USS Block Island underway with a deckload of aircraft, 15 October 1943. | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS Block Island |
Namesake | Block Island Sound |
Builder | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
Laid down | 19 January 1942 |
Launched | 1 May 1942 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. H. B. Hutchinson |
Commissioned | 8 March 1943 |
Honors and awards | 2 Battle Stars |
Fate | Torpedoed by U-549; scuttled by escort screen, 29 May 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Bogue-class escort carrier |
Displacement | 16,620 long tons (16,887 t) |
Length | 495.66 ft (151.08 m) |
Beam | 111 ft 6 in (33.99 m) |
Draft | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
Installed power | 8,500 shp (6,300 kW) |
Propulsion |
|
Speed | 18 kn (21 mph; 33 km/h) |
Complement | 890 officers and men |
Armament | 2 × 4"/50, 5"/38 or 5"/51/38 cal dual purpose guns |
Aircraft carried | 24 |
Aviation facilities | 2 × elevators |
USS Block Island (CVE-21/AVG-21/ACV-21) was a Bogue-class escort carrier for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first of two escort carriers named after Block Island Sound off Rhode Island and was the only American carrier sunk in the Atlantic during the war.
Originally classified AVG-21, she became ACV-21 on 20 August 1942, and CVE-21 on 15 July 1943. [1] She was named after Block Island, an island in Rhode Island east of New York. [2]
Block Island was launched on 6 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in Tacoma, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs H. B. Hutchinson, wife of Commander Hutchinson. She transferred to the United States Navy on 1 May 1942 and commissioned on 8 March 1943, with Captain Logan C Ramsey in command.
Block Island had capacity for up to 24 fighter and anti-submarine aircraft normally a mixture of Grumman Wildcat and Avengers with composition dependent upon the mission. The squadron had the callsign VC-25 USN (Composite Squadron Twenty Five). [3]
When she was utilised in a ferry role, she could carry up to 90 aircraft depending on aircraft type.
Departing San Diego, California in May 1943, Block Island steamed to Norfolk, Virginia, to join the Atlantic Fleet. She then made two trips from New York City to Belfast, Ireland, carrying Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters.
USS Bogue (CVE-9) and USS Card (CVE-11) had pioneered new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) techniques in the Battle of the Atlantic, forming hunter-killer groups to destroy German submarines. Block Island formed another group with four veteran flush-deck destroyers, Paul Jones, Parrott, Barker, and Bulmer as Task Group (TG) 21.1. During her four anti-submarine cruises, Block Island's aircraft sank two submarines and shared another two with her escorts.
On 28 October 1943, her Avenger and Wildcat aircraft sank U-220 with depth charges at 48°53′N33°30′W / 48.883°N 33.500°W , fifty-six men were killed (all hands).
On 17 March 1944, Block Island, destroyer Corry, and destroyer escort Bronstein sank U-801 at 16°42′N30°20′W / 16.700°N 30.333°W . Nine of the boat's crew were killed and 47 taken prisoner.
On 19 March 1944, her aircraft sank U-1059 in 13°10′N33°44′W / 13.167°N 33.733°W southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. U-1059 was transporting torpedoes to the Monsun Gruppe ("Monsoon Group"), a group of U-boats that operated in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Of U-1059’s crew, 47 were killed and 8 captured. [4]
On 6 May 1944, Block Island and destroyer escort Buckley sank U-66 at 17°17′N32°29′W / 17.283°N 32.483°W . [1] The boat lost 24 killed and there were 36 survivors, later transferred to Block Island.
Block Island was torpedoed off the Canary Islands at 20:13 on 29 May 1944 by U-549 who had slipped through her screen of escorts. U-549 fired three T-3 torpedoes, hitting her with two and severely damaging the ship which later sank. [5] [6] Six crewmen were killed in the attack; the remaining 951 were picked up by the escorting destroyers. [1]
Eugene E. Elmore attacked and sank U-549 using her hedgehog spigot mortar system and depth charges in 31°13′N23°03′W / 31.217°N 23.050°W . [1]
When Block Island was torpedoed, six of her Wildcats (VC-55) were in the air and had no place to land. They headed for the Canary Islands but all had to ditch at night after running out of fuel and only two of the pilots were rescued. [7]
Former crewmembers held several reunions, the final one in Fargo, North Dakota in 2019. [8]
Block Island received two battle stars for her service.
USS Bogue (AVG/ACV/CVE/CVHE-9) was the lead ship in the Bogue class of escort carriers in the United States Navy during World War II. The ship was named for Bogue Sound in North Carolina.
USS Card was an American Bogue-class escort carrier that saw service in World War II. She was named for Card Sound, a continuation of Biscayne Bay, south of Miami, Florida. She was the flagship of Task Group 21.14, a hunter-killer group formed to destroy German submarines in the North Atlantic.
USS Core (CVE-13), a Bogue-class escort carrier named for the Core Sound in North Carolina, was originally classified AVG-13, but was reclassified ACV-13, 20 August 1942; CVE-13, 15 July 1943; CVHE-13, 12 June 1955; CVU-13, 1 July 1958; and T-AKV-41, 7 May 1959. She was launched 15 May 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. B. B. Smith, wife of Lieutenant Commander Smith; acquired by the Navy, 1 May 1942; and commissioned 10 December 1942, Captain M. R. Greer in command.
USS Croatan (CVE-25) was a Bogue-class escort carrier launched on 1 August 1942 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Seattle, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. S. Russell; and commissioned on 28 April 1943.
German submarine U-853 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 21 August 1942 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned on 25 June 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Helmut Sommer in command. U-853 saw action during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. She conducted three patrols, sinking two ships totalling 5,353 GRT and 430 tons.
USS Buckley (DE-51) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer escorts in the service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. After spending 23 years in reserve, she was scrapped in 1969.
USS Corry (DD-463), a Gleaves-class destroyer,, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Commander William M. Corry, Jr., an officer in the Navy during World War I and a recipient of the Medal of Honor.
USS Breeman (DE-104) was a Cannon class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. In 1948, she was sold to Taiwan, where she served as Taihu (太湖) until 1972.
German submarine U-549 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 28 September 1942 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg, launched on 28 April 1943, and commissioned on 14 July 1943 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Detlev Krankenhagen. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla at Stettin, the U-boat was transferred to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 January 1944.
USS Robert I. Paine (DE/DER-578), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Marine Corps Private Robert I. Paine (1923–1942), who was killed in action during the attack on Tulagi on 7 August 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.
German submarine U-1059 was a Type VIIF transport submarine of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
German submarine U-172 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was first assigned to the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training and on 1 May 1942 was reassigned to the 10th flotilla, an operational long-range organization.
German submarine U-66 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 20 March 1940 at the AG Weser yard at Bremen, launched on 10 October and commissioned on 2 January 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Richard Zapp as part of the 2nd U-boat Flotilla.
The Battle of the Caribbean refers to a naval campaign waged during World War II that was part of the Battle of the Atlantic, from 1941 to 1945. German U-boats and Italian submarines attempted to disrupt the Allied supply of oil and other material. They sank shipping in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico and attacked coastal targets in the Antilles. Improved Allied anti-submarine warfare eventually drove the Axis submarines out of the Caribbean region.
German submarine U-515 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. She was commissioned on 21 February 1942 and sunk on 9 April 1944. U-515 completed seven operational patrols and sank 23 ships, badly damaged two ships which later sank, and damaged two additional ships.
USS Bronstein (DE-189) was a Cannon-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1945. In 1952, she was sold to Uruguay, where she served as ROU Artigas (DE-2) until being decommissioned and scrapped in 1988.
USS Haverfield (DE-393) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) was a Rudderow-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy during World War II.
HMS Goodall (K479) was a British Captain-class frigate of the Royal Navy in commission during World War II. Originally constructed as the United States Navy Evarts-class destroyer escort USS Reybold (DE-275), she served in the Royal Navy from 1943 until her sinking in 1945.
World War II was the first war where naval aviation took a major part in the hostilities. Aircraft carriers were used from the start of the war in Europe looking for German merchant raiders and escorting convoys. Offensive operations began with the Norwegian campaign where British carriers supported the fighting on land.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .