They served in World War II as convoy escorts and antisubmarine warfare ships.

The TE was replaced with a diesel-electric plant to yield the design of the successor Cannon class ("DET").

After World War II, most of the surviving units of this class were transferred to Taiwan, South Korea, Chile, Mexico, or other countries.

For antisubmarine weapons, the Buckley class carried a Hedgehog, a British designed spigot mortar that fired 24 bombs ahead of the ship.

Two sets of double rails mounted on each side of the ship at the stern, each holding 24 charges and eight (two on Captain-class units) K-gun depth-charge throwers each holding five charges were on each side of the ship forward of the stern rails.