USS Chenango (AVG/ACV/CVE/CVEH-28), was a US Navyescort carrier of World War II. Originally built as Esso New Orleans, one of twelve tankers built by a joint Navy-Maritime Commission design. This design was later duplicated and designated a T3-S2-A1oiler. She was acquired by the Navy in May 1940, and renamed and classified Chenango (AO-31), for use as a Cimarron-class fleet oiler. In 1942, she was converted into one of four Sangamon-class escort carrier's. Originally classified as an "Aircraft Escort Vessel", and designated AVG-28, in March 1942, she was reclassified as an "Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier", ACV-28, in August 1942. When the US Navy had another major reclassification on 15 July 1943, Sangamon was again reclassified, this time as an "Escort Carrier", CVE-28. After the war, she was later classified an "Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier" and again redesignated, CVHE-28, 12 June 1955. She was named after the Chenango River, in New York.
Esso New Orleans was acquired by the United States Navy on 31 May 1941. She was renamed and classified Chenango (AO-31), one of 35 Cimarron-classfleet oilers. She was commissioned on 20 June 1941.[2]
Fleet oiler service
Assigned to the Naval Transportation Service (NTS), Chenango steamed in the Atlantic, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, as far as Honolulu, on replenishment duty.
The Battle of the Atlantic heated up as the Germans launched Operation Neuland with simultaneous attacks on Dutch and Venezuelan oil ports in the Caribbean to disrupt production and flow of petroleum products vital to the Allied war effort. Chenango was present at Aruba, on 16 February 1942, when U-156 attempted to shell one of the island's refineries. The enemy torpedoed and damaged the US tanker SSArkansas as she lay alongside Eagle Dock; but a second torpedo missed the ship and ran up on the beach. Arkansas did not report casualties among her 37-man crew. The Germans did not emerge from the action unscathed however, for the explosion of a shell prematurely in the gun barrel, because the tampion was not removed, mortally wounded one and critically wounded another of the crew on board U-156. She received permission to put in to Vichy French held Martinique, on 21 February, to put ashore the crew man that had survived the explosion, he was put into captivity.[2]
Conversion to escort carrier
Chenango was decommissioned at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, on 16 March 1942, for conversion to an auxiliary aircraft carrier. She was converted at Bethlehem Staten Island, New York, and recommissioned as Chenango (ACV-28) on 19 September 1942.[2]
Quickly repaired, Chenango was underway for the Pacific by mid-December 1942. Arriving at Nouméa on 18 January 1943, with eleven Grumman F4F-4 Wildcats of Escort-Fighter SquadronVGF-28, and eight Douglas SBD-3 Dauntlesses and nine Grumman TBF-1 Avengers, of Escort-Scouting Squadron VGS-28 on board. She joined the escort carrier group providing air cover for supply convoys supporting the invasion and occupation of the Solomon Islands. One of her air groups was sent to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, to give close support to the US Marine Corps forces ashore. One of Chenango's duties during this period was to stand sentry off the fiercely contested island. As part of her Solomons operations, Chenango's planes formed an air umbrella to escort to safety St. Louis and Honolulu after the cruisers were damaged in the Battle of Kolombangara, on 13 July. Reclassified CVE-28 on 15 July, Chenango returned to the Mare Island Navy Yard, on 18 August, for an overhaul. She then acted as training carrier for new air groups until 19 October. She steamed from San Diego, to join the Gilbert Islands invasion force at Espiritu Santo, on 5 November. During the invasion of Tarawa from 20 November-8 December, her planes covered the advance of the attack force, bombed and strafed beaches ahead of the invading troops, and protected off-shore convoys.[2] On 29 November 1943, at 21:57, her Avenger TBFs, of Air Group 35, found and sank a Type B1 submarine, likely Japanese submarineI-21.[3] She returned to San Diego for another period of training duty.[2]
1944
Steaming from San Diego, on 13 January 1944, Chenango supported the invasion landings on Roi, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok, in the Marshalls operation. After protecting the service group refueling fleet units engaged in the Palau strikes, Chenango arrived at Espiritu Santo, on 7 April. She sortied for the landings at Aitape and Hollandia, now Jayapura, from 16 April–12 May, then joined Task Group 53.7 (TG53.7), for the invasion of the Marianas. Her planes struck airfield installations, sank enemy shipping, and attacked harbor facilities on Pagan Island, as well as conducting valuable photographic reconnaissance of Guam. From 8 July, she joined in daily strikes on Guam, preparing for the island's invasion. She returned to Manus, on 13 August, to replenish and conduct training.[2]
USS Chenango underway in 1944.
From 10 to 29 September, Chenango joined in the neutralization of enemy airfields in the Halmaheras in support of the invasion of Morotai, stepping-stone to the Philippines. After preparations at Manus, Chenango cleared on 12 October, to conduct softening up strikes on Leyte, in preparation for the invasion landings on 20 October. Chenango and her sister shipSangamon were attacked by three Japanese planes on the afternoon of D-Day, and shot down all three, capturing one of the pilots. Sailing to Morotai, to load new aircraft, Chenango was not in action waters during the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but returned on 28 October, to provide replacement aircraft to her victorious sister escort carriers, who had held the Japanese fleet off from Leyte. The next day, she sailed for overhaul at Seattle, Washington, until 9 February 1945.[2]
1945
After the overhaul period, she again sailed west, arriving at Tulagi, in the Solomons, on 4 March. Chenango conducted training, then sortied from Ulithi, on 27 March, for the invasion of Okinawa. She gave air cover in the feint landings on the southern tip of the island, then was assigned to neutralize the kamikaze bases in Sakashima Gunto. On 9 April, a fighter crashed upon landing and started a raging fire among the strike-loaded aircraft on Chenango's deck. Skillful work by her crew saved the ship from serious damage and she remained in action off Okinawa, until 11 June. After escorting a tanker convoy to San Pedro Bay, Chenango sailed on 26 July, to join the logistics force for the 3rd Fleet, then engaged in the final offensive against Japan.[2]
Postwar service
Following the surrender of Japan, Chenango supported the occupation forces and evacuated some 1,900 Allied prisoners of war and 1,500 civilians from slave labor camps. She cleared Tokyo Bay, on 25 October, and after a brief overhaul at San Diego, returned to "Magic Carpet" duty, transporting veterans from Okinawa and Pearl Harbor, to the West Coast.[2]
Fate
Chenango sailed from San Pedro, on 5 February, for Boston, and was placed out of commission in reserve there on 14 August 1946. She was reclassified CVHE-28 on 12 June 1955. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959, and sold and removed from naval custody on 12 February 1960.[2]
Craven, Wesley Frank; Cate, James Lea (1983). Europe, Torch to Pointblank, August 1942 to December 1943. The Army Air Forces In World War II. Vol.2. Washington, D.C.: Office of Air Force History. ISBN091279903X. LCCN83017288.
Howe, George F. (1993). The Mediterranean Theater of Operations — Northwest Africa: Seizing The Initiative In The West. United States Army In World War II. Washington, DC: Center Of Military History, United States Army. LCCN57060021.
External links
Photo gallery of USS Chenango (CVE-28) at NavSource Naval History
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