Casablanca-class escort carrier


The Casablanca-class escort carrier were a series of escort carriers constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. They were the most numerous class of aircraft carriers ever built. Fifty were laid down, launched and commissioned within the space of less than two years - 3 November 1942 through to 8 July 1944. These were nearly one third of the 151 carriers built in the United States during the war. Despite their numbers, and the preservation of more famous and larger carriers as museums, none of these modest ships survive today. Five were lost to enemy action during World War II and the remainder were scrapped.
Casablanca was the first class to be designed from keel up as an escort carrier. It had a larger and more useful hangar deck than previous conversions. It also had a larger flight deck than the. Unlike larger carriers which had extensive armor, protection was limited to splinter plating. Their small size made them useful for transporting assembled aircraft of various sizes, but fighters were limited to smaller and lighter aircraft such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat. The hull numbers were assigned consecutively, from CVE-55 Casablanca to CVE-104 Munda.
Casablanca-class carriers were built by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company's Vancouver Yard on the Columbia River in Vancouver, Washington. The Vancouver yard was expressly built in 1942 to construct Liberty ships, but exigencies of war soon saw the yard building LST landing craft and then escort carriers all before the end of the yard's first year in operation. The yard had twelve building ways and a outfitting dock along with a unique additional building slip originally intended to add prefabricated superstructures to Liberty ships. Their relatively small size and mass-production origins led their crews to refer to them as "jeep carriers" or "Kaiser Jeeps" with varying degrees of affection.

Naming

The Casablanca class initially continued the US Navy's policy of naming escort carriers after bays and sounds, in this case the numerous inlets of the Alexander Archipelago that form the southwest coastline of Alaska, though several were subsequently renamed to carry on the US Navy's tradition of naming aircraft carriers after battles. Those ships that appear to be named after islands, seas, straits or cities actually commemorated battles fought at those locations. Several had their original "Bay" names changed to battle names while under construction, and two of them lost their battle names mid-career to new s, becoming USS St. Lo and USS Anzio respectively. Unlike the larger and s, none were named to commemorate historical naval vessels.

Production time and Navy refusal

Although Essex-class aircraft carriers were completed in 20 months or less, 1941 projections on the basis of the 38-month average pre-war construction period estimated no new fleet carriers could be expected until 1944. Kaiser had reduced construction time of cargo ships from more than a year to less than 90 days, and proposed building a fleet of 50 small carriers in less than two years. The US naval authorities refused to approve construction of the Kaiser-built ships until Kaiser went directly to the President's advisers. The Allies were in desperate need of carriers to replace early war losses. Kaiser produced the small carriers as rapidly as planned and resistance to their value quickly disappeared as they proved their usefulness defending convoys, providing air support for amphibious operations, and allowing fleet carriers to focus on offensive air-strike missions. Unlike most other large warships since, the Casablanca-class ships were equipped with uniflow reciprocating engines instead of steam turbines. This was done because of bottlenecks in the gear-cutting industry, but greatly limited their usefulness after the war.

Service

Although designated as convoy escort carriers, the Casablanca class was far more frequently used in large fleet amphibious operations, where speed was less important and their small airgroups could combine to provide the effectiveness of a much larger ship. Their finest hour came in the Battle off Samar, when Taffy 3, a task unit composed of six of these ships and their screen of three destroyers and four destroyer escorts gave battle against the Japanese main force. Their desperate defense not only preserved most of their own ships, but succeeded in turning back the massive force with only aircraft machine guns, torpedoes, depth charges, high-explosive bombs, and their own 5"/38 caliber guns. Tasked with ground support and antisubmarine patrols, they lacked the torpedoes and armor-piercing bombs to tackle a surface fleet alone. Taffy 3 was to be protected by Admiral Halsey's Third Fleet with carriers and battleships. But the Third Fleet had left the scene to pursue a decoy carrier fleet, inadvertently leaving Taffy 3 the only force between the massive Japanese fleet and undefended landing forces at Leyte Gulf. The lightly armed vessels each had only one 5-inch/38 cal gun mounted aft, yet two of their number, St. Lo and, became the only US aircraft carriers to ever record a hit on an enemy warship by its own guns. St. Lo hit a Japanese destroyer with a single round and Kalinin Bay damaged a with two hits. Recent evidence suggests that six 5-inch shells fired from struck the cruiser Chōkai. One of these rounds was reported to have impacted amidships on the starboard side, causing a large secondary explosion that proved fatal to the heavy cruiser. The White Plains gun crew claimed to have put all six 5-inch rounds into Chōkai from a range of, near the maximum effective range for the 5-inch/38 gun. However, this claim is not supported by Japanese sources, which report this damage as resulting from an air attack.
Another noteworthy achievement of the Casablanca class was when, under command of Captain Daniel V. Gallery, participated in the first capture-at-sea of a foreign warship by the US Navy since the War of 1812 when a crew of volunteers from boarded after Gallery's Guadalcanal-centered hunter-killer group forced it to the surface with depth charges. Guadalcanal also earned the distinction of being the only aircraft carrier in history to conduct flight operations with a captured enemy vessel in tow.

Notable incidents

Of the eleven United States aircraft carriers of all types lost during World War II, six were escort carriers, five of which were of the Kaiser-built Casablanca class:
Sunk 24 November 1943. Submarine torpedo launched from IJN I-175 SW off Butaritari.
Sunk 25 October 1944. Concentrated surface gunfire from IJN Center Force during Battle off Samar.
Sunk 25 October 1944. Kamikaze aerial attack during Battle of Leyte Gulf.
Sunk 4 January 1945. Kamikaze aerial attack in the Sulu Sea en route to Lingayen Gulf.
Sunk 21 February 1945. Kamikaze aerial attack off Iwo Jima.
Damaged at Lingayen Gulf on 6 January 1945 after kamikaze with two 551-pound bombs hit her flight deck. She was repaired and put back in service.

Post war

Some ships were retained postwar as aircraft transports, where their lack of speed was not a major drawback. Some units were reactivated as helicopter escort carriers or utility carriers after the war, but most were deactivated and placed in reserve once the war ended, stricken in 1958-9 and scrapped in 1959–61. One ship,, was heavily modified into an amphibious assault ship, but was scrapped in 1964.
Originally, half of their number were to be transferred to the Royal Navy under Lend-Lease, but instead they were retained in the US Navy and the Batch II s were transferred instead as the .

Ships of the class

All ships of the Casablanca class were built in Vancouver, Washington, by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company. The following ships of the class were constructed.
Ship NameHull No.Laid DownLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
3 November 19425 April 19438 July 194310 June 1946Sold for scrapping, 23 April 1947
12 December 194219 April 19437 August 194324 November 1943Torpedoed and sunk by, 24 November 1943
12 December 19421 May 194327 August 19435 August 1946Struck, 1 March 1959, sold for scrapping, 24 November 1959
17 December 194212 May 194331 August 1943; 19 May 195130 July 1946; 4 September 1958Sold for scrapping, 28 April 1959
28 December 194226 May 194313 September 194321 February 1947Sold for scrapping, 30 April 1959
5 January 19435 June 194325 September 194315 July 1946Struck, 27 May 1958, sold for scrapping, 2 September 1959
15 January 194310 July 19435 October 194331 July 1946Struck, 27 May 1958, sold for scrapping, 2 September 1959
17 January 194320 July 194314 October 194320 May 1946Struck, 1 September 1958, sold for scrapping, 30 July 1959
23 January 194317 August 194323 October 194325 October 1944Sunk by kamikaze aircraft, 25 October 1944, during the Battle of Leyte
1 February 194313 July 194331 October 1943; 5 January 195222 May 1946; 25 November 1958Struck, 1 February 1959, sold for scrapping, January 1960
6 February 194315 September 19437 November 19435 April 1946Struck, 17 April 1946, sold for scrapping, 19 April 1946
11 February 194327 September 194315 November 194310 July 1946Struck, 1 July 1958, sold for scrapping, 29 July 1958
19 March 19436 October 194321 November 19435 June 1946Sold for scrapping, 22 December 1946
26 April 194315 October 194327 November 194315 May 1946Sold for scrapping, 8 December 1946
11 May 194324 October 19434 December 19435 June 1946Sold for scrapping, 2 February 1960
18 May 19431 November 19439 December 194314 August 1946Struck, 1 March 1959, sold for scrapping, 2 February 1960
18 June 19438 November 194315 December 194319 April 1946Sold for scrapping, 18 November 1946
7 June 194315 November 194321 December 194330 April 1946Struck, 8 May 1946
10 July 194322 November 194328 December 194327 November 1944Sunk, 25 October 1944, in the Battle off Samar
20 July 194328 November 19433 January 194415 May 1946Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping, 29 June 1960
17 August 19434 December 194311 January 194420 July 1946Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping, 31 March 1960
2 September 194311 December 194318 January 194414 June 1946Struck 1 August 1959, sold for scrapping, February 1960
15 September 194316 November 194326 January 194412 December 1946Sold for scrapping, 29 February 1960
27 September 194322 December 19433 February 194412 December 1946Struck 1 September 1959, sold for scrapping, 29 February 1960
6 October 194329 December 194311 February 19444 January 1945Struck by kamikaze aircraft and scuttled, 4 January 1945
15 October 19435 January 194418 February 194431 July 1955Struck 27 June 1958, sold for scrapping, 30 July 1959
24 October 194312 January 194425 February 194411 June 1946Struck 1 August 1959, sold for scrapping, January 1960
1 November 194319 January 19442 March 194419 June 1946Struck 1 March 1959, sold for scrapping, 27 November 1959
8 November 194331 January 19449 March 194423 June 1946Struck 27 June 1958, sold for scrapping, July 1959
15 November 19434 February 194415 March 19446 July 1946Struck 27 June 1958, sold for scrapping, May 1958
22 November 194312 February 194421 March 194428 June 1946Struck 1 March 1959, sold for scrapping, 2 October 1959
23 November 194319 February 194428 March 1944; 29 July 195030 November 1946; 27 July 1954Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping, 30 August 1960
4 December 194326 February 19444 April 19444 February 1946Struck 1 March 1959, sold for scrapping, 29 August 1969
11 December 19433 March 19449 April 1944; 5 August 195022 August 1946; 15 January 1959Sold for scrapping, 14 May 1959
4 December 194326 February 19444 April 19444 February 1946Struck 1 March 1959, sold for scrapping, 29 August 1959
22 December 194316 March 194412 April 1944; 20 July 19567 August 1946; 1 March 1964Struck 1 March 1964, sold for scrapping, December 1964
29 December 194322 March 194427 April 19449 August 1946Struck 1 September 1958, grounded and used as a target, April 1961
5 January 194429 March 19443 May 1944; 28 October 195023 August 1946; 15 January 1959Struck 1 February 1959, sold for scrapping, 31 December 1960
12 January 19445 April 19449 May 194419 April 1946Struck 11 July 1946, sold for scrapping, 1 January 1947
19 January 194411 April 194414 May 194424 October 1946Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping, 3 August 1960
31 January 194417 April 194420 May 194430 March 1945Sunk during the Battle of Iwo Jima, 21 February 1945
4 February 194422 April 194426 May 19449 May 1946Struck 21 May 1946, sold for scrapping, 18 November 1946
12 February 194428 April 19441 June 194417 January 1947Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping, 31 December 1960
19 February 19444 May 19447 June 194416 August 1946Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping
26 February 194410 May 194413 June 194424 April 1946Struck 8 May 1946, sold for scrapping, 2 January 1947
3 March 194416 May 194418 June 19443 November 1946Struck 1 May 1960, sold for scrapping, 29 August 1960
10 March 194422 May 194424 June 194411 October 1946Struck 1 April 1960, sold for scrapping, 27 July 1960
16 March 194427 May 194430 June 19448 June 1946Struck 3 July 1946, sold for scrapping, 3 January 1947
22 March 19442 June 19446 July 19449 May 1946Struck 21 May 1946, sold for scrapping, 31 December 1946
29 March 194427 May 19448 July 194424 April 1946Struck 1 September 1958, sold for scrapping, 17 June 1960