Untitled Document

Until 28 April 1943, construction of destroyer escorts at Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston Texas, was under the supervision of the Supervisor at Orange. On that date, the Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, was established at Houston with Captain DeWitt C. Redgrave, USN, as Supervisor, and the supervision of Brown's contracts was taken over by that activity.

The first vessel, USS EDSALL (DE129) on contract NObs-378, was delivered by Consolidated Steel Corporation to the Government on 10 April 1943. This contractor, by August, had increased deliveries to a point where for this month eight destroyer escorts were delivered. This accomplishment was performed after having delivered seven escorts the preceeding month; and in September six escorts were delivered. The August delivery is mentioned because it was the month when the greatest number of destroyer escorts was delivered by this contractor.

Back	Until 28 April 1943, construction of destroyer escorts at Brown Shipbuilding Company, Houston Texas, was under the supervision of the Supervisor at Orange. On that date, the Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN, was established at Houston with Captain DeWitt C. Redgrave, USN, as Supervisor, and the supervision of Brown's contracts was taken over by that activity.				Next

	The first vessel, USS EDSALL (DE129) on contract NObs-378, was delivered by Consolidated Steel Corporation to the Government on 10 April 1943. This contractor, by August, had increased deliveries to a point where for this month eight destroyer escorts were delivered. This accomplishment was performed after having delivered seven escorts the preceeding month; and in September six escorts were delivered. The August delivery is mentioned because it was the month when the greatest number of destroyer escorts was delivered by this contractor.
	The total delivery of destroyer escorts for 1943, which actually covered the period from april through December, weas forty-five. These ships were of two different types known as FMR's and TE's. Forty of the forty-five delivered in 1943 were FMR's and five were TE's.
	In the middle of the destroyer escort program, the contractor was called upon to deliver thirty-six LCI(L)'s, which vessels were delivered the last part of 1942 and the first part of 1943. This contractor was also called on to deliver seventy LCI(L)'s between 1 March and 30 June 1944 in addition to destroyer escorts. During the month of May 1944, Consolidated Steel Corporation established a record by having delivered thirty-one ships in thirty-one days -- twenty-six LCI(L)'s and five destroyer escorts.
	DE373-381 on contract NObs-334 were cancelled and in place of these nine ships the partially completed DE668-674, DE721-722 were towed from Dravo Corporation at Neville Island to Orange, Texas, for completion and conversion to APD's.
	Beginning with DE339 on contract NObs-334, the propulsion units were changed from Diesel to geared turbines and the armament was changed from 3" to 5" guns. This change brought about definite hull changes that necessarily slowed down production in March and April 1944. The last destroyer escort on contract NObs-334, US WILLIAMS (DE372), was delivered to the Government on 11 November 1944.
	Destroyer escort contracts were awarded to Consolidated Steel Corporation at the following estimated costs:
			NObs-379 . . . . . . . . $ 79,200,000.00: NObs-334 . . . . . . . . 217,800,000.00: NObs-844 . . . . . . . . 39,600,000.00.
	The actual contractor-cost to the Government on these contracts are:
			NObs-378 . . . . . . . . $ 42,490,424.01: NObs-334 . . . . . . . . 104,431,120.41: NObs-844 . . . . . . . . 21,595,754,53.
	This was a very considerable saving in cost to the Government, and the contractor earned a maximum bonus for savings in connection with the construction of ninety-three destroyer escorts.
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