Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
United States Navy — Destroyer escort

USS Earl K. Olsen

Cannon-class destroyer escort

USS Earl K. Olsen
Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 107520 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Earl K. Olsen (DE-765) underway at sea, circa the mid-1950s.

Service

  1. United States Navy as USS Earl K. Olsen10 April 1944 — 25 February 1958510 days of the war
Cannon-class destroyer escort Particulars
Name
USS Earl K. Olsen
Namesake
Earl Kenneth Olsen
Builder
Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida
Laid down
9 March 1943
Launched
13 February 1944
Commissioned
10 April 1944
Decommissioned
17 June 1946
Recommissioned
21 November 1950
Struck
1 August 1972
Fate
Sold for scrap, 15 October 1973 (1973)
Status
Scrapped

Specifications

Displacement, standard
1,240 long tons (1,260 t)
Length
93.27 m (306 ft) OA
Beam
10.97 m (36 ft)
Draught
3.35 m (11 ft)
Speed
21 knots (38.9 km/h, 24.2 mph)
Range
10,800 nmi (20,002 km)
Complement
216
Main gun
76 mm (3 in)

USS Earl K. Olsen was a Cannon-class destroyer escort, operated by the United States Navy. The ship was named after Earl Kenneth Olsen. Her keel was laid at Tampa Shipbuilding Company, Tampa, Florida on 9 March 1943. She entered service on 10 April 1944, having been launched on 13 February 1944.

Her class ran to 79 ships. The class followed the Buckley-class destroyer escort and was succeeded by the Edsall-class destroyer escort.

Displacement was 1,240 long tons. She measured 93.3 m (306 ft) long with a beam of 11.0 m (36 ft). Her designed speed was 21 knots, and she carried a complement of 216. Her main battery was of 76 mm (3.0 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 510 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 17 June 1946. She recommissioned on 21 November 1950. She was struck from the register on 1 August 1972.

She was broken up for scrap on 15 October 1973.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 4 × GM Mod. 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6000 shp, 2 screws
Armament
  • 3 × single Mk.22 3"/50 caliber guns
  • 1 × twin 40 mm Mk.1 AA gun
  • 8 × 20 mm Mk.4 AA guns
  • 3 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes
  • 1 × Hedgehog Mk.10 anti-submarine mortar (144 rounds)
  • 8 × Mk.6 depth charge projectors
  • 2 × Mk.9 depth charge tracks

Sister ships

54 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from USS Earl K. Olsen on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 107520 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons