The lead ship, USS Cannon, was commissioned on 26 September 1943 at Wilmington, Delaware.

Of the 116 ships ordered, 44 were cancelled and six were commissioned directly into the Free French Forces.

The DET's substitution for a turboelectric propulsion plant was the primary difference with the predecessor Buckley ("TE") class.

[2] The DET was, in turn, replaced with a direct-drive diesel plant to yield the design of the successor Edsall ("FMR") class.

During World War II, six ships of the class were earmarked for the Free French Naval Forces and a further eight were transferred the Brazilian Navy.