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Bruce Hampton Franklin
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The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts Hardcover – January 1, 1999

4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 18 ratings
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Destroyer escorts were built in greater numbers than any other kind of Allied fighting ship during World War II, and more than one hundred thousand American and British sailors served aboard these ships; yet until now, little has been written about their crucial role in the U.S. and Royal Navies. This book combines unique photographs, firsthand accounts, ship plans, and well-researched text to recapture the history of the largest class of destroyer escorts ever built--the Buckleys.

The American-designed destroyer escort was originally intended for transfer to Great Britain. But following America's entry into the war, the U.S. Navy also adopted the type, and it became the dominant antisubmarine vessel in both Atlantic and Pacific theaters. First deployed in mid-1943 to help protect Allied supply ships, tankers, and transports from German and Japanese attacks, destroyer escorts sank by war's end more enemy submarines than any other kind of escort vessel. The Buckley class was the second largest class of major combatants in the U.S. Navy and provided the greatest number of warships to Great Britain through lend-lease. A portion of the Buckley class was converted to high-speed transports and landed underwater demolition teams ahead of the amphibious assaults on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Many Buckley-class ships had careers extending beyond 1945, with several fighting in the Korean War and others operating as training vessels for naval reservists into the 1960s.

The book presents the first complete photographic record ever assembled of all 154 Buckley-class ships, including the only known photographs of several of these ships, recently located by the author in private collections in the United States and Great Britain. Selections of the original line-plan drawings of the class are also reproduced, providing valuable details of the ship's arrangements as designed. The text describes the development of the class, armament, major conversion programs, differences between the American and British ships, and the operational history of Buckleys in the U.S. and Royal Navies. Throughout the book, recollections and contemporary observations from the men who served aboard these ships are used to provide a personal touch to the history of these "Little Wolves."

Previous page
  1. Print length
    210 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Naval Inst Pr
  4. Publication date
    January 1, 1999
  5. Dimensions
    10.25 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1557502803
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1557502803
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The subjects of Franklin's superior monograph constituted the most numerous class of U.S. Navy destroyer escorts during World War II. More than 150 were built, and they served in several allies' navies (some 50 in the British) in both the Atlantic and the Pacific. They fought long and hard, taking and inflicting heavy casualties in antisubmarine warfare. Later they survived the kamikazes off Okinawa. Many, rearmed or converted into destroyer transports, were still serving in friendly Third World navies 30 years after their launching. Franklin has comprehensively researched the book, and the effort has elicited much new and useful information, such as the design compromises that shortages of materials and facilities forced on even the lavish U.S. wartime production machine. Graphic material includes comprehensive plans as well as illustrations of most ships of the class. Lovers of World War II ships will accord Franklin and the publisher a hearty "Well done." Roland Green

Review

A winner. The details in this book reflect exhaustive and accurate research. Franklin has done an excellent job of collecting information and presenting it in an effective manner. The book will have great appeal to DESA and DECO members, libraries, modelers, and historians. There is no comparable book in the field. -- Rear Adm. Sheldon Kinney, USN, Ret.

An excellent history and detailed description of these important warships. The photos and notes are superb. -- Norman Polmar, Almanac of Seapower 2000

An exemplary contribution that provides an attractive model for further studies of major warship programs during World War II. -- Phillip K. Lundeberg, Curator emeritus of naval history, Smithsonian Institution

The Buckley class contained a number of ships that made history, and whose names will be familiar to many readers, but all members of the class should be remembered. This excellent book deserves the attention of every naval history enthusiast, for it contains much material that will be new to even the expert. It also sets a standard that future books on warship classes will have to work hard to equal. -- Warship International, No. 3, 1999

The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts is a must-have if you're modeling one, served aboard them, or love to read about warships. -- Ships in Scale, Nov/Dec 1999

This excellent and well produced book reviews the design and construction of the second largest class of major combatants in the U.S. Navy. In addition, the Buckley-class destroyer escorts provide the greatest number of warships to the United Kingdom under the terms of Lend-Lease. In Part I of this volume, the author outlines the origin, design, armament, conversion programmes, and service history. Part II contains the only complete photographic record of all 154 Buckley-class destroyer escorts and their variants. The book is completed by six appendices. These appendices contain a large amount of information which adds to the value of this comprehensively researched book. This volume will appeal to all warship enthusiasts and modellers and is highly recommended. -- Warship World, Autumn 1999

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Naval Inst Pr (January 1, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 210 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1557502803
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1557502803
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.95 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.25 x 0.75 x 8.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 18 ratings

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Bruce Hampton Franklin

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
18 global ratings
nice book nice seller
5 Stars
nice book nice seller
Very nice book about Buckely class DE to learn design and sevice history, some detail photos but not enough for building model, but it's alright I have connected lots of photos on line. Well protected, almost like a new book, seller ship out quite soon, USPS deliver quite soon(I heard they are low...). Nice experience, thanks!
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Top reviews from the United States

Jim Kelley
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Resource on an Unsung Class of Ships
Reviewed in the United States on February 13, 2023
Verified Purchase
My dad was a member of the USS Major, DE 797, and for years wanted to learn more about these tiny super ships of WW 2. They were the undisputed champions of Anti-Submarine Warfare, but because of their diminutive size, never received as much attention as the glamor boys of the war. The Aircraft Carriers and Battleships. This book is a breath of fresh air brining to light many of the details of these ships. An excellent source of information for anyone interested in these warships from the past.
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Li Junjie
5.0 out of 5 stars nice book nice seller
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2022
Verified Purchase
Very nice book about Buckely class DE to learn design and sevice history, some detail photos but not enough for building model, but it's alright I have connected lots of photos on line. Well protected, almost like a new book, seller ship out quite soon, USPS deliver quite soon(I heard they are low...). Nice experience, thanks!
Customer image
Li Junjie
5.0 out of 5 stars nice book nice seller
Reviewed in the United States on December 6, 2022
Very nice book about Buckely class DE to learn design and sevice history, some detail photos but not enough for building model, but it's alright I have connected lots of photos on line. Well protected, almost like a new book, seller ship out quite soon, USPS deliver quite soon(I heard they are low...). Nice experience, thanks!
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Richard L Walker
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent WW2 Naval Reference Book
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2014
Verified Purchase
This is a well-written book, full of technical information that is easy for the lay-person to read and understand. It covers the complicated history of the development of the BUCKLEY-Class destroyer escorts, and also somewhat indirectly the other five classes of DE's. It is a handy reference for model ship builders and amateur naval/military historians. In the photo section each vessel in the class is represented by a photograph, though a number are of questionable quality. There are a few typos in the early chapters which do not match the vessels in the photographic section. The "ship enthusiast" can figure them out after a little on-the-spot research. These do not take away from the quality and value of the book but only show how difficult it may be to produce such a history. Bruce H. Franklin, the author, held a book-signing aboard the preserved destroyer escort USS SLATER DE-766 (CANNON-Class) in Albany, New York in 1999. We had hoped that he might consider authoring another (or series) book on the other destroyer escort classes but that has not yet happened. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in "small" World War 2 warships.
3 people found this helpful
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George W Prescott
5.0 out of 5 stars A must have book if you are interested in destroyer escorts of World War 2
Reviewed in the United States on July 12, 2017
Verified Purchase
What we have here is a look at an entire class of destroyer escorts, a group of ships that fought the Battle of the Atlantic (the one battle that kept Churchill worried) during World War 2. It is full of illustrations (the author has managed to find a picture for each ship of the class, which was very difficult in some cases), and has a very informative text. The book addresses modifications made to the ships, including changes for entirely different missions for which they were built - including transports to land Underwater Demolition Teams, radar picket ships, and floating power stations (my late father served on one such ship, the USS Marsh, DE-699, during the Korean War).
If you have any interest in US Navy destroyer escorts (or Captain class frigates as the ships that went to the Royal Navy were called), this book is a must have for your library.
3 people found this helpful
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Chattanooga Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars The Place of the Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts in History
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2017
Verified Purchase
Priceless to me for the inclusion of diary excerpts from one of my late father's shipmates on the USS Bowers (DE637). The map spread from the last page to the rear cover is also priceless as it shows the places my father talked about and helps put the history of his ship in the context of the War in the Pacific. The book is indexed, so descendants of the crew members of the Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts can quickly search for details about the ship of interest. But the book tells the story of all the "tin cans." I greatly appreciate Mr. Franklin's work in creating this book.
One person found this helpful
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Kevin Minnigerode
3.0 out of 5 stars Three Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2014
Verified Purchase
Some good photos and a good reference.
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Alan R. Welch
5.0 out of 5 stars The Buckley Class
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2019
Verified Purchase
The book covers the entire history of the class with a run down of every ship built. Highly recommended.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for our WW II heros
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Bought for a friend's grandfather who was a Plank Owner on the USS Spangenberg
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Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
田舎艦艇ファン
5.0 out of 5 stars バックレ―級のみ
Reviewed in Japan on February 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
表題のようにバックレ―級を扱ったかなり詳細な資料です。
レジュメとしては
・PART 1:DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT
　1 Historical Background(P3～10)
　2 Design and Armament(P11～46)
　3 Conversion Programs(P47～60)
　4 Service History(P61～95)
PART 2:PICTORIAL HISTORY
　5 The Photographic Record(P99～174)
APPENDIXES(p175～202)
以上です。
御覧のように設計思想から始まり兵装、戦歴などかなり詳細な書籍となっており
一般艤装図（右舷側面、平面各階層）や豊富な写真も掲載されています。
パート2のPhotographic Recordでは各個艦別の画像と戦歴がハルナンバー順にまとめられ、
パート1で紹介されているバックレ―級の変遷（DEからAPDへの改装艦、英国供与艦など）を含め
わかりやすく解説されているのも結構見ごたえがあります。

国籍を問わず護衛艦というカテゴリーを扱った資料はかなり少なく、米護衛艦についても
「Destroyers Escorts of the World War Two: Warship's Data Special」「Destroyer Escorts in Action (WARSHIPS)」
「世界の艦船増刊アメリカ護衛艦史」などかなり限られたものしかないのでその点で貴重な資料だと思います。
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