The Destroyer Escort, England

By the autumn of 1939, war was a reality in Europe and the Royal Navy was already hard-pressed to meet convoy escort requirements in the North Atlantic. As a stop-gap measure, the whalecatcher-based 'Flower' class corvette was introduced, but it was too small and too slow to function as a truly effective ocean convoy escort. What was needed was a new design developed specifically for this role and for the conditions normally encountered in the North Atlantic. However, the domestic shipyards were already overtaxed with vital shipbuilding programmes and the Royal Navy looked to the US for assistance.