Commencement Bay-class escort carrier

The Commencement Bay-class escort aircraft carriers were the last class of escort carriers built for the US Navy in World War II.

The ships were based on the hull of the Maritime Commission type T3 tanker, which gave them a displacement of approximately 23,000 tons and a length of 557 feet (170 m). Unlike most earlier escort carrier classes, which were laid down as something else and converted to aircraft carriers mid-construction, the Commencement Bays were built as carriers from the keel up. Their general layout was similar to the s, but some of the Sangamon's engineering shortcomings were addressed.

They entered service late in World War II – launched on 9 May 1944 – so most of them saw little or no operational service. Only , , and saw action in the Pacific, while the lead ship Commencement Bay was used as a training vessel only during wartime. Thirty-five of them were ordered but many were cancelled prior to completion. Nineteen saw commissioned service in the US Navy, four were broken up on the ways at the end of the war, two were accepted from the builders but never commissioned, and the remainder were cancelled before being laid down.

After the war they were seen as potential helicopter, anti-submarine, or auxiliary (transport) carriers, and a number of ships served in these roles during the Korean War. The oncoming Jet Age ended their careers, as the ships were no longer large enough to safely carry the much larger jet aircraft of the late 1950s, and all units were out of service or reclassified by 1960.

Ships

All of the Commencement Bay-class escort carriers that were laid down were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation (a.k.a. Todd Pacific Shipyards) in the Commencement Bay, Tacoma, Washington yard, in addition to the planned (but unnamed) ships CVE-128 through CVE-131. Planned (but unnamed) ships CVE-132 through CVE-139 were to be built by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, in Vancouver, Washington, but were never laid down.

+ List of Commencement Bay-class escort carriers Ship name Laid down Launched Fate () CVE-105 23 September 19439 May 194427 November 194430 November 1946Struck 1 April 1971; Sold for scrap 25 August 1972 () CVE-10625 October 194310 June 194430 December 194427 August 1954Struck 1 July 1959; Sold for scrap 23 February 1960 () CVE-107 29 November 1943 20 July 1944 5 February 1945 21 May 1946 Struck 15 October 1976; Sold for scrap 1 November 1979 5 February 1951 15 January 1955 () CVE-108 16 December 1943 15 August 1944 12 May 1945 3 July 1946 Struck 15 September 1970; Sold for scrap 1971 15 February 1951 15 December 1955 () CVE-10910 January 194412 September 19445 March 19455 November 1946Struck 1 April 1971; Sold for scrap () CVE-110 7 February 1944 19 October 1944 19 May 1945 4 October 1947 Struck 1 June 1960; Sold for scrap 30 October 1961 20 June 1951 16 February 1954 () CVE-1117 March 194419 October 19449 April 19459 August 1946Struck 1 December 1970; Sold for scrap 22 October 1971 () CVE-112 1 April 1944 9 November 1944 14 May 1945 6 December 1949 Struck 1 June 1970; Scrapped 1971 22 November 1950 31 July 1956 () CVE-11312 May 1944 194418 June 194518 October 1946Struck 1 June 1960; Sold for scrap 10 January 1962 () CVE-114 15 June 1944 29 December 1944 22 October 1945 27 January 1950 Struck 1 April 1971; Sold for scrap 1971 3 January 1951 30 June 1955 () CVE-115 25 July 1944 25 January 1945 16 July 1945 14 April 1950 Struck 1 April 1960; Sold for scrap January 1961 12 September 1950 18 February 1955 () CVE-116 18 August 1944 15 February 1945 14 November 1945 20 April 1946 Struck 1 December 1970; Sold for scrap 8 May 1972 6 January 1947 17 May 1957 () CVE-11729 September 194417 March 19454 September 194512 September 1947Struck 1 December 1970; Sold for scrap 22 October 1971 () CVE-11823 October 194414 April 194527 February 19464 October 1954Struck 1 July 1960; Sold for scrap 31 October 1960 () CVE-119 4 December 1944 18 May 1945 16 October 1945 30 June 1947 Struck 15 September 1970; Sold for scrap 1971 26 July 1951 31 August 1956 CVE-1202 January 194527 June 19454 December 19454 August 1955Struck 1 December 1959; Sold for scrap June 1960 CVE-12129 January 194514 July 1945 Struck 1 September 1971; Sold for scrap 25 August 1972 CVE-12219 February 19456 August 194515 January 194615 June 1954Struck 1 April 1960; Sold for scrap 13 July 1960 CVE-12320 March 19455 September 1945 Struck 1 June 1970; Sold for scrap 15 December 1971 CVE-1242 April 1945 rowspan="5" rowspan="5" rowspan="5" Cancelled before launching, 12 August 1945 CVE-12520 April 1945 CVE-1261 May 1945 CVE-12722 May 1945 Unnamed Cancelled before being laid down, 12 August 1945

Commencement Bay-class escort carrier

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