Bogue class escort carrier
Encyclopedia
The Bogue-class were a group of escort carriers built in the United States
for service with the U.S. Navy
and (under lend-lease
) the Royal Navy
during World War II
.
The British operated ships were grouped as the Attacker class
and the Ruler class
; the latter all having names of "Ruler"s
cargo ship hull. Most were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
, but some of the early examples were produced by Ingalls Shipbuilding
of Pascagoula, Mississippi
and by the Western Pipe and Steel Company
of San Francisco, California
. They all were named for sounds, and were equipped with derricks for retrieving seaplane
s.
under the provisions of the Lend-Lease
program; they were given new names for their RN service and returned to the U.S. Navy after the war. The first group to be transferred were known by the RN as the Attacker-class; in their place replacements were constructed with the same names for the American fleet. A second group of ships were built and sent almost in its entirety to the Royal Navy, known as the Ameer-class or the Ruler-class in British service, and sometimes as the Prince William-class in the U.S. Navy.
As delivered, these carriers required modifications to conform to Royal Naval standards and, for some ships, the initial works were done at Burrards at Vancouver
, Canada. These included extending the flight deck, fitting redesigned flying controls and fighter direction layout, modifications to hangar, accommodation and store rooms, extra safety measures, oiling at sea arrangements, gunnery and other internal communications, extra wireless and radio facilities, ship black-out arrangements and other items deemed necessary for British service.
The consequential delays in getting these ships into active service caused critical comments from some in the U.S. Navy.
northeast of the Canary Islands
on 29 May 1944.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for service with the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
and (under lend-lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
) the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The British operated ships were grouped as the Attacker class
Attacker class escort carrier
Attacker class escort carriers were a type of aircraft carrier in service with the British Royal Navy during the Second World War. There were eight ships in the class, all constructed in the United States and supplied under the terms of Lend-Lease to the Royal Navy.The ships served in two different...
and the Ruler class
Ruler class escort carrier
The Ruler class of escort aircraft carriers served with the Royal Navy during the Second World War. All twenty-eight ships were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in the United States and supplied under Lend-Lease; They were the most numerous single class of aircraft carriers in...
; the latter all having names of "Ruler"s
Origins
The Bogue-class escort carriers were based on the Maritime Commission's Type C3Type C3 ship
Type C3 ships were the third type of cargo ship designed by the United States Maritime Commission in the late 1930s. As it had done with the Type C1 ships and Type C2 ships, MARCOM circulated preliminary plans for comment...
cargo ship hull. Most were built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation was a United States corporation which built ships for the US Navy and merchant marine during World War II ....
, but some of the early examples were produced by Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding
Ingalls Shipbuilding is a shipyard located in Pascagoula, Mississippi, USA, originally established in 1938, and is now part of Huntington Ingalls Industries...
of Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula, Mississippi
Pascagoula is a city in Jackson County, Mississippi, United States. It is the principal city of the Pascagoula, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area, as a part of the Gulfport–Biloxi–Pascagoula, Mississippi Combined Statistical Area. The population was 26,200 at the 2000 census...
and by the Western Pipe and Steel Company
Western Pipe and Steel Company
The Western Pipe and Steel Company was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S...
of San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. They all were named for sounds, and were equipped with derricks for retrieving seaplane
Seaplane
A seaplane is a fixed-wing aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are a subclass called amphibian aircraft...
s.
Transfer to the Royal Navy
Most of the ships of the class were transferred to the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
under the provisions of the Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
program; they were given new names for their RN service and returned to the U.S. Navy after the war. The first group to be transferred were known by the RN as the Attacker-class; in their place replacements were constructed with the same names for the American fleet. A second group of ships were built and sent almost in its entirety to the Royal Navy, known as the Ameer-class or the Ruler-class in British service, and sometimes as the Prince William-class in the U.S. Navy.
As delivered, these carriers required modifications to conform to Royal Naval standards and, for some ships, the initial works were done at Burrards at Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, Canada. These included extending the flight deck, fitting redesigned flying controls and fighter direction layout, modifications to hangar, accommodation and store rooms, extra safety measures, oiling at sea arrangements, gunnery and other internal communications, extra wireless and radio facilities, ship black-out arrangements and other items deemed necessary for British service.
The consequential delays in getting these ships into active service caused critical comments from some in the U.S. Navy.
First group (Bogue / Attacker class)
became became became became became became became became was sunk by the German U-549Unterseeboot 549
German submarine U-549 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 28 September 1942 at the Deutsche Werft yard at Hamburg, launched on 28 April 1943, and commissioned on 14 July 1943 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Detlev Krankenhagen...
northeast of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
on 29 May 1944.