Evarts class destroyer escort

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Evarts class destroyer escorts were 73 destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1942–1944. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships.

The lead ship was USS Evarts (DE-5), launched on 7 December 1942. The first ship to be completed was commissioned on 20 January 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard; it was delivered to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease provisions and became HMS Bayntun. Evarts-class ships were driven by diesel-electric power with four diesel engines mounted in tandem with electric drives. 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.

In all, 32 Evarts-class ships were delivered to the Royal Navy. They were classed as frigates and named after captains of the Napoleonic Wars and formed part of the Captain class along with 46 ships of the Buckley class.

[edit] Characteristics of (Evarts) Captain Class Frigate

Length: 289.5 feet (overall)
Beam: 35.0 feet
Draught: 9.0 feet (fully loaded)
Displacement: 1,360 tons (fully loaded)
Propellers: Two of solid manganese bronze 8.5 feet each
Bunkers and Radius: 126 tons (oil fuel) 5,000 miles at 15 knots
Maximum Speed: 19 knots (Many ships were capable of (21–22 knots)
Main Guns: 3 x 3inch/50 Mk22 Dual purpose open mounts and fired fixed shot (anti-aircraft, armour piercing or starshell) and had a range of 14,600 yards at 45 degrees and an anti aircraft ceiling of 28,000feet.
Anti aircraft Guns: 7 x Oerlikon 20 mm guns positioned one in front of the bridge behind and above B gun also one each side of B gun in pods and two each side of the ship in pods just abaft the funnel (some of the ships had an extra Oerlikon fitted on top of the superstructure midships, the odd ship had a twin Bofors 40 mm gun instead of the extra Oerlikon.
Hedgehog: British designed ahead throwing mortar which fired 24 bombs ahead of the ship, this was situated between A and B guns.
Depth Charges: Approximately 200 depth charges were carried. Two sets of double rails at the stern held 24 per set. Two K gun throwers each holding five charges were situated each side of the ship just forward of the aft depth charge rails. Just forward of these, double ready rails extending to midships were fitted each side of the ship holding approximately sixty charges per side (these ready rails were added after the ships arrived back in the UK).
Radar: Type SL Surface search fixed to mast above yard arm and type SA Air search only fitted to certain ships.
Asdic (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.