They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships.

The lead ship was USS Evarts, launched on 7 December 1942, exactly a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Evarts-class ships were driven by diesel-electric power with four diesel engines mounted in tandem with electric drives.

The original design specified eight engines for 24 knots but other priority programs forced the use of only four with a consequent shortening of the hull.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.