USS Saginaw Bay
USS Saginaw Bay underway, circa 1944
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Saginaw Bay |
Namesake | Saginaw Bay, Kuiu Island, Alaska |
Ordered | as a MCE hull 1119[1] |
Awarded | 18 June 1942 |
Builder | Kaiser Shipyards |
Laid down | 1 November 1943 |
Launched | 19 January 1944 |
Commissioned | 2 March 1944 |
Decommissioned | 19 June 1946 |
Stricken | 1 March 1959 |
Identification | Hull symbol: CVE-82 |
Honors and awards | 5 Battle stars |
Fate | Sold for scrapping 27 November 1959 |
General characteristics | |
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: |
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USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) was a
Design and description
Saginaw Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of
One
Construction
A contract for fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers was made on 18 June 1942, with the construction being awarded to the
Service history
World War II
Upon being commissioned, she underwent a shakedown cruise off of
After taking on a load of aircraft, she proceeded westward to
She retired to Seeadler Harbor, located within Manus Island, where plans were drawn for the landings on Leyte. She joined "Taffy 1", along with 12 other escort carriers, under the command of Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague. "Taffy 1" was assigned the task of guarding the southeast entrance into Leyte Gulf.[13] On 14 October, the task group departed, guarding troop transports along the way, arriving within Leyte Gulf by 20 October. As the Japanese Fleet closed in for a decisive engagement on 24 October, Saginaw Bay and Chenango transferred much of their aircraft contingent to other carriers.[14] She then retired to Morotai for replacement aircraft, missing the ensuing Battle off Samar. She rejoined her task unit on 28 October with a new aircraft contingent, just as it started to retire back to Manus.[9][15]
Saginaw Bay was anchored in Seeadler Harbor on 10 November when the ammunition ship Mount Hood underwent a catastrophic explosion. She suffered only minor damage from the blast and resulting tidal wave. During her layover, she was taken into dry dock for repairs. From 14 December to the 21st, she underwent exercises in preparation for amphibious landings at Lingayen. On 2 January 1945, her task group departed Manus, escorting transports, arriving at Lingayen Gulf just in time to support the landings on 9 January.[16] On 10 January, she came under attack from two Japanese bombers, who dropped bombs, which missed. On 14 January, a torpedo was spotted near her hull, which also missed. During this period of activity, Kitkun Bay was heavily damaged by a kamikaze, and Ommaney Bay was sunk by one, complicating the task group's efforts to provide air support. Efforts were also hampered by heavy seas, which made landings on her flight deck precarious. On 21 January, she retired from supporting the landings, steaming back to Ulithi, in preparation for the landings upon Iwo Jima.[9][17]
On 23 January, she participated in a rehearsal of the Iwo Jima landings in Ulithi. On 10 February, her task group departed Ulithi en route to Iwo Jima, making a stop at Saipan along the way. On 19 February, she supported the landings and provided air support until 11 March. During operations, the carrier task group was constantly harried by kamikazes. Her crew witnessed the escort carrier Bismarck Sea get hit by two kamikazes, before sinking from the resulting blaze.[18] On 11 March, she departed from Iwo Jima bound for Ulithi, with Japanese forces still entrenched within the northern half of the island.[9][19]
On 14 March, she arrived back at Ulithi, where Captain Robert Goldthwaite assumed command. Saginaw Bay was quickly returned into action, departing for
Post war
Following the end of the war, she steamed for Hawaii, where she underwent training operations before being incorporated into Operation Magic Carpet, which repatriated U.S. servicemen from throughout the Pacific. On 14 September, she departed Hawaii, making stops at Guiuan Roadstead, Samar, and San Pedro Bay, Leyte, where she took on servicemen. She then returned to San Francisco. She then made a second Magic Carpet run to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, before proceeding back for San Francisco.[9][22]
On 1 February 1946, she was discharged from the Magic Carpet fleet, and departed San Francisco for
References
- ^ a b Kaiser Vancouver 2010.
- ^ a b Chesneau & Gardiner 1980, p. 109.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, pp. 34–35.
- ^ a b Hazegray 1998.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 109.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 277.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 322.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 349.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i DANFS 2016.
- ^ McCarty, p. 1.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 120.
- ^ McCarty, p. 2.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 128.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 142.
- ^ McCarty, p. 3.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 309.
- ^ McCarty, pp. 4–6.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 331.
- ^ McCarty, p. 7.
- ^ Y'Blood 2014, p. 356.
- ^ McCarty, pp. 8–9.
- ^ McCarty, p. 10.
- ^ McCarty, p. 11.
Sources
Online sources
- "Saginaw Bay (CVE-82)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
- "Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 27 November 2010. Archived from the original on 16 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019.
- "World Aircraft Carriers List: US Escort Carriers, S4 Hulls". Hazegray.org. 14 December 1998. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- McCarty, Dennis B. "USS Saginaw Bay CVE 82 – Ships Movement History" (PDF). navsource.org. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
Bibliography
- Chesneau, Robert; Gardiner, Robert (1980), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, ISBN 9780870219139
- Y'Blood, William T. (2014), The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan (ISBN 9781612512471
External links
- Photo gallery of USS Saginaw Bay (CVE-82) at NavSource Naval History