Class of American destroyer escorts
 USS McMorris underway off Oahu on 10 March 1972 |
| Class overview |
|---|
| Builders | Avondale Shipyard |
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Dealey-class destroyer escort |
| Succeeded by | Bronstein-class frigate |
| Built | 1956–1959 |
| In service | 1954-2009 |
| Completed | 4 |
| General characteristics |
|---|
| Type | Destroyer escort |
| Displacement |
- 1,314 long tons (1,335 t) standard
- 1,970 long tons (2,000 t) full load
|
| Length | 312 ft 0 in (95.1 m) oa |
| Beam | 38 ft 0 in (11.6 m) |
| Draft | 12 ft 1 in (3.7 m) |
| Propulsion | |
| Speed | 22 knots (41 km/h) |
| Range | 7,000 nmi (13,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h) |
| Complement | 175 |
| Armament | |
The Claud Jones-class destroyer escorts were four destroyer escorts built for the United States Navy in the late 1950s. These ships were a diesel-powered version of the earlier Dealey class and were designed with the aim of producing a cheaper ship suitable for rapid production in wartime. These ships also had reduced armament and speed compared to their predecessors. They were not seen as effective anti-submarine warfare vessels by the United States Navy and were sold after only 15 years service to the Indonesian Navy.
Description
The class was designed under project SCB 131 as a cost-effective version of an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) ship that could be built quickly in case of rapid mobilization.[1] The Claud Jones class had a standard displacement of 1,314 long tons (1,335 t) and were 1,916 long tons (1,947 t) at full load. The destroyer escorts were 301 feet 0 inches (91.7 m) long at the waterline and 312 feet 0 inches (95.1 m) overall with a beam of 38 feet 0 inches (11.6 m) and a draft of 12 feet 11 inches (3.9 m). The Claud Jones class had an aluminum superstructure, a tripod mast forward and a pole mast further back amidships, with two stacks.[a]
Following the guidelines given to them, the designers chose a single-shaft diesel-powered ship to maximize cost effectiveness.[4] The Claud Jones class were given four Fairbanks Morse 38ND8 diesel engines rated at 9,200 brake horsepower (6,860 kW). The class had a range of 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km; 8,055 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and a maximum speed of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).[b]
The ships were initially armed with two 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber guns, one located forward with a closed shield and one located aft with an open shield.[c] For ASW, the destroyer escorts were equipped with two forward-firing hedgehog anti-submarine mortars, two fixed 12.75-inch (324 mm) Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes and one depth charge rack placed over the stern. The fixed torpedo tubes were later removed and replaced with two triple tube mounts. In 1961, Charles Berry and McMorris received a Norwegian-designed Terne III ASW rocket-propelled depth-charge system.
The Claud Jones class was initially equipped with variable depth sonar, AN/SPS-10 and AN/SPS-6 search radars and SQS-29/32 hull-mounted sonar. The variable depth sonar was later removed. The vessels had a ship's company of 175 with 15 officers and 160 enlisted personnel. The class was not well-received and the designers were ordered to come back with another design, leading to the successor Bronstein-class frigates.
Indonesian service
The four vessels of the class were transferred to the Indonesian Navy in 1973–1974. In Indonesian service, Samadikun (ex-John R. Perry) and Martadinata (ex-Charles Berry) had one of the 3-inch guns removed and given Soviet twin-mounted 37 mm (1.46 in) guns and twin-mounted 25 mm (0.98 in) guns. Monginsidi (ex-Claud Jones) and Ngurah Rai (ex-McMorris) kept their two 3-inch mounts and had twin-mounted 25 mm guns added.
_underway_off_Oahu_on_10_March_1972.jpg)
