USS Bogue (CVE-9)
 USS Bogue in the Atlantic, 1944/45 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Keel laying | October 1, 1941 |
| Launch | January 15, 1942 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | September 26, 1942 |
| Decommissioning | November 30, 1946 |
| Removed from ship register | March 1, 1959 |
| Whereabouts | Scrapped in 1960 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
|
| length |
151.2 m |
| width |
|
| height |
|
| Draft |
7.9 m |
| crew |
890 |
| drive |
2 water tube boilers, 1 steam turbine, 1 screw, 8550 WPS |
| speed |
19 kn |
| Range |
26,300 nm at 15 kn |
| Armament |
|
| Planes |
up to 28 |
The USS Bogue (AVG / ACV / CVE-9) was an escort aircraft carrier for the United States Navy and the lead ship of the Bogue-class . The carrier, which was converted from a merchant ship, was in service with the US Navy between 1942 and 1946 and was mainly used as a submarine hunter in the Atlantic battle, followed by operations in the Pacific theater from summer 1945 . Eleven German and two Japanese submarines were sunk by aircraft or escorts of the Bogue during the deployment . This makes it the most successful submarine fighter carrier during the Second World War .
technology
The bogue was 141.7 meters long and 21.2 meters wide at the waterline. The overall length was 151.2 meters, the maximum width 34 meters. With a draft of 7.9 meters, the girder had an empty displacement of 7800 ts , the operational displacement was 15,400 ts. The ship had a flight deck with the dimensions 24 m × 135 m.
Two water tube boilers with an operating pressure of 19.65 bar generated the steam for a single geared turbine , which delivered its output of 8,500 shaft horsepower to a single propeller . The maximum speed was 18 knots , with the 2,413 tons of fuel on board a range of 26,300 nautical miles at 15 knots and 22,500 nautical miles at 17 knots was achieved.
The armament of the Bogue originally consisted of two 127 mm guns on both sides at the stern, these were supplemented by 40 mm and 20 mm guns over the course of the service life . From 1943, eight 40-mm twins and 27 20-mm single guns were used for anti-aircraft defense. The Bogue was equipped with SG and SC radar right from the time it was commissioned , and in May 1943 the carrier received an HF-DF system for submarine location.
Up to 28 aircraft could be carried on board, but during the operations there were rarely more than 24 aircraft on board, mostly of the F4F Wildcat and TBF Avenger types .
history
Construction and commissioning
The Bogue was originally ordered in 1940 by the Isthmian Steamship Company as a Type C3 freighter SS Steel Advocate from Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding . On October 1, 1941, the ship was laid down as “Hull # 170” of the Maritime Commission in Dock 9 in Tacoma , Washington . After the ship was christened on January 15, 1942, the freighter was launched, and on May 1, 1942, the US Navy took over the ship to convert it into an escort aircraft carrier. Named after Bogue Sound in North Carolina , the carrier entered service with the Navy on September 26, 1942 under the identification ACV-9 (Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier) under the command of Captain Giles E. Short.
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The first trips in the sea area off Seattle were used to test the new ship. On November 17, 1942, the Bogue then set out for San Diego , where she took her squadron on board with the "Composite Squadron 9" (VC-9) under Lieutenant Commander William Drane. On December 11, the carrier then left the US west coast and drove through the Panama Canal to Norfolk , where it arrived on January 1, 1943. In the following month and a half, anti-submarine hunting exercises were carried out, improvements to the ship's technology and armament were made, including the extinguishing system was improved and concrete ballast was added to increase stability. On February 24th, the bogue set course for Argentia in Newfoundland , where it arrived four days later.
March to July 1943
After British liaison officers and radio operators had been taken on board, which work with the escort of convoys should improve the carrier left on March 5, the port together with the two destroyers Belknap and George E. Badger to the next day the convoy HX-228 heading for the British Isles. On March 10, the carrier's aircraft sighted a submarine for the first time and attacked it unsuccessfully. On the same day, the Bogue separated from the convoy and returned to Newfoundland to take over the escort of convoy SC-123 on March 20. The porter accompanied the ship's formation until March 26, then drove via Argentia to Boston , where one of the catapults was repaired. The Bogue arrived back in Argentia on April 20, and then set out three days later to meet with the HX-235 convoy. A submarine was sighted on April 28, but the attack on the boat was unsuccessful. The following day, the porter took over the precaution of the convoy, on April 30, the Bogue and her escorts separated from the HX-235 convoy and started at Belfast , where they arrived on May 2. In the following two weeks the units practiced together with British forces, the liaison officers taken on board in Argentia left the bogue again. During a stay in the shipyard, the carrier was equipped with the HF-DF system, and additional Avenger torpedo bombers were taken on board.
On May 15, the carrier ran from Belfast into the North Atlantic, where it met four days off Iceland with the ON-184 convoy heading west. The USS Bogue and her escorts took over the local security of the unit. On May 21, a TBF Avenger of the Bogue attacked the surfaced submarine U 231 about 500 nautical miles southeast of Greenland and damaged it so badly that it had to return to Brest for repairs . The following day another Avenger U 468 attacked , but due to a false position report, the reinforcements sent out did not find the submarine. Instead, U 305 was attacked several times by torpedo bombers, but the submarine was able to evade the attacks of the aircraft and the destroyer Osmond Ingram , but also had to give up the pursuit of the convoy due to severe damage and return to Brest. In the afternoon another Avenger bomber U 569 attacked , which was about 20 nautical miles behind the Bogue . The submarine first submerged, but then had to return to the surface because of the damage, where it was bombed again. U 569 capsized, but was brought back under control by the crew and was abandoned by its crew after it came to the surface again. The approaching Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Laurent was able to save 24 survivors from the water. The ON-184 convoy reached the American coast without losses.
Along with the destroyers Clemson , George E. Badger , Greene and Osmond Ingram , the Bogue left Newfoundland on May 30th to track down and hunt submarines attacking convoys between the United States and North Africa. The "hunter killer group" around the Bogue accompanied the convoy GUS-7A, which was going to Gibraltar . On June 4, the carrier's Avenger bombers attacked three surfaced submarines but were unable to score any hits. The next day, an Avenger and a Wildcat, which operated together, sank the submarine U 217 , which belonged to the "Trutz" group. On June 8, the aircraft of the Bogue repeatedly attacked U 758 , which however withstood both the air raids and a depth charge by the USS Clemson and was able to escape despite a flooded division.
The U 118 and U 460 received orders to support the battered U 758, but the order was intercepted by the American reconnaissance. The Bogue and its fighter unit were ordered to intercept, on June 12th seven aircraft of the carrier attacked the submarine and sank it 20 miles from the carrier. Liferafts were dropped and 17 survivors rescued, most of them wounded who had previously been taken over by U 118 from U 758. On June 20, the Underground Hunting Association returned to Norfolk.
After Captain Joseph B. Dunn had taken command of the Bogue , the carrier, now classified as CVE-9 (Escort Carrier), left Norfolk in mid-July 1943 to support convoy UGS-12 going to Gibraltar. Although submarines were located several times by radio direction finding, no successful attacks could be reported. On the morning of July 23, the George E. Badger located U 613 , a Type VIIC submarine loaded with mines , by sonar . The destroyer made four depth charges on the submerged boat and could hear the boat breaking through the hydrophones . In addition, wreckage and oil were observed on the surface. Around noon, an Avenger spotted two surfaced submarines, U 527 and U 648 . U 648 dived, but U 527 tried to escape into a fog bank , but was hit by depth charges from the torpedo bomber and sank. 13 German seafarers were rescued. Bogue left convoy UGS-12 on July 26th to operate in the Madeira sea area . On August 1, the supporting association arrived in Casablanca .
August to December 1943
After an uneventful crossing of the Atlantic, the Bogue returned to Norfolk on 23 August. The VC-9 on-board squadron was replaced by the VC-19. Another Atlantic crossing followed in September, without encountering enemy submarines, and the submarine fighter unit entered Casablanca on September 26th. Three days later, the association ran again to support the convoy CIS-16, which was going to the United States. After a few days, the Bogue separated from the convoy and patrolled the sea area east of the Azores before returning to Norfolk on October 20. On November 14, the Bogue left Norfolk together with the destroyers Du Pont , George E. Badger , Osmond Ingram and Clemson to ensure the local security for the UGS-24 convoy. The main area of operation was the waters east of Bermuda , where on November 30, U 238 was hit so badly by the carrier's aircraft that it was ordered back to Europe. The Bogue entered Casablanca on December 5, 1943. Four days later, the U-Jagdverband around the escort left the North African port again to escort the convoy GUS-23 traveling westward. After the convoy had safely passed a sea area in which radio bearings indicated a high number of German submarines, the Bogue separated from the unit in order to continue operating alone. On December 12, a TBF Avenger attacked the German submarine U 172 with a Mark-24 - Torpedo of which damaged the submarine. U 172 escaped the subsequent attacks by destroyers George E. Badger and Du Pont with depth charges and hedgehogs , but then appeared in the evening and tried to escape the American ships. On board the George E. Badger , however, the submarine was noticed on the radar and attacked with guns from almost 4000 meters away. A torpedo that the submarine shot down at the destroyer missed its target, in return the U 172 was attacked again with depth charges and damaged. However, since sonar contact with the submarine was lost, the destroyers returned to the Bogue . The next morning, one of the carrier's aircraft spotted an oil stain that indicated a submerged, damaged submarine. Again, the destroyers Clemson , George E. Badger and Osmond Ingram were deployed to attack the submarine. After five more depth charges, U 172 appeared badly damaged and part of the crew disembarked. However, the deck gun was manned by U 172 and it was possible to bombard the Osmond Ingram . After further attacks from the air and by the three destroyers, U 172 finally exploded and sank. 46 German sailors were rescued.
A week later, U 850 was attacked on the surface by an Avenger, but missed. The submarine crew opened fire on the American aircraft with their anti-aircraft gun, but were silenced by F4F Wildcat, who had been ordered by the Bogue to reinforce them. Another Avenger dropped four depth charges that damaged the submarine and caused it to submerge. Just as the submarine came back to the surface, it was struck by two Mark 24 Fido aft and sank with the entire crew.
Submarine hunting missions in 1944
The Bogue spent Christmas 1943 in the Bermuda Islands, her next assignment in early 1944 was the transport of P-47 Thunderbolt to Great Britain. On its return, the aircraft carrier was damaged by severe weather and had to be docked in Norfolk for repairs. There the new air group, the “Composite Squadron 95” (VC-95), came on board, and the Bogue also received new destroyer escorts as escorts. On March 13, the anti-submarine squad was investigating a radio bearing contact when an Avenger bomber reported an oil stain on the surface of the water. Discarded sonoboys suggested a submarine and so the destroyer escort USS Haverfield was ordered to investigate the contact. Together with the Canadian frigate HMCS Prince Rupert , the Haverfield attacked the submarine. They were later supported by the USS Hobson and other Avenger bombers. U 575 was forced to the surface where it was attacked with gunfire and depth charges. Seven minutes after surfacing, the boat sank over the stern. The heating guard on watch remained on board as the aft spherical bulkhead could no longer be opened due to circumstances that had not been clarified. In addition, the chief engineer voluntarily stayed in the boat with a demolition squad. There were further losses due to the direct fire of the men floating on the water by the destroyers and the aircraft. 17 crew members fell and 37 men were rescued. Over 250 depth charges were dropped in just under five hours of pursuit. U 575 was the first snorkel boat to be sunk by American forces. After a short stop in Casablanca, the association continued its hunt west of the Cape Verde Islands , but remained unsuccessful. The Bogue Association returned to Norfolk on April 19 via Trinidad .
Under the command of Captain Aurelius B. Vosseller and with the "Composite Squadron 69" on board, the USS Bogue left Hampton Roads on May 5, 1944 , accompanied by the escorts Haverfield , Francis M. Robinson , Janssen , Willis and Wilhoite . On May 13, the Francis M. Robinson located a submarine northwest of the Cape Verde Islands and attacked it with hedgehogs. The Japanese submarine, RO-501 , formerly U 1224 of the German Navy, sank with the entire crew. On May 29, the association entered Casablanca, on May 15, the submarine hunting association left North Africa again to secure a convoy. On the same day, the Bogue and their escorts received orders to track down a German and a Japanese submarine about 850 nautical miles west of the Cape Verde Islands. On the night of June 24th, an Avenger torpedo bomber, flown by Lieutenant Commander Jesse D. Taylor, located the surfaced Japanese submarine I-52 via radar. I-52, on the way to Bordeaux with 285 tons of essential warfare for the German Reich, including molybdenum , tungsten and rubber , 14 Japanese technicians and 3 tons of gold in 146 bars as payment for German technology, had met with U 530 a few hours earlier , which two radio operators, a pilot and a Naxos radar detector had handed over on board the Japanese boat. The Avenger pilot illuminated the submarine with flares, then dropped two 500-pound depth charges that forced the I-52 to dive. Led by sonar buoys, Taylor attacked the submarine with a Mark 24 torpedo, the explosion of which could be clearly heard. Sounds of a breaking submarine were also recorded by the sonoboys. Over an hour later, another Avenger, flown by Lt. (jg) William Gordon, still screw noise, whereupon another Mark 24 torpedo was dropped. 18 minutes after the drop, a severe, long-lasting underwater explosion occurred and the sounds of a submarine breaking were recorded. Destroyers rushing to the sinking site found a large oil slick on the surface of the water and were also able to salvage parts of the submarine's cargo. However, no survivors were found. With a displacement of 3,644 tons, I-52 was the largest sunk submarine of the Axis powers during the Battle of the Atlantic.
For most of July 1944, the Bogue was in Norfolk, the "Composite Squadron 69" was replaced by the "Composite Squadron 42", which also brought the TBM-1 Avenger equipped with radar and searchlights on board. At the end of July, the carrier set out on a training trip to Bermuda, from where he set out on August 1 to replace the USS Wake Island . On August 16, the Bogue was pursued by the German submarine U 802 , but was able to avoid the boat's attacks. An air strike on U 802 three days later was unsuccessful because the light British 250-pound depth charge could not damage the submarine. On the way north, the course of the Bogue crossed that of the submarine U 1229 , which was en route from Trondheim to the Maine coast to drop a spy. The batteries of U 1229 were damaged in an air attack, so that it could no longer move underwater. U 1229 was so badly damaged by further attacks that it had to be abandoned and sank. 42 survivors were rescued.
End of war
_at_Bermuda,_February_1945.jpg)
In the following months, the number of German submarines in American waters continued to decrease, and most of the boats now operated with snorkeling , which made discovery difficult. The Bogue was used as a training carrier, on February 23, 1945 she ran with a cargo of P-51 Mustang to Liverpool , on March 12, she arrived back in Norfolk.
On April 16, the porter ran out for a final anti-submarine mission. Together with ten destroyer escorts, the Bogue left , under the command of Captain George J. Dufek and with the "Composite Squadron 19" on board, from Quonset to the west, where the unit joined forces with the USS Core and its twelve escorts to German Intercept submarines allegedly heading for the US coast to fire missiles. On April 23, 1945, a Bogue aircraft located U 546 and attacked it. The submarine, which was almost in the middle of the 70 nautical miles long formation, submerged and was not located again until the next day. The destroyer escort Frederick C. Davis , who had located U 546, was torpedoed by the submarine and sank with heavy losses. After further depth charges and hedgehog attacks, sonar contact with the submarine was lost and re-established several times. In the early evening, a Hedgehog attack tore open the hull of the boat and flooded the battery room, so that the commander of U 546 was forced to emerge. On the surface he tried unsuccessfully to torpedo the USS Flaherty . U 546 then finally sank at 6:45 p.m. under the gunfire of five destroyers. 33 German seamen could be saved.
Whereabouts
After the end of the war in Europe, the Bogue was relocated to the Pacific, where it arrived in San Diego on July 3rd. One mission took the porter to Guam , where he arrived on July 24th. Another use found in the North Pacific held between 19 August and 6 September, was Bogue way to Adak , thereafter she was Operation Magic Carpet allocated, bringing US soldiers from the Pacific islands and from Japan back to the States. On November 30, 1946, the carrier was decommissioned in Tacoma and assigned to the reserve fleet.
While the Bogue was in reserve, it was reclassified on June 12, 1955 to the "Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier" (CVHE-9). After it was deleted from the shipping registers on March 1, 1959, the former aircraft carrier was sold to Japan for scrapping in 1960.
The USS Bogue received three Battle Stars for its service and was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation .
Web links
- History of the Bogue at uboat.net (English)
- Pictures of the Bogue at navsource.org (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ uboat.net: The USS Bogue Hunter-Killer Groups. Status: February 3, 2009
- ↑ a b c Terzibaschitsch: aircraft carrier of the US Navy. Escort aircraft carrier Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn 2001, ISBN 3-7637-6200-0 . P. 214f
- ↑ Barrett Tillmann: Wildcat Aces of World War 2. Osprey Publishing ISBN 978-1-85532-486-2 , p. 62
- ↑ a b Terzibaschitsch: aircraft carrier of the US Navy. Escort aircraft carrier. Bernard & Graefe Verlag, Bonn 2001, ISBN 3-7637-6200-0 . P. 46.
- ^ Isthmian Lines: SS Steel Advocate. Status: February 3, 2009
- ↑ Clay Blair : The Submarine War. 2nd vol, pp. 726-728.
- ↑ Private website about U575 , as of August 4, 2009
- ↑ Recordings of the sonar and radio recordings at hnsa.org ( memento from December 19, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), as of February 3, 2009
- ↑ uboatarchive.net: Photographs of oil slick and debris recovered at the scene of the attack ( Memento from October 9, 2008 in the Internet Archive ), as of February 3, 2009