forces. Destroyer escorts were regular companions escorting vulnerable cargo ships.

HTMS Pin Klao (DE-413) was the last ship of the class to retire from active service after she was decommissioned from the Royal Thai Navy on 10 September 2025.

Propulsion

The class was also known as the DET type from their diesel electric tandem drives. The propulsion system of the (GMT = General Motors Tandem) was identical. The DET's substitution for a turboelectric propulsion plant was the primary difference with the predecessor ("TE") class. The DET was, in turn, replaced with a direct-drive diesel plant to yield the design of the successor ("FMR") class.

Hull numbers

A total of 72 ships of the Cannon class were built.

  • DE-99 through DE-113 (six are French)
  • DE-162 through DE-197
  • DE-739 through DE-750
  • DE-763 through DE-771

Wartime transfers

During World War II, six ships of the class were earmarked for the Free French Naval Forces and a further eight were transferred the Brazilian Navy.

Free French ships

  • as Sénégalais
  • as Algérien
  • as Tunisien
  • as Marocain
  • as Hova
  • as Somali

Transferred to Brazil

  • as Babitonga
  • as Baependi
  • as Benevente
  • as Beberibe
  • as Bocaina
  • as Bauru - now a museum ship in Rio de Janeiro
  • as Bertioga
  • as Bracui

Postwar dispersal

After the end of World War II, the United States Navy transferred many ships of the Cannon class to other navies.

Transferred to France

  • as Malgache (F724); served 1952–1969
  • as Touareg (F721); served 1950–1960
  • as Soudanais (F722); served 1950–1959
  • as Berbère (F723); served 1952–1960
  • as Kabyle (F718); served 1950–1959
  • as Arabe (F717); served 1950–1968
  • as Bambara (F719); served 1950–1959
  • as Sakalave (F720); served 1950–1960

Transferred to Greece

  • as Leon; served 1951–1992
  • as Aetos; served 1951–1991; now a museum ship in Albany, New York, the only destroyer escort afloat in the United States
  • as Ierax ; served 1951–1991
  • as Panthir; served 1951–1992

Transferred to Italy

  • as Andromeda (F 592) 1951; scrapped in 1972
  • as Aldebaran (F 590) 1951; scrapped in 1976
  • as Altair (F 591) 1951; stricken and sunk as target in 1971

Transferred to Japan

  • as Asahi (DE-262) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)
  • as Hatsuhi (DE-263) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)

Transferred to the Netherlands

  • as Van Amstel (F806) 1950
  • as Bitter (F807) 1950
  • as Van Ewijck (F808) 1950
  • as Dubois (F809) 1950
  • as Zeeuw (F810) 1950
  • as van Zijll (F811) 1950

Transferred to Peru

  • as BAP Castilla; served 1951–1979
  • as BAP Aguirre; served 1951–1974
  • as BAP Rodríguez; served 1951–1979

Transferred to the Philippines

Transferred to South Korea

  • as ROKN Kyong Ki (F-71); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)
  • as ROKN Kang Won (F-72); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)

Transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan)

  • as ROCN Taihe (太和)
  • as ROCN Taicang (太倉)
  • as ROCN Taihu (太湖)
  • as ROCN Taizhao (太昭)

Transferred to Thailand

  • as HTMS Pin Klao (DE-413); served 1959–2025

Transferred to Uruguay

  • as Uruguay (DE-1); served 1952–1990
  • as Artigas (DE-2); served 1952–1988

Ships in Class

See also

References

External links