The Destroyer Escort wreck off Okinawa is not a DE at all but rather a Benson/Gleaves class Destroyer and was the same class of DD as the Aaron Ward (DD-483) which was commissioned about 2 weeks earlier.
Both the Benson and Gleaves class ships were essentially identical with the 71 Gleaves class ships having about 10 tons more displacement than the 30 Benson class ships. This combined class was the last of the pre-war destoyers. In fact the Emmons was commissioned on 5 Dec 1941 becomimng the last US Naval vessel commissed prior to US entry into WWII.
The Benson/Gleaves class ships were built in place of the Fletcher class DD's as the Navy recognized it could not wait for the Fletcher design to be completed and were instead improved Sims class DD's. The Benson/Gleaves class ships were not as large as the WWII Fletcher class DD's and could not carry quite as much AA armament due to stability concerns. The design was also not able to accomodate the three twin 5" mounts used on the later Sumner class DD's (a Fletcher class DD in terms of hull and machinery) and Gearing Class DD's (a Sumner class DD with a longer hull to accomodate more equipment) but were none the less very capable ships that served throughout WWII.
Twelve ships of this combined class of 101 were equipped with 3 moustraps each in 1943, a hedgehog like ASW device with forward firing rocket projectiles. Another group of ships from this class were converted to air defense ships with additional AA armament replacing their mid ship mounted torpedo tubes. Twelve more in the Atlantic fleet were converted to Destroyer Mine Sweepers (DMS) in 1944 for duty in the Pacific following the German surrender and another dozen were converted in 1945.
The Emmons was converted to a DMS in November and December of 1944 and became the DMS 27 on 22 Dec 1944. Someone confusing it as a DE is probably understandable due to the DMS conversion that occurred and the tendency for DD's to serve as DE's after the war.
A total of thirteen Benson/Gleaves class ships were sunk during the war including the Aaron Ward in April 1943 and the Emmons in April 1945. This compares to 17 of the 181 strong Fletcher class DD's that were sunk and reflects the longer exposure to combat of the Benson/Gleaves class DD's. All the remaining ships in the Benson/Gleaves class were placed in reserve after the war except for 12 of the Destroyer Mine Sweepers.
The 6 different classes of WWII era US Navy DE's tended to be substantially shorter at around 290-300 ft, had about half the displacement of the average DD, were not as heavily armed and had substantially less power (diesel electric rather than steam turbine powered in three fo the classes) with top speeds of only 16 to 20 kts.
Both the Benson and Gleaves class ships were essentially identical with the 71 Gleaves class ships having about 10 tons more displacement than the 30 Benson class ships. This combined class was the last of the pre-war destoyers. In fact the Emmons was commissioned on 5 Dec 1941 becomimng the last US Naval vessel commissed prior to US entry into WWII.
The Benson/Gleaves class ships were built in place of the Fletcher class DD's as the Navy recognized it could not wait for the Fletcher design to be completed and were instead improved Sims class DD's. The Benson/Gleaves class ships were not as large as the WWII Fletcher class DD's and could not carry quite as much AA armament due to stability concerns. The design was also not able to accomodate the three twin 5" mounts used on the later Sumner class DD's (a Fletcher class DD in terms of hull and machinery) and Gearing Class DD's (a Sumner class DD with a longer hull to accomodate more equipment) but were none the less very capable ships that served throughout WWII.
Twelve ships of this combined class of 101 were equipped with 3 moustraps each in 1943, a hedgehog like ASW device with forward firing rocket projectiles. Another group of ships from this class were converted to air defense ships with additional AA armament replacing their mid ship mounted torpedo tubes. Twelve more in the Atlantic fleet were converted to Destroyer Mine Sweepers (DMS) in 1944 for duty in the Pacific following the German surrender and another dozen were converted in 1945.
The Emmons was converted to a DMS in November and December of 1944 and became the DMS 27 on 22 Dec 1944. Someone confusing it as a DE is probably understandable due to the DMS conversion that occurred and the tendency for DD's to serve as DE's after the war.
A total of thirteen Benson/Gleaves class ships were sunk during the war including the Aaron Ward in April 1943 and the Emmons in April 1945. This compares to 17 of the 181 strong Fletcher class DD's that were sunk and reflects the longer exposure to combat of the Benson/Gleaves class DD's. All the remaining ships in the Benson/Gleaves class were placed in reserve after the war except for 12 of the Destroyer Mine Sweepers.
The 6 different classes of WWII era US Navy DE's tended to be substantially shorter at around 290-300 ft, had about half the displacement of the average DD, were not as heavily armed and had substantially less power (diesel electric rather than steam turbine powered in three fo the classes) with top speeds of only 16 to 20 kts.
