Ron Barrie has written:

'Cadillac of Destroyers' -- subject(s): History, Destroyers (Warships), Destroyer escorts

Destroyers (and destroyer escorts) are the workhorses of the navy. They are designed to attack both sea and shore targets. Destroyers provide screening support for an aircraft carrier group. They have anti-submarine (ASW) and anti-aircraft capabilities. The largest can carry helicopters and some can launch cruise missiles.

Destroyer Escorts (DEs) were small subchasers. Destroyers were the usual sub hunting ships, used to protect convoys. Destroyers themselves were small, often called "tin cans". DEs were even smaller and lighter, and carried less guns, but had about the same subfighting capability. They could be built faster and cheaper than full-scale destroyers. Other small subchasers included corvettes, frigates, and actual vessels denominated SCs - sub chasers.

Airplanes found them and sunk them. Aircraft were launched from escort carriers. Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts sometimes get the glory for it, but seldom could anything (in WWII) escape from those flying machines!

Frigates are smaller than destroyers