_underway_at_sea%2c_circa_1944.jpg) USSSaginaw Bay underway, circa 1944 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Saginaw Bay |
| Namesake | Saginaw Bay,Kuiu Island,Alaska |
| Ordered | as aType S4-S2-BB3 hull,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 | 5Battle stars |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping 27 November 1959 |
| General characteristics | |
| 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 |
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| Armament |
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| Aircraft carried | 27 |
| Aviation facilities | |
| Service record | |
| Part of |
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| Operations | |
USSSaginaw Bay (CVE-82) was aCasablanca-classescort carrier of theUnited States Navy. It was named after Saginaw Bay, located withinKuiu Island. The bay was in turn named afterUSS Saginaw, a U.S. Navysloop-of-war that spent 1868 and 1869 charting and exploring the Alaskan coast. Launched in January 1944, and commissioned in March, she served in support of theMariana and Palau Islands campaign, thePhilippines campaign, theInvasion of Iwo Jima, and theBattle of Okinawa. Postwar, she participated inOperation Magic Carpet. She was decommissioned in April 1946, when she wasmothballed in theAtlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was sold for scrapping in November 1959.
Saginaw Bay was aCasablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type ofaircraft carriers ever built,[2] 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 twoUniflow 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.[3][2][4]
One5-inch (127 mm)/38caliberdual-purpose gun was mounted on the stern. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by eight40-millimeter (1.6 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns in single mounts, as well as twelve20-millimeter (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons, which were mounted around the perimeter of the deck. 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, butSaginaw Bay sometimes went over or under this number. For example, during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, she carried 18FM-2fighters, and 12TBM-1Ctorpedo bombers, for a total of 30 aircraft.[5] However, during the Philippines campaign, she carried 20 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, for a total of 32 aircraft.[6] During the Invasion of Iwo Jima, she carried 20 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, for a total of 32 aircraft.[7] During the Battle of Okinawa, she carried 19 FM-2 fighters, 11 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, and a TBM-3Preconnaissance aircraft, for a total of 31 aircraft.[8][4]
A contract for fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers was made on 18 June 1942, with the construction being awarded to theKaiser Shipbuilding Company,Vancouver, Washington. All fifty were commissioned in the span of a single year.Saginaw Bay waslaid down on 1 November 1943 under aMaritime Commission contract, MC hull 1119, by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington. She waslaunched on 19 January 1944, and wassponsored by Mrs. Howard L. Vickery. After construction was completed, the ship was transferred to the United States Navy andcommissioned on 2 March. Upon commissioning,Saginaw Bay was under the command ofCaptain Frank Carlin Sutton Jr.[1][9]
_on_14_June_1944_(80-G-334948).jpg)
Upon being commissioned, she underwent a shakedown cruise off ofSan Diego. On 15 April 1944,Saginaw Bay loaded aircraft and their pilots fromTerminal Island for transport toHawaii. She arrived atPearl Harbor on 21 April, where she unloaded her cargo in exchange for damaged planes, before returning toAlameda, California. She proceeded to conduct pilot qualifications off the coast of San Diego throughout May and early June, during which an FM-2 fighter crashed into the sea, killing its pilot. After completing her exercises, she underwent a second replenishment aircraft ferry mission, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 5 July.[9][10]
After taking on a load of aircraft, she proceeded westward toEnewetak Atoll andMajuro before returning to San Diego. On 13 August, she left, bound for theSolomon Islands, where she would act as the flagship for Carrier Division 28, commanded byRear AdmiralGeorge R. Henderson.[11] There, she prepared for the invasion of thePalaus. From 15 September to 9 October, her task group provided air cover overPeleliu andAngaur.[9][12]
She retired toSeeadler Harbor, located withinManus Island, where plans were drawn for thelandings on Leyte. She joined "Taffy 1", along with 12 other escort carriers, under the command of Rear AdmiralThomas L. Sprague. "Taffy 1" was assigned the task of guarding the southeast entrance intoLeyte Gulf.[13] On 14 October, the task group departed, guarding troop transports along the way, arriving within Leyte Gulf by 20 October. As theJapanese Fleet closed in for a decisive engagement on 24 October,Saginaw Bay andChenango transferred much of their aircraft contingent to other carriers.[14] She then retired toMorotai for replacement aircraft, missing the ensuingBattle 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 theammunition shipMount Hood underwent a catastrophic explosion. She suffered only minor damage from the blast and resulting tidal wave. During her layover, she was taken intodry dock for repairs. From 14 December to the 21st, she underwent exercises in preparation for amphibious landings atLingayen. On 2 January 1945, her task group departed Manus, escorting transports, arriving atLingayen 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, andOmmaney 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 toUlithi, in preparation for the landings uponIwo 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 atSaipan 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 carrierBismarck 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 forOkinawa on 21 March, arriving on 24 March. There, she immediately began operations in preparation for the landings, which proceeded until 29 April. On 2 April, her anti-aircraft guns shot down a Japanese plane which dove towards her, while she was loading ammunition withinKerama Retto Harbor.[20] Throughout the battle, her aircraft claimed eleven Japanese planes. On 29 April, she was ordered back to the United States, making stops atGuam, Pearl Harbor, arriving atSan Francisco on 22 May, where she underwent repairs. After repairs were finished, she then proceeded down to San Diego, where she delivered planes to Guam, returning on 20 August. En route, thesurrender of Japan was announced.[9][21]
Following the end of the war, she steamed for Hawaii, where she underwent training operations before being incorporated intoOperation 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 forBoston Naval Shipyard, on the Eastern seaboard. She arrived on 23 February for inactivation, and she was subsequently decommissioned on 19 June. She was assigned to the Boston Group of the U.S.Atlantic Reserve Fleet. On 12 June 1955, she was reclassified asCVHE-82, but she was never converted. On 1 March 1959, she was struck from the navy list and sold to Louis Simmons on 27 November. In April 1960, she wasbroken up inRotterdam, theNetherlands.[9][23]
