USS Mission Bay
USS Mission Bay underway, August 1944
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Mission Bay |
Namesake | Mission Bay, California |
Ordered | as a MCE hull 1096[1] |
Awarded | 18 June 1942 |
Builder | Kaiser Shipyards |
Laid down | 28 December 1942 |
Launched | 26 May 1943 |
Commissioned | 13 September 1943 |
Decommissioned | 21 February 1947 |
Identification | Hull symbol: CVE-59 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 30 April 1959 |
General characteristics [2] | |
Class and type | Casablanca-class escort carrier |
Displacement |
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Length | |
Beam |
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Draft | 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) (max) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
Range | 10,240 nmi (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement |
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Armament |
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Aircraft carried | 27 |
Aviation facilities | |
Service record | |
Part of: |
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Operations: | Battle of the Atlantic |
USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) was a
Design and description
Mission Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of
One
Construction
The escort carrier was
Service history
Upon being commissioned, Mission Bay underwent a shakedown cruise down the West Coast to
Her next cruise started on 20 February, when she departed New York City, transporting Army planes and crew, bound for India. Along the way, she made stops at Recife, Brazil, and Cape Town, Union of South Africa. She arrived at Karachi on 29 March, where she unloaded her cargo. She then proceeded back to her home port, arriving back at Portsmouth by 12 May. On 28 May, she departed New York again, ferrying aircraft along with Kasaan Bay and Tulagi, round trip to Casablanca. She arrived on 6 June, departed on 8 June, and arrived back at New York on 17 June. As she entered New York Harbor, she collided with a dredge, which resulted in significant damage to the hull. She arrived at Portsmouth on 22 June, where repairs were conducted throughout the month of July. During this time period, Commander William Ellis Gentner, Jr. took over command of the ship.[5] On 12 July, Captain John Roger Ruhsenberger took command of the ship.[6]
On 8 September, she departed, bound for the South Atlantic. After refueling at Dakar, French West Africa on 20 September, she began antisubmarine operations, which lasted throughout the month of November. She arrived back at Portsmouth on 25 November. On 21 December, she left harbor, and proceeded to the Caribbean, where she conducted exercises in the strait between Florida and Cuba. These exercises and miscellaneous tasks took her until February 1945. She was then ordered to sail to Gibraltar, where she would meet the heavy cruiser Quincy which was carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his entourage back from the Yalta Conference. She rendezvoused with the cruiser on 23 February, and escorted the ship as it passed through the open Atlantic. She then left the convoy, mooring at Bermuda on 27 February, before returning to Portsmouth on 9 March.[5]
She departed again on 29 March, and conducted a final antisubmarine sweep of the North Atlantic. Having found no contacts, she anchored off of New York on 14 May. She then cruised off the East Coast, training pilots and conducting pilot qualifications, before she proceeded to
References
- ^ a b Kaiser Vancouver 2010.
- ^ a b c Chesneau & Gardiner 1980, p. 109.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, pp. 34–35.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, pp. 10.
- ^ a b c d e DANFS 2016.
- ^ https://www.navsource.org/archives/03/059co.htm
Sources
Online sources
- "Mission Bay (CVE-59)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
- "Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 27 November 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
Bibliography
- Chesneau, Robert; Gardiner, Robert (1980), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, ISBN 9780870219139
- Y'Blood, William (2014), The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan (ISBN 9781612512471
External links
- Photo gallery of USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) at NavSource Naval History