 HMSRuler in January 1945 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSSt. Joseph |
| Namesake | St. Joseph Bay in Florida |
| Builder | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down | 25 March 1943 |
| Launched | 21 August 1943 |
| Fate | Transferred toRoyal Navy |
 United Kingdom | |
| Name | HMSRuler |
| Commissioned | 22 December 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 29 January 1946 |
| Stricken | 20 March 1946 |
| Identification | Pennant number D72 (Atlantic) - R311/A731 (Pacific) |
| Honours and awards |
|
| Fate | Scrapped, 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | |
| Displacement | 15,390 tons |
| Length | 492 ft (150 m) |
| Beam | 108 ft 6 in (33.07 m) |
| Draught | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Propulsion | Steam turbines, 1 shaft, 8,500 shp (6.3 MW) |
| Speed | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement | 646 officers and men |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 30 |
| Service record | |
| Part of: | British Pacific Fleet |
| Operations: | Battle of Okinawa |
HMSRuler was thelead ship ofher class ofescort carrier of theRoyal Navy during the Second World War. She was built in the United States as theBogue-class carrierSt. Joseph (AVG/CVE/ACV-50) forLend-Lease to theUnited Kingdom.
The nameSt. Joseph (making her the firstUnited States Navy ship named forSt. Joseph Bay,Florida) was assigned to MC hull 261, a converted C3-S-A1 cargo ship, on 23 August 1942. She was laid down on 25 March 1943 by theSeattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation ofTacoma, Washington. She was redesignatedCVE-50 on 15 July, launched on 21 August 1943 and sponsored by Mrs. W.W. Smyth. The carrier was transferred to the United Kingdom on 22 December 1943 and commissioned into Royal Navy service the same day as HMSRuler, with thepennant number D72.
After completingsea trials HMSRuler went toBurrard Dry Dock, inVancouver,British Columbia,Canada, for refit to Royal Navy standards, as atransport carrier. Following a work-up period HMSRuler went toNorfolk, Virginia, via thePanama Canal. It departed on 20 April 1944 with a number ofGrumman F6F Hellcat andVought F4U Corsair, transferring them toRNAS Speke inLiverpool, England, the aircraft disembarking on 6 May 1944. HMSRuler returned to the United States, toNew York, to fetch a batch ofGrumman TBF Avenger and Grumman F6F Hellcat aircraft, embarking them between the 20 and 23 May 1944 and again transferring to RNAS Speke, on 11 June. HMSRuler later made a third trip, fetching Grumman F6F Hellcat and Vought F4U Corsair from Norfolk, Virginia, between 20 and 29 October, this time arriving atGreenock to unload on 18 November.[1]
HMSRuler served in the NorthAtlantic during 1944, protecting the vital flow of men and warmateriel from theUnited States toGreat Britain and to fighting fronts on the European continent. In early 1945, she transferred to thePacific Theatre where she supported araid on Truk and thecampaign to take Okinawa.
From March to August 1945 was part of theBritish Pacific Fleet attached to the30th Aircraft Carrier Squadron. She enteredTokyo Bay on 31 August 1945 prior to theSurrender of Japan.[2] On 13 September, the ship brought onboard some 450 ex Prisoners of War and sailed forSydney in Australia, arriving 27 September where she was greeted by the Governor-General of Australia,Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester.[2]
After the war ended,Ruler returned to the United States atNorfolk, Virginia, on 28 January 1946. She was decommissioned from RN service on 29 January, and was accepted by the US Navy the same day. In excess of the Navy’s needs, she was slated for disposal and struck from theNavy Register on 20 March 1946. The ship was sold on 13 May and scrapped within the year.
These ships were all larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than the preceding American built escort carriers. They were also all laid down as escort carriers and not convertedmerchant ships.[3] The ships had a complement of 646 men and anoverall length of 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 m), abeam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 m) and a draught of 25 ft 6 in (7.8 m).[3] Propulsion was provided by two boilers which were connected to a steam turbine; it drove a shaft giving 9,350brake horsepower (SHP), which could propel the ship at 16.5knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).[4]
Aircraft facilities were a small combined bridge/flight control on thestarboard side, two aircraft lifts 43 feet (13.1 m) by 34 feet (10.4 m), oneaircraft catapult and ninearrestor wires.[3] Aircraft could be housed in the 260 feet (79.2 m) by 62 feet (18.9 m) hangar below the flight deck.[3]Ruler's armament comprised: two4"/50,5"/38 or5"/51Dual Purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen40 mm Boforsanti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in single mounts.[3] Each ship had a maximum aircraft capacity of twenty-four aircraft which could be a mixture ofGrumman Martlets,Vought F4U Corsairs orHawker Sea Hurricanefighter aircraft andFairey Swordfish orGrumman Avengeranti-submarine torpedo bombers.[3]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
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