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USS Munda (CVE-104)
Encyclopedia
USS Munda (CVE-104) was a United States Navy
Casablanca-class escort aircraft carrier
. She was the last of the series to be built.
More Casablanca-class carriers were built than any other single class of aircraft carrier in history, and the last to be built on the Liberty Ship
platform; the Commencement Bay class
escort carrier which followed was designed from the keel up as a carrier.
She was laid down on 29 March 1944 under Maritime Commission contract as MC hull 1141 by the Kaiser Shipyards
, Vancouver, Washington
, originally designated ACV-104, and redesignated CVE-104 on 15 July 1944. Originally named Tonowek Bay on 23 September 1944, the carrier was renamed Munda on 6 November 1944, in honor of the battle to take Munda Bay in the Solomon Islands
. It was during this fight that Rodger Wilton Young was killed. Some commemorative photographs of the ship gave the name as Munda Bay.
Munda was launched on 27 May 1944 (sponsored by Mrs. James E. Dyer), to be accepted and commissioned on 8 July 1944, under the command of Captain
L. A. Pope (a Naval aviator who had, in the 1920s, literally "written the book" on aerial photography for the Navy).
, got underway independently on 16 August 1944 on her maiden voyage. With 71 planes and 202 passengers crowded aboard, she arrived at Espiritu Santo
on 1 September. Proceeding next to Finschhafen
and Manus Island
, she returned to Alameda, California
for brief availability, before setting out again to carry replacement planes and personnel to forward areas. Returning from her second supply run on 5 December, she was underway again on the 12th. She completed three more runs to various islands in the Pacific before mid-1945, when she sailed for Eniwetok on 3 July. There, she joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8) and commenced supplying planes pilots, and aviation stores to the fast carriers of Task Force 38
(TF 38).
She rendezvoused with that force on 20 July, as it attacked the Japan
ese home islands, and remained in the area through the 26th, when she returned to Guam
for replenishment. At sea again by the end of the month, she rejoined TF 38 on 3 August, resupplying the carriers then, and again on the 7th and 11th. On 13 August, she departed the formation and was en route back to Guam when she received word of the Japan
ese surrender. Rejoining TG 30.8, she remained off Japan through the first week of the occupation, and on 10 September steamed into Tokyo Bay
.
Departing Tokyo
on 2 October, she joined the ships assigned to Operation Magic Carpet, and into the next year, ferried servicemen back to the United States. After completion of that duty on 18 January 1946, Munda prepared for inactivation at Port Angeles, Washington
. Decommissioned on 13 September 1946, she joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthing at Tacoma, Washington
. Redesignated CVU-104 on 12 June 1955, she was shifted to Bremerton on 29 April 1958. Munda was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 September 1958 and sold as scrap, 17 June 1960, to the General Ore Company, New York
.
planes.
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...
Casablanca-class escort aircraft carrier
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
. She was the last of the series to be built.
More Casablanca-class carriers were built than any other single class of aircraft carrier in history, and the last to be built on the Liberty Ship
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
platform; the Commencement Bay class
Commencement Bay class escort carrier
The Commencement Bay-class escort aircraft carriers were based on the Maritime Commission T3 type tanker hull, which gave them a displacement of approximately 23,000 tons and a length of 557 feet...
escort carrier which followed was designed from the keel up as a carrier.
She was laid down on 29 March 1944 under Maritime Commission contract as MC hull 1141 by the Kaiser Shipyards
Kaiser Shipyards
The Kaiser Shipyards were seven major shipbuilding yards located mostly on the U.S. west coast during World War II. They were owned by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, a creation of American industrialist Henry J...
, Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver, Washington
Vancouver is a city on the north bank of the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington. Incorporated in 1857, it is the fourth largest city in the state with a 2010 census population of 161,791 as of April 1, 2010...
, originally designated ACV-104, and redesignated CVE-104 on 15 July 1944. Originally named Tonowek Bay on 23 September 1944, the carrier was renamed Munda on 6 November 1944, in honor of the battle to take Munda Bay in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. It was during this fight that Rodger Wilton Young was killed. Some commemorative photographs of the ship gave the name as Munda Bay.
Munda was launched on 27 May 1944 (sponsored by Mrs. James E. Dyer), to be accepted and commissioned on 8 July 1944, under the command of Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
L. A. Pope (a Naval aviator who had, in the 1920s, literally "written the book" on aerial photography for the Navy).
Service history
After a west coast shakedown, Munda, assigned to Carrier Transport Squadron, Pacific FleetUnited States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
, got underway independently on 16 August 1944 on her maiden voyage. With 71 planes and 202 passengers crowded aboard, she arrived at Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
on 1 September. Proceeding next to Finschhafen
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
and Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, she returned to Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
for brief availability, before setting out again to carry replacement planes and personnel to forward areas. Returning from her second supply run on 5 December, she was underway again on the 12th. She completed three more runs to various islands in the Pacific before mid-1945, when she sailed for Eniwetok on 3 July. There, she joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8) and commenced supplying planes pilots, and aviation stores to the fast carriers of Task Force 38
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
(TF 38).
She rendezvoused with that force on 20 July, as it attacked the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese home islands, and remained in the area through the 26th, when she returned to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
for replenishment. At sea again by the end of the month, she rejoined TF 38 on 3 August, resupplying the carriers then, and again on the 7th and 11th. On 13 August, she departed the formation and was en route back to Guam when she received word of the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese surrender. Rejoining TG 30.8, she remained off Japan through the first week of the occupation, and on 10 September steamed into Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
.
Departing Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
on 2 October, she joined the ships assigned to Operation Magic Carpet, and into the next year, ferried servicemen back to the United States. After completion of that duty on 18 January 1946, Munda prepared for inactivation at Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
. Decommissioned on 13 September 1946, she joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthing at Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. Redesignated CVU-104 on 12 June 1955, she was shifted to Bremerton on 29 April 1958. Munda was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 September 1958 and sold as scrap, 17 June 1960, to the General Ore Company, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Awards
Munda received one battle star for her service in World War II, and was reported to have been struck by kamikazeKamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
planes.
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org