The Cannon class was a class of destroyer escorts built by the United States primarily for antisubmarine warfare and convoy escort service during World War II. The lead ship, USS Cannon, was commissioned on 26 September 1943 at Wilmington, Delaware. Of the 116 ships ordered, 44 were cancelled and six were commissioned directly into the Free French Forces. Destroyer escorts were regular companions escorting vulnerable cargo ships.
HTMS Pin Klao (DE-413) was the last ship of the class to retire from active service after she was decommissioned from the Royal Thai Navy on 10 September 2025.
Propulsion The class was also known as the DET type from their diesel electric tandem drives.U.S. Destroyers: an illustrated design history by Norman Friedman. Chapter 7. . The propulsion system of the (GMT = General Motors Tandem) was identical. The DET's substitution for a turboelectric propulsion plant was the primary difference with the predecessor ("TE") class. The DET was, in turn, replaced with a direct-drive diesel plant to yield the design of the successor ("FMR") class.
Hull numbers
A total of 72 ships of the Cannon class were built.
DE-99 through DE-113 (six are French) DE-162 through DE-197 DE-739 through DE-750 DE-763 through DE-771
Wartime transfers
During World War II, six ships of the class were earmarked for the Free French Naval Forces and a further eight were transferred the Brazilian Navy.
Free French ships as Sénégalais as Algérien as Tunisien as Marocain as Hova as Somali
Transferred to Brazil as Babitonga as Baependi as Benevente as Beberibe as Bocaina as Bauru - now a museum ship in Rio de Janeiro as Bertioga as Bracui
Postwar dispersal After the end of World War II, the United States Navy transferred many ships of the Cannon class to other navies.
Transferred to France as Malgache (F724); served 1952–1969 as Touareg (F721); served 1950–1960 as Soudanais (F722); served 1950–1959 as Berbère (F723); served 1952–1960 as Kabyle (F718); served 1950–1959 as Arabe (F717); served 1950–1968 as Bambara (F719); served 1950–1959 as Sakalave (F720); served 1950–1960
Transferred to Greece as Leon; served 1951–1992 as Aetos; served 1951–1991; now a museum ship in Albany, New York, the only destroyer escort afloat in the United States as Ierax ; served 1951–1991 as Panthir; served 1951–1992
Transferred to Italy
as Andromeda (F 592) 1951; scrapped in 1972 as Aldebaran (F 590) 1951; scrapped in 1976 as Altair (F 591) 1951; stricken and sunk as target in 1971
Transferred to Japan
as Asahi (DE-262) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines) as Hatsuhi (DE-263) 1955–75 (then to the Philippines)
Transferred to the Netherlands
as Van Amstel (F806) 1950 as Bitter (F807) 1950 as Van Ewijck (F808) 1950 as Dubois (F809) 1950 as Zeeuw (F810) 1950 as van Zijll (F811) 1950
Transferred to Peru as BAP Castilla; served 1951–1979 as BAP Aguirre; served 1951–1974 as BAP Rodríguez; served 1951–1979
Transferred to the Philippines
as BRP Datu Sikatuna (PF-5); scrapped in 1989 as BRP Rajah Humabon (PF-11); retired in 2018; possibly scrapped after capsizing in a typhoon in 2022 as BRP Datu Kalantiaw (PS-76); sunk during a typhoon in 1981 —cannibalized for parts —cannibalized for parts
Transferred to South Korea as ROKN Kyong Ki (F-71); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines) as ROKN Kang Won (F-72); served 1956–1977 (then to the Philippines)
Transferred to the Republic of China (Taiwan) as ROCN Taihe (太和) as ROCN Taicang (太倉) as ROCN Taihu (太湖) as ROCN Taizhao (太昭)
Transferred to Thailand as HTMS Pin Klao (DE-413); served 1959–2025
Transferred to Uruguay as Uruguay (DE-1); served 1952–1990 as Artigas (DE-2); served 1952–1988
Ships in class