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

USS Stern

Cannon-class destroyer escort

USS Stern
U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-304534 from usndazzle.com — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Stern (DE-187) off Ulithi atoll on 4 February 1945. She wears a very worn in in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 10D and she may be in the process of repainting, the entire stern area and the bow appear to be navy blue or navy gray. The square on the stern is a movie projection screen. The photo was taken from the repair ship USS Prometheus (AR-3).

Service

  1. United States Navy as USS Stern1 December 1943 — 26 April 1946641 days of the war
  2. Royal Netherlands Navy as Hr.Ms. Van Zijll (F811)1 March 1951 — 1967
Cannon-class destroyer escort Particulars
Name
USS Stern
Namesake
Charles M. Stern, Jr.
Builder
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newark, New Jersey
Laid down
12 August 1943
Launched
31 October 1943
Commissioned
1 December 1943
Decommissioned
26 April 1946
Struck
7 March 1951
Fate
Returned to the US Navy, 1967
Sold for scrapping, 1968 (1967)
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 Stern was a Cannon-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy. The ship was named after Charles M. Stern. Her keel was laid at Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newark, New Jersey on 12 August 1943. Launched on 31 October 1943, she entered service on 1 December 1943.

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 served with the United States Navy as USS Stern until 26 April 1946. She then passed to the Royal Netherlands Navy, serving as Hr.Ms. Van Zijll (F811) from 1 March 1951. She was in commission for 641 days of the Second World War. She was decommissioned on 26 April 1946. She was struck from the register on 7 March 1951.

She was broken up for scrap in 1967.

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 Stern on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-304534 from usndazzle.com — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons