USS Point Cruz (CVE-119)
_underway_on_25_June_1955_(NNAM.1996.488.035.047).jpg) The Point Cruz in June 1955 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Order | January 24, 1943 |
| Keel laying | 4th December 1944 |
| Launch | May 18, 1945 |
| 1. Period of service |
|
| Commissioning | October 16, 1945 |
| Decommissioning | 16th October 1969 |
| Whereabouts | Wrecked in 1971 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
11,100 tons |
| length |
170 meters |
| width |
23 meters |
| Draft |
9.8 meters |
| crew |
1,066 |
| drive |
2 propellers, driven by steam turbines; 16,000 kW |
| speed |
19 knots |
| Armament |
|
The USS Point Cruz (CVE-119 / AKV-19 / T-AKV-19) was an escort aircraft carrier of the Commencement Bay class , which entered service in 1945 and was used in the Korean War, among other things . In the course of its later service life, the ship served as an aircraft transport ship for the Military Sealift Command . The Point Cruz stayed in service until 1969 and was scrapped in 1971.
history
The Point Cruz was laid down on December 4, 1944 at Todd Pacific Shipyards and launched on May 18, 1945. The commissioning took place on October 16, 1945. Thus, the ship no longer took part in combat operations of the Second World War.
After successfully completed test drives, the Point Cruz was used until March 1946 for exercises to train pilots on the American west coast. They were then used to transport aircraft to various locations. On March 3, 1947, the ship went to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for deactivation and was retired on June 30, 1947.
After four years of lay in the reserve fleet , the Point Cruz came back into service on July 26, 1951 due to the Korean War. From January 1953 the ship served for anti-submarine defense before it was moved to Sasebo in the spring of 1953 . For example, it took part in the Operation Platform off Korea as a transporter for helicopters. In later missions, the Point Cruz was the lead ship of Carrier Division 17 in 1954 under the command of Admiral James S. Russell .
In August 1955, the Point Cruz was subordinated to the United States Seventh Fleet and there became the lead ship of Carrier Division 15. On August 31, 1956, the ship ended its second period of service and went back to the reserve fleet. During this inactive phase, it was given the new designation AKV-19 in May 1957 and was henceforth classified as an aircraft transport ship.
The Point Cruz experienced its third reactivation in August 1965 when it was placed under the Military Sealift Command. It was now called T-AKV-19 and was used, among other things, for logistical transports to Southeast Asia . On October 16, 1969, the ship finally ended its active career after 24 years to the day. The Point Cruz was removed from the Naval Vessel Register on September 15, 1970 and finally sold for demolition in 1971.
Web links
- Entry for Point Cruz on navsource.org (English)
- Entry for Point Cruz on hullnumber.com (English)