Author(s): MARK LARDAS

Military

The US Navy's smallest oceangoing warship of World War II, destroyer escorts first went into production for the Royal Navy, which needed a capable but quick-to-build naval escort. Once America unexpectedly entered the war, the US Navy found itself short of escort warships, and the destroyer escort was reluctantly adopted to fill the gap. Despite the Navy's initial reservations, these warships gave yeoman service, fighting in the Atlantic and Pacific, taking on both U-boats and Japanese submarines, and serving as the early-warning pickets against kamikazes later in the war. They also participated in such dramatic actions as the Battle off Samar and the capture of U-505. The destroyer escorts soldiered on after World War II in the US Navy and many navies around the world, with several serving into the 21st century. This book tells the full story of these plucky ships, from their design and development to their combat service, complete with detailed illustrations and contemporary photographs. Book jacket.