_underway_at_sea%2c_in_1944_(L45-196.03.01).jpg) USSNehenta Bay underway, circa 1944 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Nehenta Bay |
| Namesake | Nehenta Bay,Gravina Island |
| Ordered | as aType S4-S2-BB3 hull,MCE hull 1111[1] |
| Awarded | 18 June 1942 |
| Builder | Kaiser Shipyards |
| Laid down | 20 July 1943 |
| Launched | 28 November 1943 |
| Commissioned | 3 January 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 15 May 1946 |
| Stricken | 1 April 1960 |
| Identification | Hull symbol: CVE-74 |
| Honors and awards | 7Battle stars |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 29 June 1960 |
| General characteristics[2] | |
| Class & type | Casablanca-classescort 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 | |
| Speed | 19knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Range | 10,240 nmi (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 27 |
| Aviation facilities | |
| Service record | |
| Part of |
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| Operations | |
USSNehenta Bay (CVE-74) was aCasablanca-classescort carrier of theUnited States Navy. She was named after Nehenta Bay, located withinGravina Island. Built for service duringWorld War II, the ship was launched in November 1943, and commissioned in January 1944, and served in support of theMariana and Palau Islands campaign and theBattle of Okinawa. Postwar, she participated inOperation Magic Carpet. She was decommissioned in May 1946, when she wasmothballed in theAtlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was sold for scrapping in June 1960.
Nehenta Bay was aCasablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type ofaircraft carriers ever built, and designed specifically to be mass-produced using prefabricated sections, in order to replace heavy early war losses. Standardized with hersister ships, she was 512 ft 3 in (156.13 m)long overall, had abeam of 65 ft 2 in (19.86 m), and adraft of 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m). Shedisplaced 8,188long tons (8,319 t)standard, 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) with afull load. She had a 257 ft (78 m) longhangar deck and a 477 ft (145 m) longflight deck. She was powered with twoSkinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines, which drove two shafts, providing 9,000horsepower (6,700 kW), thus enabling her to make 19knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). The ship had a cruising range of 10,240nautical miles (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Her compact size necessitated the installment of anaircraft catapult at her bow, and there were twoaircraft elevators to facilitate movement of aircraft between the flight and hangar deck: one each fore and aft.[2][3][4]
One5-inch (127 mm)/38caliberdual-purpose gun was mounted on the stern. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by eightBofors 40-millimeter (1.6 in) anti-aircraft guns in single mounts, as well as twelveOerlikon 20-millimeter (0.79 in) cannons, which were mounted around the perimeter of the deck.[4] By the end of the war,Casablanca-class carriers had been modified to carry thirty 20-mm cannons, and the amount of 40-mm guns had been doubled to sixteen, by putting them into twin mounts. These modifications were in response to increasing casualties due tokamikaze attacks.Casablanca-class escort carriers were designed to carry 27 aircraft, but the hangar deck could accommodate more.[4][5]
The escort carrier waslaid down on 20 July 1943, under aMaritime Commission contract, MC hull 1111, byKaiser Shipbuilding Company,Vancouver, Washington. She was namedNehenta Bay, after a bay inGravina Island, as part of a tradition which named escort carriers after bays or sounds in Alaska. She waslaunched on 28 November 1943;sponsored by Mrs. Robert H. Lewis; transferred to the United States Navy andcommissioned on 3 January 1944, withCaptainHorace Bushnell Butterfield in command.[1][6]
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Upon being commissioned,Nehenta Bay underwent a shakedown cruise down the West Coast toSan Francisco. She then underwent a transport mission toPearl Harbor on 6 February, carrying a load of replacement aircraft and military personnel. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 12 February, where she took on a load of damaged planes which required repairs. She arrived atSan Diego on 21 February, where she unloaded her cargo. After training exercises off the Southern California coast, she made another transport run to Hawaii on 18 March. After stopping at Hawaii, she proceeded westwards toMajuro, arriving there on 7 April. She then returned to San Diego, stopping at Pearl Harbor along the way, and arriving on 27 April, carrying wounded military personnel, as well as nonfunctional aircraft.[6]
Nehenta Bay then conducted additional exercises off the West Coast, and steamed for Hawaii, where additional combat readiness training ensued. After finishing her exercises, she left Pearl Harbor on 18 June, bound for theMariana Islands, in support of theMariana and Palau Islands campaign. She joined Task Group 52.14, under the command ofRear AdmiralGerald F. Bogan. With Composite Squadron 11 (VC-11) on-board, she was based on newly-capturedEnewetak Atoll. There, her aircraft conducted antisubmarine patrols, and providedclose air support covering theBattle of Tinian.[7] Notably, her aircraft strafedTinian on 5 and 7 July, attacking gun emplacements and a sugar refinery. She returned to Enewetak on 16 July to refuel and replenish. She then joined the thenMidway (later renamed theSt. Lo), along with twelve destroyer escorts, in conducting antisubmarine patrols offGuam andSaipan. In the meantime, she also launched strikes in support of the ongoingBattle of Saipan.[6]
After finishing her patrol, she became a replenishment carrier, supporting theThird Fleet's frontlineFast Carrier Task Force as part of Task Group 30.8, the Fleet Oiler and Transport Carrier Group. She escorted vulnerable fleet oilers as they proceeded to the frontlines, protecting them from Japanese submarines and aircraft. Escort carriers such asNehenta Bay enabled the frontline carriers to replace battle losses, and to stay at sea for longer durations of time. She was based onManus andUlithi, where she received supplies and replacement aircraft. On 18 December, as part of Task Group 30.8.12, she bravedTyphoon Cobra.[6][8][9]
The Third Fleet had been operating against positions on Luzon since 14 December, but its escorting destroyers ran low on fuel. As a result, the fleet retired to the east to refuel, and to receive replacement aircraft from Task Group 30.8. She rendezvoused with the Third Fleet about 300 mi (480 km) east of Luzon early on 17 December. The location had been chosen because it lay out of range of Japanese fighters, but it also happened to lie withinTyphoon Alley, where many Pacific tropical cyclones transited. As the escort carriers and the Third Fleet met, Typhoon Cobra began to bear down. At 1:00 in the night, fueling operations were attempted with the destroyers, although heavy winds and listing seas complicated the matter. At the same time, barometers on-board the ships began to drop, and tropical storm force winds were recorded.[10]
As the weather continued to deteriorate,AdmiralWilliam Halsey Jr. ordered fueling operations suspended at 13:10, just after noon. He ordered his fleet to move to the next morning's planned rendezvous spot, approximately 160 mi (260 km) northwest, and comfortably safe from the typhoon's impacts. Two hours later, he instead ordered his fleet to proceed due southwards, 180 mi (290 km) from where the fleet was located. This brought the fleet directly into the typhoon's core. To make matters worse for the Third Fleet, Halsey ordered the fleet to proceed northwards at 22:20, putting the fleet in the quadrant of the typhoon with the highest winds. Blurry data and observations meant that command had little idea of where the typhoon actually was, with some weather maps pinning the typhoon's center some 100 mi (160 km) away, even whilst the fleet sailed directly into the eye. Attached to the Third Fleet,Nehenta Bay followed.[11]
At 7:00, on the morning of 18 December, the fleet was inescapably trapped in the typhoon's path. Conflicting orders meant that some of the destroyers attempted to do some fueling during the morning, even as waves with an estimated height of 60 ft (18 m) pounded the task force. At 7:22,Nehenta Bay came to course at 60°, along withKwajalein andRudyerd Bay. AsNehenta Bay struggled to maintain her course, massive waves crested over her flight deck. Captain Butterfield radioed toVice AdmiralJohn S. McCain Sr. thatNehenta Bay could not continue on her given path, and asked for permission to change course. At 7:52, McCain replied to the affirmative, andNehenta Bay turned due south. At the time, she was rolling at about 30° to 37°, a dangerous angle for an aircraft carrier. Steering control was momentarily lost due to the typhoon, but it was quickly regained. To maintain steerageway, she increased her speed to 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph), before Butterfield decided that it would be easier to change the ship on a northwesterly heading.[12]
This change in course stabilizedNehenta Bay. Her rolls steadied to a bit less than 30°, but her crew still had to fight to stay in control against heavy seas and gusty winds. A full rudder was required to keep her bow aligned against gusts of up to 95 kn (176 km/h; 109 mph).[13] Eventually, the winds died down, andNehenta Bay emerged from the storm with relatively little damage. Only three planes on her flight deck had been carried overboard, with another blown loose and stuck on a catwalk. The 20-mm cannon mounted on said catwalk had been ejected from the carrier as a result of the collision. There was minor damage on the flight deck, but her loss in cargo and hull integrity was little compared to her fellow ships of Task Group 30.8.[14]
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She continued her replenishment duties after the typhoon, and on 27 December, CaptainEdward Orrick McDonnell took over command of the vessel. On 12 January 1945, her aircraft contingent saw some action. At the time, she was providing cover and support for the vulnerable fleet oilers. At 7:10 in the morning, anAichi E13A reconnaissance seaplane was detected by radar about 64 mi (103 km) away fromNehenta Bay. A squadron of fighters was launched in response to the threat, and the Japanese plane was engaged by fighters 13 mi (21 km) away from the task group. After an unsuccessful attempt to disengage, the seaplane spiraled into the ocean.[15] On 17 January, whilstNehenta Bay was operating in theSouth China Sea, she once again suffered damage as a result of the weather. Throughout the day, refueling operations had been hampered by heavy surf and wind. At around 19:30, heavy waves, up to 30 ft (9.1 m) high, started cresting over the flight deck. Some steel supports near her bow buckled under the waves, and the flight deck bent down and sank, rendering the aircraft catapult inoperational. She continued to launch replacement aircraft, although her duties were cut back.[16]
She was discharged from her Task Group, and returned to San Diego on 19 February for overhaul and repairs. She then proceeded for Hawaii, where training exercises were conducted. She then briefly served as a training carrier, conducting pilot qualifications off of Guam, before arriving at Ulithi on 9 May, where she prepared to begin operations in support of thelandings onOkinawa. She joined Task Unit 52.1 under Rear AdmiralCalvin T. Durgin in May, with Composite Squadron 8 (VC-8) onboard. She then began flying missions and making strikes as U.S. forces advanced down the island. During this period, her task group came under frequent kamikaze attacks, most notably on 7 June, when two carriers were struck by aircraft.[6][17] After finishing her duties, she once again served as a replenishment carrier until the end of the war, guarding fleet oilers as they transited towards the Fast Carrier Task Force, which was launching strikes against the Japanese home islands.[6]
She was en route to theAleutian Islands when theJapanese surrender was announced on 15 August. On 31 August,Nehenta Bay sailed toMutsu Bay in support of theOccupation of Japan. There, she watched on as Vice AdmiralFrank Jack Fletcher accepted the formal surrender of Japanese forces in northernHonshu andHokkaido on 6 September.[18] Her aircraft contingent dropped supplies to prisoners of war, and conducted patrols as U.S. forces landed throughout the Japanese islands.[6]
She returned to Pearl Harbor on 24 September, where she disembarked her aircraft squadron, aviation equipment, and excess gasoline. She then joined theOperation Magic Carpet fleet, which repatriated U.S. servicemen from around the Pacific. She first made a run to theMarshall Islands on 30 September, repatriating them to San Francisco in mid-October. She then made another run to the Philippines throughout November, returning to the West Coast on 27 November. She was then discharged from the Magic Carpet fleet, and steamed forBoston, passing through thePanama Canal. She arrived on 31 January 1946, whereupon inactivation work was conducted. She was decommissioned on 15 May, and mothballed as part of theAtlantic Reserve Fleet. Berthed at theEast Boston Naval Annex, she suffered extensive damage on 31 August 1954 as a result ofHurricane Carol, which toppled a dockyard crane onto her flight deck.[6]
She was redesignated as a utility aircraft carrier,CVU-74, on 12 June 1955. She was once again redesignated, this time as an aircraft transport,AKV-24, on 7 May 1959. She was struck from theNavy list on 1 April 1960, and sold on 29 June 1960 to Coalmarket Inc. forscrapping. She was ultimately broken up inHong Kong during June 1960. She received sevenbattle stars for her World War II service.[4][6]
