In 1964, while operating as an aircraft ferry, Card was sunk with explosives planted by two Viet Cong commandos in the Harbor of Saigon, South Vietnam. She was refloated 17 days later and returned to service after extensive repairs.
She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 1 May 1942 and redesignated AVG-11 (Aircraft Escort Vessel #11), later reclassified as ACV-11 (Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier 11) on the 20 August 1942 and converted into an escort carrier. She was commissioned on 8 November 1942.[3]
Aircraft carried
Card had capacity for up to 24 fighter and anti-submarine aircraft, normally a mixture of GrummanWildcats and Avengers, with composition dependent upon mission. The squadron had the callsign VC-1 USN (Composite Squadron One).
Service history
World War II
Departing San Diego, California on 18 January 1943, Card arrived at Hampton Roads, Virginia on 1 February for training in the Chesapeake Bay.[3]CaptainArnold J. Isbell assumed command of the Card on April 17, 1943.[4] Her initial mission began in May 1943 as she escorted slow convoy UGS-8A of troopships and supply vessels to Casablanca in French Morocco. This convoy shipped six months after the Allied invasion of North Africa and was assembled in preparation for the subsequent invasion of Sicily. With 129 merchant ships and 19 escorts, it was the largest convoy of the war to date.[5]
During this crossing, Card and her escorting destroyers provided daily anti-submarine patrols against U-boats by air and by sea while remaining close to the convoy. When escorting the return convoy GUS-8 back to Norfolk, however, Card's orders permitted her to operate more freely against reported concentrations of U-boats as long as she could get back to the convoy in time to protect it. Thus began the evolution toward totally independent Hunter-killer Group (HKG) operations.[6]
On 15 July Card was reclassified from an Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier (ACV) to an Escort Carrier (CVE). She became one of the first of fourteen US CVEs around which US anti-submarine HKGs would be based.[7] These groups became feasible as increasing numbers of CVEs became available, along with more and better escort ships and aircraft.[7]
They became increasingly effective with the development of improved anti-submarine weapons including Mark 24 (FIDO) homing torpedoes and Hedgehog forward-throwing depth charges. Like other US HKGs, those based on Card operated independently of convoys but, unlike UK HKGs, she operated without centralized control.[8]
These groups used Ultra intelligence from Enigma signals to locate and destroy U-boats and their replenishment vessels. These intercepts were involved in sinking all 11 submarines sunk by Card's HKGs and all but one of the U-boats sunk in the Battle of the Atlantic by US HKGs during the war.[9]Card steamed from Norfolk on 27 July as flagship for TG 21.14, an HKG formed for offensive operations against German submarines. This deployment lasted until 10 September.[3]
On 7 August her Avenger aircraft attacked U-117 while refueling U-66 at 39°32′N38°21′W / 39.533°N 38.350°W / 39.533; -38.350. The Avengers dropped depth charges and an acoustic homing torpedo (codenamed "FIDO") near U-117 and U-66. Two more Avengers and two Wildcats arrived later and forced U-117 to dive before dropping more depth charges and another FIDO. U-117 was hit by one of two acoustic torpedoes and sank with the loss of all hands. U-66 escaped and returned to the boat's homeport, Lorient.
On 8 August 1943 U-664 fired three torpedoes at the escort carrier but all missed. The following day Aircraft from Card sank U-664 in position 40°12′N37°29′W / 40.200°N 37.483°W / 40.200; -37.483, west-southwest of Corvo Island, with depth charges from Avengers. Seven crew members were killed and 44 rescued by USSBorie.
Her second deployment was from 25 September to 9 November 1943. Lt. (j.g.) Robert. L. Sterns spotted three submarines, U-264, U-422, and U-455, refueling from the Type XIV supply and replenishment ("Milchkuh") U-460, on 4 October, north of the Azores. Coming under heavy anti-aircraft fire from the three U-boats, Lt. Sterns radioed for reinforcements and three more TBM Avengers joined the battle. Sterns dropped a "Fido" acoustic torpedo that sunk U-46043°13′N28°58′W / 43.217°N 28.967°W / 43.217; -28.967 with 62 crew lost and two rescued, and U-422 was sunk at 43°18′N28°58′W / 43.300°N 28.967°W / 43.300; -28.967 with all hands.[3][12][13][14]
For her antisubmarine activities from 27 July to 25 October, as part of TG21.14, Card and her task group were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.[3]Card became the first escort carrier to receive such an award for combating German submarines.[18]
From 18 March to 17 May 1944, Card operated on transport duty between Norfolk and Casablanca. She then underwent overhaul until 4 June, when she steamed for Quonset Point, to hold pilot qualification exercises. She returned to Norfolk, 21 June, to serve as the nucleus of TG22.10. The hunter-killer unit departed Norfolk, 25 June, and on 5 July, two of her escorts, Thomas and Baker, sank U-233 at 42°16′N59°49′W / 42.267°N 59.817°W / 42.267; -59.817. Thirty survivors, including the mortally wounded commanding officer of the submarine, were taken on board Card and put ashore at Boston, Massachusetts, the next day.[3]
Her next anti-submarine cruise was in the Caribbean, and uneventful, 10 July – 23 August 1944. She sortied 18 September as the flagship of TG22.2 for patrol off the Azores, during which she cooperated with British Escort Group 9 to attack a submarine on 12 October. After another patrol with TG22.2, 1 December 1944 – 22 January 1945, Card entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for overhaul until 7 February.[3]
She then transported Army aircraft and Army and Navy personnel to Liverpool, returning to Norfolk 12 March. From 21 March to 24 May, Card was based on Quonset Point, conducting carrier pilot qualifications. She ferried men and aircraft to Guantanamo Bay, 21–24 June, then transited the Panama Canal, to transport materiel to Pearl Harbor and Guam, returning to San Diego, 14 August.[3]
By the end of World War II, Card's aircraft and escorts destroyed a total of 11 German submarines, making her, along with USS Bogue with 9 German and 2 Japanese submarines, the most successful ships of her class.[18]
Assigned to "Magic Carpet" duty, she made two voyages to Pearl Harbor, and one to the western Pacific, from 21 August to 16 December, returning servicemen to the west coast. Card departed Alameda, California, 7 January 1946, for the east coast where she was placed out of commission in reserve at Norfolk, 13 May.[3]
She was reclassified as a helicopter escort carrier CVHE-11, 12 June 1955; a utility carrier CVU-11, 1 July 1958; and an aviation transport AKV-40, 7 May 1959.[3]
Awards
In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation, Card received three battle stars for service in World War II.[3]
On 2 May 1964, while Card was moored dockside in Saigon, a Viet Congfrogman planted an explosive charge that blew a hole in the hull, killing five crewmen. Card settled in 20ft (6.1m) of water. She was patched, pumped out, and raised on 19 May, before being towed to Subic Bay, and then Yokosuka for repairs. Card returned to service on 11 December. The attack has parallels to the suicide bombing of Cole, in terms of being an example of "cost-effective" asymmetric warfare.[22]
During the latter part of 1967, and early part of 1968, Card brought US military helicopters to the Republic of South Vietnam. These helicopters were assembled on board the ship by members of the 388th Transportation Company, 765th Transportation Battalion, and then flown to the US Army airfield at Vũng Tàu. From there the helicopters were assigned to aviation units.
↑ Y'Blood, William (1983). Hunter-Killer US Escort Carriers in the Battle of the Atlantic. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. p.65. ISBN0-87021-286-9.
1 2 Stubblebine, David. "Card". World War II Database. C. Peter Chen, Lava Development, LLC. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slower type of aircraft carrier used by the Royal Navy, the Royal Canadian Navy, the United States Navy, the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force in World War II. They were typically half the length and a third the displacement of larger fleet carriers, more-lightly armed and armored, and carried fewer planes. Escort carriers were most often built upon a commercial ship hull, so they were cheaper and could be built quickly. This was their principal advantage as they could be completed in greater numbers as a stop-gap when fleet carriers were scarce. However, the lack of protection made escort carriers particularly vulnerable, and several were sunk with great loss of life. The light carrier was a similar concept to the escort carrier in most respects, but was fast enough to operate alongside fleet carriers.
USS Liscome Bay (ACV/CVE-56) was the second of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built to serve the United States Navy during World War II. Launched in April 1943 and commissioned the following August, she was named for Liscome Bay in Dall Island in the Alexander Archipelago of Alaska. On 24 November 1943, her munitions were catastrophically detonated by a torpedo attack by the Japanese submarine I-175 while she was acting as the flagship of Carrier Division 24, which was supporting operations on Makin. She quickly sank with the loss of 702 officers and sailors. Her loss is the deadliest sinking of a carrier in the history of the United States Navy.
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.
HMS Chaser (D32/R306/A727) was an American-built Attacker-class escort carrier that served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
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 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.
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.
USS Santee (CVE-29) was an American escort carrier. The second ship with this name, it was launched on 4 March 1939 as Esso Seakay under a Maritime Commission contract by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, sponsored by Mrs. Charles Kurz. It was acquired by the United States Navy on 18 October 1940 and commissioned on 30 October 1940 as AO-29.
USS Jamaica (CVE-43), was an escort carrier of World War II that served in the British Royal Navy as HMS Shah (D21). Returned to the United States at war's end, she was converted into a merchant vessel and she was sold into civilian service in 1946 as Salta. She was ultimately scrapped in 1966.
USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) was the fortieth of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built to serve the United States Navy during World War II; she was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for the Battle of the Bismarck Sea. Completed in May 1944, she served in support of the Philippines campaign, and the landings on Iwo Jima. On 21 February 1945, she sank off of Iwo Jima due to two Japanese kamikaze attacks, killing 318 crewmen. Notably, she was the last aircraft carrier in U.S. service to sink due to enemy action.
USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy, which served during and after World War II. She was the first ship to carry her name. She was the flagship of Task Group 22.3, a hunter-killer group which captured the German submarine U-505 in 1944.
USS Marcus Island (CVE-77) was the twenty-third of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named after an engagement on 31 August 1943 over Minami-Tori-shima, known on American maps as Marcus Island. She was launched in December 1943, commissioned in January 1944, and she served in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, the Philippines campaign, as well as the Battle of Okinawa. She spent the majority of her World War II as a flagship for various escort carrier formations, serving as the headquarters for Rear Admiral William D. Sample and Felix Stump. During the Philippines campaign, she participated in the Battle off Samar, the largest naval engagement in history, and during the Battle of Mindoro, she had multiple near-brushes with Japanese kamikazes. Post-war, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from throughout the Pacific. She was decommissioned in December 1946, being mothballed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was broken up in 1960.
USS Solomons (CVE-67) was the thirteenth of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first Navy vessel named after the Solomon Islands campaign, a lengthy operation that most famously included the Guadalcanal campaign, albeit she was not the first named Solomons. The ship was launched in October 1943, commissioned in November, and served in anti-submarine operations during the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as in other miscellaneous training and transport missions. Her frontline duty consisted of four anti-submarine patrols, with her third tour being the most notable, when her aircraft contingent sank the German submarine U-860 during her third combat patrol. She was decommissioned in August 1946, being mothballed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was broken up in 1947.
USS George E. Badger (DD-196/CG-16/AVP-16/AVD-3/APD-33) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II; she was named for Secretary of the Navy George E. Badger (1795–1866).
USS Hubbard (DE-211/APD-53) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1966.
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.
USS Oliver Mitchell (DE-417) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Post-war, after active participation in the Pacific War, her crew returned home with five battle stars to their credit.
I-368 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in August 1944, she served in World War II and was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier in January 1945. She was sunk in February 1945 while operating during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
I-361 was an Imperial Japanese Navy Type D1 transport submarine. Completed and commissioned in May 1944, she served in World War II and conducted transport missions between Japan and Wake Island until she was converted into a kaiten suicide attack torpedo carrier 1945. She was sunk during her first kaiten mission in May 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 page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States
United States
