The Bogue class was a class of 45 escort carriers built in the United States during World War II. Of this total 34 were transferred, through the Lend-Lease program, to Britain's Royal Navy for wartime service. Several subclasses were recognized within the group, one of which, consisting of the 11 ships retained in American service, was also, by itself, identified as the Bogue class.
The first 22 ships of the class were converted from finished or near-finished Maritime Commission Type C3-S-A1 and C3-S-A2 hulls, with 11 being retained by the USN as the Bogue class, and the other 11 transferring to the Royal Navy, where they were given new names and classified as the Attacker class. The remaining 23 ships were built from the keel up on hulls based on the C3-class, but incorporating greater internal subdivision and retaining their as-built American-made main armament, and were classified as Ruler class, or the Ameer class. Prince William, the last of the USN ships to be built, was the only unit in American service considered equivalent to the Ruler-class, rather than the Attackers; as such it is sometimes referred to as its own subclass.
Following the war, those ships that served with the Royal Navy were returned to the United States and were either scrapped or converted for mercantile use. Of the 11 vessels that had served in the U. S. Navy during the war, ten were kept in service for helicopter and aircraft transport operations.
The ships retained by the U.S. Navy displaced 8,390 long tons (8,520t) at standard load and 13,980 long tons (14,200t) at full load. These ships had a waterline length of 465ft (142m), with an overall length of 495ft 8in (151.08m)(Ruler-class ships were about 4 ft [1.2 m] shorter, and displaced c. 1,400 tons more [deep load]). Their beam was 69ft 6in (21.18m) at the waterline, with a maximum beam of 111ft 6in (33.99m). Their draft was 24ft 8in (7.52m) at full load and 21ft (6.4m) at light load.[4]
Propulsion and power
The previous Long Island and Charger-classescort carriers had suffered from reliability and performance issues with their diesel engines,[5] so it was decided that the Bogues would use two water-tube boilers, built by Foster-Wheeler, feeding steam to one or two (sources vary) steam-turbine engine(s)connected to a single shaft. This produced 8,500bhp (6,300kW), which could propel the ships at 18kn (33km/h; 21mph). They could sail 26,300nmi (48,700km; 30,300mi) at 15kn (28km/h; 17mph).[4]
The Bogue class had the capacity for up to 24 antisubmarine or fighter aircraft, which could be a mixture of Grumman/General Motors Wildcat, Vought Corsair, and Grumman/General Motors Avenger planes. The exact composition of the embarked squadrons depended upon the mission. Some squadrons were composite squadrons for convoy defense, and would be equipped with antisubmarine and fighter aircraft,[6] while other squadrons working in a strike-carrier role would only be equipped with fighter aircraft.[7] When used in ferry service, the ships could carry up to 90 aircraft between both the flight and hangar decks.
Aircraft facilities consisted of a small, combined bridge–flight control island on the forward starboard side of the ship. The flight deck measured 440ft ×82ft (134m ×25m), and incorporated nine arresting wires and three barriers at the stern, along with one hydraulic catapult capable of launching aircraft weighing up to 3.5 short tons (3.2t) at 61kn (113km/h; 70mph) on the port side at the bow. The hangar deck measured 262ft ×62ft ×18ft (79.9m ×18.9m ×5.5m), larger than on the previous Long Island class, and was fully enclosed. Elevators with a capacity of 6.5 short tons (5.9t) were located at the fore and aft ends of the hangar. The hangar deck retained the sheer of the main deck of the merchant ships on which they were built; this meant that, to move an airplane from the central part of the hangar to either of the elevators involved rolling it uphill. To help with this winches and cables had to be used; nonetheless, even with these aids moving planes about on the hangar deck remained difficult in normal conditions and nearly impossible in rough seas.[8] The ships were also equipped with derricks for retrieving seaplanes and loading and unloading aircraft.[9][4]
Armament
The Bogue class ships were equipped with a variety of weapons, which changed throughout the war and varied from subclass to subclass. The early ships were equipped with two 5-inch (127 mm)/51 caliber guns, suitable only for use against surface targets, on sponsons at either side of the stern; on Attacker-class vessels these were replaced with 4-inch guns of indeterminate type (compatible with British-made anmunition) before the ships entered service, while on Ruler - and American Bogue-class ships they were replaced, or equipped from the start, with two 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber, dual-purpose guns.[10] For antiaircraft (AA) cover, early ships were initially equipped with ten 20-millimeter (0.79in) Oerlikon cannons, which were later augmented with up to eight twin-mounted 40-millimeter (1.57in) Bofors AA guns and an additional 10 to 18 Oerlikons in single or twin mounts.[9][4]
After the war, the 10 remaining Bogue-class escort carriers retained in US service were redesignated as "helicopter escort carriers" (CVHE) in 1955, and five of these were redesignated as "utility escort carriers" (CVU) in 1958, then aircraft ferry (AKV) in 1958, and operating under US Military Sea Transportation Serviceduring the Vietnam War.[10]
Thirty-four of the 45 ships of the Bogue class were transferred to the Royal Navy under the provisions of the Lend-Lease program; they were given new names for their RN service and returned to the USN after the war. Of the first group of 22 ships, 11 were transferred to the RN and reclassified as Attacker class. These ships had been converted from Maritime Commission Type C3 cargo ships that were finished or had already been laid down.[11] A second group of 23 ships was built from the keel up, based on C3-S-A1 or C3-S-A1 plans, and transferred to the RN and reclassified as Ruler class, or Ameer class, in British service, and sometimes as the Prince William class by the USN.[12]
As delivered, these carriers required modifications to conform to RN standards. The Attacker-class ships had their conversions carried out in drydocks in United Kingdom, but, because British ports were overburdened with other work, 19 of the 23 ships of the Ameer class were modified by Burrard Dry Dock at Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Changes included extending the flight deck, fitting redesigned flying controls and fighter direction layout, modifications to the hangar, accommodation and storerooms, extra safety measures, oiling at sea arrangements, gunnery and other internal communications, extra wireless and radio facilities, ship blackout arrangements, and other changes necessary for British service.[13]
The consequential delays in getting these ships into active service caused critical comments from some in the USN.[14]
Ships of class
Converted from C-3 cargo ships
First group
List of Bogue-class/Attacker-class escort carriers
Built from the keel up as escort carriers. All were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation. General characteristics as the Attacker class, except for displacement and armament.
List of Bogue-class/Ameer ("Ruler") -class escort carriers
Jane, Frederick Thomas; Prendergast, Maurice; Parkes, Oscar (1961). Jane's Fighting Ships. Santa Barbara, California: Jane's Publishing Company Limited.
Wragg, David (2005). The Escort Carrier in the Second World War: Combustible, Vulnerable, Expendable!. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England: Pen & Sword Books. ISBN9781783409327.
Konstam, Angus (2019). British Escort Carriers 1941–1945. Oxford, United Kingdom: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN978-1-4728-3625-0.
Poolman, Kenneth (1972). Escort Carrier 1941–1945. London: Ian Allan. ISBN0-7110-0273-8.
Morison, Samuel (2002). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Urbana, Illinois: University of Illinois Press. ISBN978-0-252-07062-4.
1 The hull number sequence for fleet carriers has used many variations of the original "CV" classification symbol, which sometimes changed throughout a ship's service. The most relevant symbol is listed for each ship. 2 Prior to July 1943, escort carriers were classified as auxiliary vessels with the "AVG" and "ACV" hull classification symbols. Aside from the symbol, hull numbers did not change. 3 Hull numbers with the "BAVG" and "BACV" symbols were used for American-built escort carriers intended for the Royal Navy. Italics Active •C Currently commissioned •P Planned/under construction •NC Never commissioned •X Canceled/not assigned •DC Commissioned with a different hull number UnderlineBogue-class escort carriers•LLead ship•SL Subclass lead ship •AAttacker subclass•RRuler subclass
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