The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts [Hardcover]

Bruce Hampton Franklin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999

Presents the first complete photographic record of all 154 ships of the Buckley class along with ship plans and narrative that recaptures their history.

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

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557502803
• ISBN-13: 978-1557502803
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,009,653 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Priceless, January 4, 2000

By 

O. D. Biggs (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts (Hardcover)

I received "The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts" as a gift and I consider it priceless. Having commissioned and served as a Gunners Mate on the USS Sims DE 154 (ESCORT DIV.6) until she was converted into the APD 50, I am familiar with some of the action in the Atlantic and Eastern Areas. Being able to follow the history of the Division, after I was reassigned, was a treat. Some of the inserts, the experiences of former crew members, struck pretty close to home. They well may have been in the bunk next to mine. The photographs were great. This book contains the only photo that I have seen of the "SIMS" underway. Compiling all of the information in this book, so long after the fact, is almost unbelievable. It is, in many respects, a record of a piece of my life. Any Sailor that served on one of "The Little Wolves" should own a copy of this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars AN EXCELLENT VOLUME SIMILAR IN SCOPE AND PURPOSES TO THE VENERABLE 'ANATOMY OF THE SHIP' SERIES, January 4, 2007

By 

Heather L. Parisi "Robert and Heather Parisi" (St. Augustine, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts (Hardcover)

FIRST OFF:
THE DESIGN/DEPLOYMENT & MASS PRODUCTION OF THIS VITALLY NEEDED CLASS IS WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT!

'The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts', by Bruce Hampton Franklin, is NOT book about Battleships and battles. It is NOT about some of the thousands of patrols these vital ships sailed on under constant threat from submarines. It is NOT an operational history.

This book is, quite simply, a monument to the men and ships that formed the backbone of the allied Escort fleet during the second world war. It is safe to say that although this task was not afforded the glamor and hoopla of the Carrier Task Forces, the protection they afforded to allied shipping around the globe was just as important to the allied war effort and just as dangerous.

WHAT'S IN THE BOOK:

PART 1: DESIGN & DEPLOYMENT

--- 1- 'HISTORICAL BACKGROUND' - Page 3
--- 2- 'DESIGN & ARMAMENT' - Page 11
--- 3- 'CONVERSION PROGRAMS' - Page 47
--- 4- 'SERVICE HISTORY' - Page 61

PART 2: PICTORIAL HISTORY

--- 5- 'THE PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORD' - Page 99

APPENDIXES

A- 'Number of Completed & Proposed DEs by Class & Disposition' - Page 175
B- 'Stastical Data of Buckley-Class Ships - Page 176
C- 'Monthly Totals of Buckley-Class Production & Service Deployment, 1942-1945 - Page 186
D- 'German & japanese Submarines Credited to Buckley-Class Ships, 1943-1945 - 188
E- Buckley-Class Ships That Sustained Heavy Damage or Were Lost, 1943-1945 - Page 190
F- U.S. Navy Escort Divisions and Royal Navy Escort Groups Containing Buckley-Class Ships, 1943-1945 - Page 192

SOURCES - Page 199
Acknowledgements - Page 203
Index - Page 205

REVIEW OF CONTENT: VERY SIMILIAR IN SCOPE AND SUBJECT TO 'THE ANATOMY OF THE SHIP SERIES'

The text in the first section, titled, 'DESIGN AND DEPLOYMENT' includes detailed line drawings and a short treatment of the historical background, design and armament and some of the conversion programs [i.e.- into fast transports and electrical generation ships]. It ends with a short service history. If you are interested in these ships as a modeler, a crewman, a family member of a crewmen, or as a military history enthusiast this book is one of the best on the subject.

The largest section, {Part 2: THE PICTORIAL HISTORY} includes clear Black and White photos of 154 different Buckley-Class DEs and is the most comprehensive record of its kind. If you served on one of these ships there is a good chance that your ship is included in the photo record included.

The 6 appendixes include a concise statistical record regarding the disposition of these vessels.

BOTTOM LINE:

After reading this text I watched the film, 'The Enemy Below', starring Robert Mitchum as Captain of a Buckley-Class DE hunting a U-Boat captained by Kurt Jurgens in the South Atlantic in 1944. Although I have seen this film countless times over the past 50 years I now feel I know my way around the DE depicted in the film having now read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvellous maritime Book, December 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Buckley-Class Destroyer Escorts (Hardcover)

I recommend this marvellous book to all naval enthusiasts because they can easily see all of the Buckley class on it. Especially I am very glad to see all of the Captain class. I couldn't find which ship of the Royal Navy had 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns on X position before I purchased this masterpiece.