Constructed of steel, the cutters displaced 2,350 tons and measured 327 by 41 with a 12-foot draft. Two geared turbines provided propulsion. Total shaft horsepower of 5,250 gave the ships a maximum speed of 19.5 knots. At cruising speed of 13 knots, their radius was 7,000 miles; at maximum speed it was 4,200 miles.
The cutters carried single-engine floatplanes and were initially armed with two single, 5-inch/51-caliber guns, two 6-pounders, and one 1-pounder. Each was manned by 16 officers and 107 men in peacetime and 21 officers and 215 men during wartime.
The late-arriving destroyer escorts obtained a kill rate of 0.1 U-boats per ship. The 327's achieved a rate of .57 per ship - the highest kill ratio of any antisubmarine warfare ship type in World War II.
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