USS Mission Bay

USS Mission Bay underway, August 1944
History
United States
Name	USS Mission Bay
Namesake	Mission Bay, California
Ordered	as a Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, MCE hull 1096
Awarded	18 June 1942
Builder	Kaiser Shipyards
Laid down	28 December 1942
Launched	26 May 1943
Commissioned	13 September 1943
Decommissioned	21 February 1947
Identification	Hull symbol: CVE-59
Fate	Sold for scrap, 30 April 1959
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass-
Displacement	8,188 long tons (8,319 t) (standard) 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) (full load)
Length	512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) (oa) 490 ft (150 m) (wl) 474 ft (144 m) (fd)
Beam	65 ft 2 in (19.86 m) 108 ft (33 m) (extreme width)
Draft	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) (max)
Installed power	4 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 9,000 shp (6,700 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines 2 × screws
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	Total: 910 – 916 officers and men Embarked Squadron: 50 – 56 Ship's Crew: 860
Armament	As designed: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual-purpose gun 8 × 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 12 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons Varied, ultimate armament: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal gun 8 × twin 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 30 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Aircraft carried	27
Aviation facilities	1 × catapult 2 × elevators
Service record
Part of:	United States Eighth Fleet (1943–46) Atlantic Reserve Fleet (1946–58)
Operations:	Battle of the Atlantic

USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) was a Template:Sclass- of the United States Navy. It was named after Mission Bay, located northwest of San Diego. Launched in May 1943, and commissioned in September, she served in support of the operations in the Battle of the Atlantic. She was decommissioned in February 1947, when she was mothballed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was sold for scrapping in April 1959.

Design and description

A profile of the design of Takanis Bay, which was shared with all Casablanca-class escort carriers.

Main article: Casablanca-class escort carrier

Kadashan Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of aircraft carriers ever built, and designed specifically to be mass-produced using prefabricated sections, in order to replace heavy early war losses. Standardized with her sister ships, she was 512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) long overall, had a beam of 65 ft 2 in (19.86 m), and a draft of 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m). She displaced 8,188 long tons (8,319 t) standard, 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) with a full load. She had a 257 ft (78 m) long hangar deck and a 477 ft (145 m) long flight deck. She was powered with two Uniflow reciprocating steam engines, which drove two shafts, providing 9,000 horsepower (6,700 kW), thus enabling her to make 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). The ship had a cruising range of 10,240 nautical 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 an aircraft catapult at her bow, and there were two aircraft elevators to facilitate movement of aircraft between the flight and hangar deck: one each fore and aft.

One 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose gun was mounted on the stern. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by 8 Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft guns in single mounts, as well as 12 Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) 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 (0.79 in) cannons, and the amount of Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in) guns had been doubled to sixteen, by putting them into twin mounts. These modifications were in response to increasing casualties due to kamikaze attacks. Casablanca-class escort carriers were designed to carry 27 aircraft, but the hangar deck could accommodate more.

Construction

The escort carrier was laid down on 28 December 1943 under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 1096, by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington. She was launched on 26 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James McDonald; transferred to the United States Navy and commissioned on 13 September 1943, with Captain William Lehigh Rees in command.

Service history

After shakedown off California, Mission Bay departed San Diego on 15 November for the east coast via the Panama Canal, arriving Portsmouth, Virginia on 5 December. Assigned to convoy and antisubmarine duty, she got underway for Europe the 26th, arriving Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco), 14 January 1944. Two days later the escort aircraft carrier sailed for the east coast, reaching Portsmouth 8 February.

On 20 February, Mission Bay steamed from New York with a load of Army planes and personnel for India, stopping at Recife, Brazil, and Cape Town, Union of South Africa, before arriving at Karachi on 29 March. By 12 May, she was back at Portsmouth. On the 28th, the carrier departed New York again on another trip to North Africa. Mission Bay arrived Casablanca on 6 June to steam for home 2 days later, entering the New York channel on the 17th. That same day she collided with a dredge and had to continue on to Portsmouth for repairs, mooring on 22 June. On 8 September, Mission Bay steamed from Portsmouth for the South Atlantic. After refueling at Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal) on 20 September, she conducted antisubmarine operations into November ending at Portsmouth on the 25th. Her next cruise from Portsmouth on 21 December took her to the Caribbean for exercises between Mayport, Florida and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba into March 1945. In February, Mission Bay was ordered to sail in the direction of Gibraltar to meet Quincy on the 23rd, and escort the heavy cruiser returning in convoy from the Yalta Conference from 4–11 February, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and party embarked. Mission Bay left the convoy en route to Newport News, Virginia, mooring at Bermuda, British West Indies on the 27th before continuing on to Portsmouth to arrive 9 March.

After antisubmarine duty in the North Atlantic from 29 March to 14 May during Operation Teardrop, Mission Bay cruised off the east coast, training pilots, until she sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 19 July. The escort carrier returned to Quonset Point, R.I. on 2 August to continue training operations off the east coast through the Japanese surrender on 15 August into December. On Navy Day, 27 October 1945, she was part of the celebration at Wilmington, Delaware, that hosted Admiral William Halsey. On 19 December 1945, Mission Bay was assigned to the 16th Fleet, with Norfolk as her home yard, to serve in an incommission, in reserve status the next year. Placed in service in reserve on 21 February 1947, she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk to remain there until she joined the New York Group on 30 November 1949. On 12 June 1955, she was redesignated CVU-59. The utility aircraft carrier was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1958, and sold to Hugo Neu Corp of New York City on 30 April 1959, where she was subsequently scrapped.

Sources

Online sources

• "Mission Bay (CVE-59)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. 27 April 2016. Archived from the original on 2 June 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2019.
• "Kaiser Vancouver, Vancouver WA". www.ShipbuildingHistory.com. 27 November 2010. Archived from the original on 19 June 2019. Retrieved 14 June 2019. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 16 June 2019 suggested (help)
• "World Aircraft Carriers List: US Escort Carriers, S4 Hulls". Hazegray.org. 14 December 1998. Retrieved 1 July 2019.

Bibliography

• Chesneau, Robert; Gardiner, Robert (1980), Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946, London, England: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 9780870219139
• Y'Blood, William (2014), The Little Giants: U.S. Escort Carriers Against Japan (E-book), Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 9781612512471

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) at NavSource Naval History