USS Card
USS Card (CVE-11), in 1943
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History | |
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United States | |
Owner | War Shipping Administration (WSA) |
Operator | Isthmian Steamship Company |
Ordered | as type ( MC hull 178 [1] |
Awarded | 30 October 1940 |
Builder | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation, Tacoma, Washington |
Cost | $3,286,653 |
Yard number | 10 |
Way number | 2 |
Laid down | 27 October 1941 |
Launched | 21 February 1942 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. J. Perry |
Fate | Sold for scrapping on 14 May 1971 |
United States | |
Name | Card |
Namesake | Card Sound, Florida |
Acquired | 1 May 1942 |
Commissioned | 8 November 1942 |
Decommissioned | 13 May 1946 |
Reclassified |
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Identification |
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Fate | Allocated to the Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS), 1958 |
United States | |
Name | Card |
Operator | MSTS |
Acquired | 1958 |
In service | 16 May 1958 |
Out of service | 10 March 1970 |
Reclassified |
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Stricken | 15 September 1970 |
Identification |
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Fate | Sold for scrapping, 14 May 1971 |
General characteristics [2] | |
Class and type | Bogue-class escort carrier |
Displacement |
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Length | |
Beam |
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Draft |
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Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 18 kn (33 km/h; 21 mph) |
Complement | 890 officers and enlisted |
Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 19-24 |
Aviation facilities |
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Service record | |
Operations: | |
Awards: |
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USS Card (AVG/ ACV/ CVE/ CVHE/ CVU/T-CVU-11/ T-AKV-40) was an American
In 1964, while operating as an aircraft ferry, Card was sunk with explosives planted by two Viet Cong commandos in the Harbor of Saigon, South Vietnam. She was refloated 17 days later and returned to service after extensive repairs.
Construction and commissioning
Card's hull was laid down on 27 October 1941, under a
She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 1 May 1942 and redesignated AVG-11 (Aircraft Escort Vessel #11), later reclassified as ACV-11 (Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier 11) on the 20 August 1942 and converted into an escort carrier. She was commissioned on 8 November 1942.[3]
Aircraft carried
Card had capacity for up to 24
Service history
World War II
Departing
During this crossing, Card and her escorting destroyers provided daily anti-submarine patrols against
On 15 July Card was reclassified from an Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier (ACV) to an Escort Carrier (CVE). She became one of the first of fourteen US CVEs around which US anti-submarine HKGs would be based.[7] These groups became feasible as increasing numbers of CVEs became available, along with more and better escort ships and aircraft.[7]
They became increasingly effective with the development of improved anti-submarine weapons including Mark 24 (FIDO) homing torpedoes and Hedgehog forward-throwing depth charges. Like other US HKGs, those based on Card operated independently of convoys but, unlike UK HKGs, she operated without centralized control.[8]
These groups used Ultra intelligence from Enigma signals to locate and destroy U-boats and their replenishment vessels. These intercepts were involved in sinking all 11 submarines sunk by Card's HKGs and all but one of the U-boats sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic by US HKGs during the war.[9] Card steamed from Norfolk on 27 July as flagship for TG 21.14, an HKG formed for offensive operations against German submarines. This deployment lasted until 10 September.[3]
On 7 August her Avenger aircraft attacked
On 8 August 1943 U-664 fired three torpedoes at the escort carrier but all missed. The following day Aircraft from Card sank U-664 in position 40°12′N 37°29′W / 40.200°N 37.483°W, west-southwest of Corvo Island, with depth charges from Avengers. Seven crew members were killed and 44 rescued by USS Borie.
On 11 August her aircraft sank U-525 at 28°19′N 37°58′W / 28.317°N 37.967°W north-west of the Azores with all hands.[3][10]
On 27 August her aircraft sank U-847 in the Sargasso Sea at 28°19′N 37°58′W / 28.317°N 37.967°W, with FIDO torpedoes, all 63 hands were lost.[11][3][10]
Her second deployment was from 25 September to 9 November 1943. Lt. (j.g.) Robert. L. Sterns spotted three submarines, U-264, U-422, and U-455, refueling from the Type XIV supply and replenishment ("Milchkuh") U-460, on 4 October, north of the Azores. Coming under heavy anti-aircraft fire from the three U-boats, Lt. Sterns radioed for reinforcements and three more TBM Avengers joined the battle. Sterns dropped a "Fido" acoustic torpedo that sunk U-460 43°13′N 28°58′W / 43.217°N 28.967°W with 62 crew lost and two rescued, and U-422 was sunk at 43°18′N 28°58′W / 43.300°N 28.967°W with all hands.[3][12] [13][14]
On 13 October, Avenger and Wildcat aircraft sank U-402 at 48°56′N 29°41′W / 48.933°N 29.683°W, with an acoustic FIDO torpedo.[3][15]
On 31 October, three of her Avenger aircraft sank U-584, at 49°14′N 31°55′W / 49.233°N 31.917°W, 580 nmi (1,070 km; 670 mi) north of Flores Island, with FIDOs and attacked U-91 (1941), at the same location, but this boat escaped undamaged.[3][16]
The fifth and final sinking of the deployment was on 1 November, by one of Card's escorts. After a violent, close-range surface action,
For her antisubmarine activities from 27 July to 25 October, as part of TG21.14, Card and her task group were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.[3] Card became the first escort carrier to receive such an award for combating German submarines.[18]
Card began her third hunter-killer deployment 24 November 1943 in the North Atlantic. Late on 23 December, the group ran into wolfpack "Borkum"; Card had 12 contacts in 5 hours.[3] Card and her escort Decatur were attacked by U-415 and one of her Wildcats spotted the blockade runner Osorno steaming for the Gironde estuary.[19] One of Cards escorts, Schenck sank U-645 at 45°20′N 21°40′W / 45.333°N 21.667°W on 24 December.
The escort Leary, was sunk by the combined efforts of U-275 and U-382 at 45°00′N 22°00′W / 45.000°N 22.000°W, 585 nmi (1,083 km; 673 mi) west northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain.[20] Card dodged submarines all night with only Decatur as screen, while Schenck rescued survivors from Leary. The task group returned to Norfolk base on 2 January 1944.[3]
From 18 March to 17 May 1944, Card operated on transport duty between Norfolk and Casablanca. She then underwent overhaul until 4 June, when she steamed for Quonset Point, to hold pilot qualification exercises. She returned to Norfolk, 21 June, to serve as the nucleus of TG 22.10. The hunter-killer unit departed Norfolk, 25 June, and on 5 July, two of her escorts, Thomas and Baker, sank U-233 at 42°16′N 59°49′W / 42.267°N 59.817°W. Thirty survivors, including the mortally wounded commanding officer of the submarine, were taken on board Card and put ashore at Boston, Massachusetts, the next day.[3]
Her next anti-submarine cruise was in the Caribbean, and uneventful, 10 July – 23 August 1944. She sortied 18 September as the flagship of TG 22.2 for patrol off the Azores, during which she cooperated with British Escort Group 9 to attack a submarine on 12 October. After another patrol with TG 22.2, 1 December 1944 – 22 January 1945, Card entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for overhaul until 7 February.[3]
She then transported Army aircraft and Army and Navy personnel to Liverpool, returning to Norfolk 12 March. From 21 March to 24 May, Card was based on Quonset Point, conducting carrier pilot qualifications. She ferried men and aircraft to Guantanamo Bay, 21–24 June, then transited the Panama Canal, to transport materiel to Pearl Harbor and Guam, returning to San Diego, 14 August.[3]
By the end of World War II, Card's aircraft and escorts destroyed a total of 11 German submarines, making her, along with USS Bogue with 9 German and 2 Japanese submarines, the most successful ships of her class.[18]
Assigned to "
She was reclassified as a helicopter escort carrier CVHE-11, 12 June 1955; a utility carrier CVU-11, 1 July 1958; and an aviation transport AKV-40, 7 May 1959.[3]
Awards
In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation, Card received three
Vietnam War
The ship was reactivated on 16 May 1958, as
On 2 May 1964, while Card was moored dockside in
During the latter part of 1967, and early part of 1968, Card brought US military helicopters to the Republic of South Vietnam. These helicopters were assembled on board the ship by members of the 388th Transportation Company, 765th Transportation Battalion, and then flown to the US Army airfield at Vũng Tàu. From there the helicopters were assigned to aviation units.
Fate
Card entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, at Olympia, Washington, on 10 March 1970, was sold for scrapping to Zidell Explorations, Inc for $93,899.99, on 14 May 1971 and withdrawn from the fleet on 9 June 1971.[2]
Awards
- Presidential Unit Citation
- battle star
- European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medalwith two battle stars
- World War II Victory Medal
- Navy Occupation Medalwith "ASIA" clasp
- National Defense Service Medal
- Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
- Vietnam Service Medal with one campaign star
- Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Citations
- ^ Gerhardt.
- ^ a b c Yarnall 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r DANFS 2016.
- ^ "VMH: ARNOLD J. ISBELL, CAPT, USN". usnamemorialhall.org. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ^ Calhoun, Gordon (1999). "Breaching the Westwall: Hampton Roads' UG convoys to North Africa". The Daybook. 6 (1): 6–9, 14–15. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
- ISBN 0-87021-286-9.
- ^ a b Stubblebine, David. "Card". World War II Database. C. Peter Chen, Lava Development, LLC. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- ^ Y'Blood, p. 284-87
- ^ Y'Blood, Hunter-Killer p. 282-83
- ^ a b Cressman 2000, pp. 372–373, 379.
- ^ Wise 2005, p. 46.
- ^ Cressman 2000, p. 392.
- ^ Shortridge, Bud, Slaughtered "Milk Cows" (PDF)
- ^ "Uboat.net - the Men - Foodstuffs".
- ^ Cressman 2000, p. 396.
- ^ Cressman 2000, p. 401.
- ^ Cressman 2000, pp. 402–403.
- ^ a b Wise 2005, p. 45.
- ^ Cressman 2000, p. 421.
- ^ Cressman 2000, p. 422.
- ^ BATTALION HISTORY, 93rd Trans / 121st AHC, Early History, Web 4 Jan 2013.
- ^ Beckhusen 2019.
Bibliography
- Beckhusen, Robert (9 October 2019). "During the Vietnam War, Commandos Sunk a U.S. Aircraft Carrier It was a huge blow". The National Interest. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
- "Card". DANFS. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Cressman, Robert (2000). The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II. ISBN 978-1-55750-149-3. Retrieved 24 March 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- Gerhardt, Frank A. "Card". United States Maritime Commission 1936 thru 1950. Retrieved 24 March 2021.
- Stubblebine, David (November 2021). "CARD". World War II Database. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
- Wise, John E. (2005). U-505: The Final Journey. Washington D.C.: ISBN 1-59114-967-3.
- Yarnall, Paul (22 October 2020). "USS CARD (ACV-11)". www.navsource.org. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
- Y'Blood, William T. (1983). Hunter-Killer US Escort Carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic. ISBN 0-87021-286-9.
- Y'Blood, William T. (1987). The Little Giants – U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan. ISBN 0-87021-275-3.