Overview
Hello again everyone I hope your all doing well, the US coastal tree has only one frigate in its line, that being the USS Hoquiam. Today I wish to suggest a new top tier vehicle for the tree, a genuine cut above, the Destroyer Escort DE-224, the USS Rudderrow.
Basic Information
Designation: DE-224
Name: “Rudderrow”
Namesake: Lieutenant Commander Thomas Wright Rudderow, veteran of the First World War and dying in service in early WW2.
Class: Rudderrow-Class
Role: Destroyer Escort
Crew: 183
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15 Officers
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168 Enlisted
Shipbuilder: Philadelphia Navy Yard
Laid Down: July 15, 1943
Launched: October 14, 1943
Commissioned: May 14, 1944
Decommissioned: January 15, 1947
Stricken: November 1, 1969
Fate: Scrapped, October 1970
Awards: 2x Battle Stars
Specifications
Dimensions:
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Length: 306 ft (93 m)
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Beam: 37 ft (11 m)
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Draft: 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m)
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Displacement: 1,673 long tons (1,700 t)
Sailing Preformance:
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Engine(s): General Electric steam turbo-electric drive engine, 12,000 hp (8.9 MW)
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Propellor(s): 2x 3-bladed screws
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Max Speed: 27 kn (50 km/h)
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Max Range: 5,500 nm (15 knots), 10,200 km (28 km/h)
Armament:
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Main Gun(s): 2x 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber Mk. 12 dual-purpose guns
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Torpedoes: 1x triple-mount 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
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Anti-Air Guns: 2x Twin-Mount Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60 AA guns, 10x Single-Mount Oerlikon 20mm automatic cannons.
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Depth Charges: 1x Hedgehog Mortar, 8x K-Gun depth charge projectors, 2x depth charge tracks
Additional Information
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Radar: Type SL surface search radar (type SC and SA air search radar fitted to certain ships)
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Sonar: Type 128D or Type 144 Sonar
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Fire Direction: MF antenna, HF/DF Type FH 4 antenna
Usage in Battles
The USS Rudderrow would be a phenomenal top-tier coastal ship with effective Anti-Ship guns and torpedoes, being significantly better than the current top tier, the USS Hoquiam.
Pros:
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Effective Anti-Ship Guns
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Effective Torpedoes
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Great AA defense for its size
Cons:
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Poor Mobility
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More Vulnerable to fire
History
The USS Rudderow was laid down on July 15, 1943 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was launched on October 14, 1943 and commissioned on May 15, 1944.
She completed her shakedown trials off Bermuda and through the summer of 1944, participating in submarine hunter-killer patrols and escorting convoys along the United States. On October 14, 1944, she sailed with her division for the Pacific, joining the 7th Fleet November 21.
Performing escort duties through till December, and on January 8, 1945, she set sail for Luzon with her convoy, leading them into Lingayen Gulf without incident on January 21. Between then and February 7 she patrolled the Lingayen anti-submarine screen before escorting landing craft to Subic Bay and back to Lingayen Gulf to cover a landing support convoy’s sail to Leyte. A week later she steamed into the Mindanao Sea to aid the torpedoed destroyer Renshaw (DD-499) and escort her to San Pedro Bay.
On February 24, 1945, USS Rudderrow began preparations for Operation Victor IV, the assault and occupation of Zamboanga. Sailing on March 8, she arrived off the landing zone early on March 10. As U.S. troops began pushing into the Zamboangan peninsula, Rudderrow patrolled the islands of Tictauran and Great Santa Cruz, leaving on March 11 and returning with a reinforcement convoy from Leyte on March 16. From the 25 to 28 of March she escorted a convoy from Puerto Princesa, to Zamboanga, then sailed northward to arrive in Mangarin Bay, Mindoro for anti-submarine patrol duties starting on March 30.
By mid-April of 1945, she was back at Leyte and by the end of the month was again operating in the Sulu Sea. On May 5, she departed Tawi Tawi and headed southwest to escort a PT boat drydock and gasoline barge being towed to Tarakan, Borneo. Between the 8 and 11 of May she escorted resupply convoys from Morotai to Borneo and on May 12 to 13 Rudderrow towed a damaged PBM 261 miles to Tawi Tawi. Then returning briefly to the Halmaheras before setting sail for Leyte for necessary repairs on May 19.
Setting sail again in June 1945, escorting landing craft to Panay and resupply convoys to Morotai. On June 18, Rudderrow reported for Philippine Sea Frontier duties and preformed escorts between Hollandia and Ulithi. From July 27 to August 1, Rudderrow escorted reinforcements to Okinawa, returning to the Philippines where she remained to the end of the year.
On January 3, 1946, Rudderrow would United States, arriving to San Diego by the end of the month. In March she was designated to the reserve fleet and was decommissioned on January 15, 1947. In May 1957 she was transferred to the San Francisco Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet, where she remained until she was struck from the Navy List on November 1, 1969, being sold for scrap the following October.
Additional Photos
http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/images/224/0622403.jpg
http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/images/224/0622404.jpg
http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/images/224/0622405.jpg
- Yes
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