USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71) was the 17th of 50 s built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was launched in November 1943 and transferred to the Navy and commissioned in December. She served in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, the Battle off Samar, in which she faced the first wave of organized kamikaze attacks, and the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, during which she was damaged by another kamikaze and forced to withdraw. After the war, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from around the Pacific. She was decommissioned in April 1946 and sold for scrapping in November. Ultimately, she was broken up in early 1947.
Design and description
Kitkun Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of aircraft carriers ever built. Built to stem heavy losses during the Battle of the Atlantic, they came into service in late 1943, by which time the U-boat threat was already in retreat. Although some did see service in the Atlantic, most were used in the Pacific, ferrying aircraft, providing logistics support, and conducting close air support for the island-hopping campaigns. The Casablanca-class carriers were built on the standardized Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, a lengthened variant of the hull, and specifically designed to be mass-produced using welded, prefabricated sections. This allowed them to be produced at unprecedented speeds; the final ship of her class, , was delivered to the Navy just 101 days after the laying of her keel.
Kitkun Bay was long overall ( at the waterline), had a beam of , and a draft of . She displaced standard, which increased to with a full load. To carry out flight operations, the ship had a hangar deck and a flight deck. Her compact size necessitated the installation of an aircraft catapult at her bow, with two aircraft elevators to facilitate movement of aircraft between the flight and hangar deck, one each fore and aft.
She was powered by four Babcock & Wilcox Express D boilers that raised of steam at . The steam generated by these boilers fed two Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines, delivering to two propeller shafts. This allowed her to reach speeds of , with a cruising range of at . For armament, one /38-caliber dual-purpose gun was mounted on the stern. Additional antiaircraft (AAC) defense was provided by eight Bofors AAC guns in single mounts and 12 Oerlikon cannons mounted around the perimeter of the deck. By 1945, Casablanca-class carriers had been modified to carry 20 Oerlikon cannons and 16 Bofors guns; the doubling of the latter was accomplished by putting them into twin mounts. Sensors onboard consisted of a SG surface-search radar and an SK air-search radar.
Although Casablanca-class escort carriers were intended to function with a crew of 860 and an embarked squadron of 50 to 56, the exigencies of wartime often necessitated the inflation of the crew count. They were designed to operate with 27 aircraft, but the hangar deck could accommodate many more during transport or training missions.
During the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, she carried 12 FM-2 fighters, and eight TBM-1C torpedo bombers. During the Philippines campaign an Battle off Sam, though, she carried 16 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-1C torpedo bombers. During the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, she carried 15 FM-2 fighters and 10 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, along with two reconnaissance planes, an FM-2P, and a TBM-3P.
Construction Her construction was awarded to Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC Hull 1108, on 18 June 1942. She was laid down on 3 May 1943 under the name Kitkun Bay, under Frank Knox's directive naming escort carriers for "sounds, bays, and islands". Her namesake, Kitkun Bay, is located on the southeastern end of Prince of Wales Island, constituting part of the Alexander Archipelago, at the time within the Territory of Alaska. She was laid down as the 17th of a series of 50 Casablanca-class escort carriers. She was launched on 8 November 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Francis E. Cruise; she was transferred to the Navy and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon, on 15 December 1943, with Captain John Perry Whitney in command.
Service history Upon being commissioned, Kitkun Bay spent the rest of December and early January undergoing fitting out at U.S. Naval Ship Yard Tongue Point, Astoria, Oregon. She then underwent a shakedown cruise down the West Coast, heading to Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego, California. She arrived at San Diego on 22 January 1944, and after spending a week conducting exercises off the Channel Islands, she loaded Marine Torpedo Bomber Squadron (VMTB) 242 on a transport mission bound for the New Hebrides.
Kitkun Bay arrived at Espiritu Santo on 14 February, where she took on a load of cargo, ferrying it to Efate, arriving on 18 February. On her return trip, she stopped at Pearl Harbor on 28 February, arriving back at part in San Diego on 6 March. From 9 to 17 March, she conducted pilot qualifications with her intended air contingent, Composite Squadron (VC) 5, until she returned to port, during which VC-5 was detached for further training. For the rest of March, she performed pilot qualifications for a variety of different squadrons. During April, she was moored at Naval Base San Diego, where maintenance and repairs were conducted. During this period, Rear Admiral Harold Bushnell Salada, commander of Carrier Division 26, designated Kitkun Bay as his flagship. On 1 May, she left port with VC-5 attached. Joined by her sisters and , she arrived at Ford Island on 8 May, where the carriers conducted training with other warships throughout the rest of May.
Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
On 31 May, Kitkun Bay sallied forth as part of an armada escorting Transport Division 16 towards Saipan of the Mariana Islands for the planned landings there. Kitkun Bay, along with the other carriers, launched fighter and antisubmarine patrols. On 8 June, she arrived at Kwajalein Atoll. There, she was assigned to serve as the flagship of Task Unit 52.11.1. On 13 June, her fighters notched their first kill, shooting down a Mitsubishi G4M1-variant bomber at 11:05. She arrived off Saipan on 14 June, and her aircraft contingent commenced close air support on the following day.
On the afternoon of 18 June, a large formation of Japanese aircraft, estimated at 30 to 50 planes, was detected approaching from the south. At 17:55, six planes broke through the air screen, and approached the escort carriers. One of these planes, identified as a Nakajima J1N, made a run on Kitkun Bay from her starboard bow. The aircraft was engaged by AAC fire, but still managed to release its torpedo within of the carrier, but due to her hard turn, the torpedo missed Kitkun Bay by about . As the plane attempted to pull out, it was further damaged, before nose-diving into the ocean. A second plane also tried to engage the carrier, but it was quickly shot down, splashing down about off her port quarter. The next day, on 19 June, Kitkun Bays aircraft participated in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, providing a screen and intercepting Japanese planes.
From 5 to 10 July, Kitkun Bay replenished at Eniwetok of the Marshall Islands. On 23 July, the escort carriers turned their attention towards Tinian, with Kitkun Bay sending 16 FM-2 Wildcats and 11 TBM-1C Avengers to strike targets around the island. On 1 August, the escort carriers transitioned towards supporting the landings on Guam. As the marines secured the island, the escort carriers retired for Eniwetok, arriving on 7 August. On 8 August, Rear Admiral Ralph A. Ofstie took over command of Carrier Division 26, and broke his flag on Kitkun Bay. On 8 September, she escorted the landing craft participating in the landings on Peleliu and Angaur of the Palau Islands, providing close air support as they landed on 15 September. On 21 September, the escort carriers withdrew to Ulithi of the Caroline Islands. They then proceeded to Seeadler Harbor on Manus Island of the Admiralty Islands, where they prepared for the planned Philippines campaign. Kitkun Bay left Seeadler Harbor on 12 October as part of an advance contingent, escorting Rear Admiral William Fechteler's Task Group 28.2. She arrived off of Mindanao on 19 October, and commenced operations in support of the landings on Leyte starting on 20 October.
Philippines campaign Battle off Samar
At the time of the invasion, Taffy 3, under the command of Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague, consisted of , , , , Kitkun Bay, and Gambier Bay, along with an accompanying screen of three destroyers and four destroyer escorts. Rear Admiral Ofstie had responsibility over Kiktun Bay and Gambier Bay, but Sprague had authority over the unit as a whole. As the U.S. fleet gathered off the Philippines, the Japanese garrison on Suluan managed to alert their command. This prompted Admiral Soemu Toyoda to launch Shō-Gō 1, a gambit to defend Japan's access to the oil fields of Southeast Asia. On 18 and 19 October, Taffy 3 conducted strikes against Japanese bases located within Cebu, Negros, and Panay, destroying 38 planes and damaging 28 more. She then steamed off the island of Samar from 20 to 25 October, providing air support for U.S. forces onshore, and dropping leaflets on Japanese positions. In the meantime, Admiral William Halsey Jr. led his Third Fleet northwards, after spotting Vice Admiral Jisaburō Ozawa's diversionary Northern Force. Thus, the only ships covering the vulnerable landing craft of Leyte Gulf were the three escort carrier task groups and their screens. Taffy 3, the northmost task group, bore the brunt of Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's Center Force as it swung through the San Bernardino Strait.
On the early morning of 25 October, Kurita's Center Force had already crossed the San Bernardino Strait unmolested and was entering the open waters of Leyte Gulf. White Plainss radar had possibly spotted the Japanese force maneuvering into position at 03:00, but this information was disregarded by the ship's command. Although World War II-era surface radar was notoriously faulty, the speed and course of the spotted blip was consistent with the course set by the Center Force.
At 04:30, the escort carriers went to general quarters in preparation for another round of airstrikes and close air support. The first indication of Japanese contact happened shortly after 06:30, when Taffy 3 experienced three almost simultaneous warnings. Firstly, they began receiving unencrypted Japanese chatter. Secondly, they spotted AAC fire, estimated at to the north, where no Allied surface presence was known. In fact, a TBM Avenger from St. Lo had stumbled into the midst of the Japanese fleet and began radioing Rear Admiral Sprague warnings. Thirdly, Fanshaw Bays radar operators spotted an unmistakable surface signature of unknown surface ships just away. As such, the opening stages of the Battle off Samar caught Sprague and the escort carriers completely by surprise.
Upon coming to an understanding of the severity of the situation, Sprague ordered Taffy 3 to steam eastward, in hopes of being shielded by a passing rain squall. Kitkun Bay swung to 70°, into the wind, to aid in launching planes. At 06:55, Kitkun Bay went to flight quarters, "on the double", launching a set of eight FM-2 Wildcats from 06:56 to 07:03. At 07:10, Kitkun Bay sent out six TBM-1C Avengers, each armed with four semiarmor piercing bombs. At 07:11, another FM-2 Wildcat was dispatched. Sprague also radioed for assistance from Vice Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf, the commander of Task Group 77.2, which had just defeated the Southern Force in the Battle of Surigao Strait. Unfortunately for Sprague, Oldendorf was at least three hours' sail away, Task Group 77.2 was scattered over an immense distance because of the previous night's battle, and it was low on both fuel and ammunition. Taffy 3 would have to confront the Center Force by itself.