97 Evarts class Destroyer Escorts were built from 1942 – 1944 to combat the German U-Boats in the Battle of the Atlantic. These were the short hull type with General Motors Tandem Diesel Drive (GMT).
In 1942 to 1943, the Japanese were starting to lose large numbers of fleet destroyers and their crews in action in the south Pacific. So the imperial navy designed a class of Destroyers that could be quickly and easily built, and ordered 154 Matsu class ships to be built.
These five classes of Destroyer Escorts were enlarged and faster versions of the previous Evarts class. These 5 classes of ships were built on the same enlarged hull, but with variations in power plants and armament fits.