USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80) - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

USS Petrof Bay (CVE–80) was an Casablanca class

Casablanca class escort carrier

The Casablanca class escort aircraft carriers were the greatest number of not only escort carriers, but also any size aircraft carrier ever built to a like-design by any nation at any time. Fifty were laid down, launched and commissioned within the space of less than two years - 3 November 1942...

escort carrier of the United States 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...

.

She was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, 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...

, 15 October 1943; launched 5 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. G. Atkins; acquired 18 February 1944 and commissioned the same day at Astoria, Oregon

Astoria, Oregon

Astoria is the county seat of Clatsop County, Oregon, United States. Situated near the mouth of the Columbia River, the city was named after the American investor John Jacob Astor. His American Fur Company founded Fort Astoria at the site in 1811...

, 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....

Joseph L. "Paddy" Kane in command.

Service history

Petrof Bay departed Naval Air Station, San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

29 March for the southwest Pacific; unloaded passengers, aircraft and cargo upon arrival 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....

14 April, and six days later sailed for Seeadler Harbor

Seeadler Harbor

Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...

, 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...

, arriving there 25 April. She transferred eight aircraft to other ships in the harbor.

On the morning of 29 April, she made rendezvous with Task Force 58

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 58) to furnish replacement aircraft, prior to its first strike against the then powerful Japanese stronghold of Truk. The ship then proceeded to Majuro

Majuro

Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...

, arriving 3 May, and rejoined TF 58 after its successful strike on Truk. There she unloaded all her aircraft and most aviation spares and materiel, and took on aircraft in need of major overhaul, and salvage equipment.

With Barnes and three destroyers, the ship turned toward the States 7 May, arriving San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay

San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...

20 May. At San Diego, she embarked Composite Squadron 76 (VC-76), commanded by Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander

Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...

James W. McCauley, for shakedown air operations. On 30 July the ship shoved off for Pearl Harbor, arriving 6 August.

The extra aircraft were unloaded and all resemblance to a ferry transport disappeared. On 12 August she was underway in Task Group 32.4. en route Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal

Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...

. She anchored in Tulagi Harbor, 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...

, the afternoon of 24 August. On 4 September, Petrof Bay, as a part of "Taffy 3" in company with and , sortied with the Peleliu and Anguar Movement Group No. 2.

She launched her first strike against the enemy on 15 September. The Marines successfully landed on Peleliu

Peleliu

Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....

Island and established a beachhead aided by her aircraft. From D-Day until 29 September, with the exception of one day when bombs and ammunition were replenished at Kossol Passage, her aircraft bombed and strafed the Japanese, and searched for enemy shipping, aircraft, and submarines. She encountered no air opposition during the operation. By 30 September, when the airstrip on Peleliu was operational Petrof Bay retired to Manus Island.

Battle of Leyte Gulf

On 14 October she sortied from Seeadler Harbor

Seeadler Harbor

Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...

, Admiralty Islands

Admiralty Islands

The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...

with Saginaw Bay en route to Leyte Gulf

Leyte Gulf

Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...

for the first step in the liberation of the Philippines

Philippines

The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...

.

The two CVEs rendezvoused with "Taffy 2" for "A-Day" operations, and made forty air sorties during the landing on this first day. That night after being detached from the task unit, the carrier joined "Taffy 1", which had been suffering air attacks. From 21 October through 24 October Petrof Bay launched Air Support Groups.

On 24 October, contact reports accumulated describing major units of the Japanese fleet moving out to fight what was to be the Battle for Leyte Gulf. The CVEs were in three units: "Taffy 3" (Task Unit 77.4.3), east of the southern portion of Samar; "Taffy 2" (Task Unit 77.4.2), just south of that position; and "Taffy 1" (Task Unit 77.4.1) with Petrof Bay, south of "Taffy 2" and east of Surigao Island.

The Japanese Central Force, which had earlier been sighted and attacked by aircraft in the Sibuyan Sea

Sibuyan Sea

The Sibuyan Sea is a small sea in the Philippines that separates the Visayas from the northern Philippine island of Luzon.-Description:It is bounded by the island of Panay to the south, Mindoro to the west, Masbate to the east, and to the north Marinduque and the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon Island.The...

, and which was thought to be withdrawing, had slipped through San Bernardino Strait

San Bernardino Strait

The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south.-Filipinos and San Bernardino Strait:...

under cover of darkness, and had steamed south toward the eastern entrance to Leyte Gulf. At 0647, Taffy 3 reported that they were being attacked by heavy units of the Japanese fleet and land-based aircraft. Two special strikes from Petrof Bay joined in the air attack against these enemy ships. Four FM-2 Wildcat

F4F Wildcat

The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...

s and six TBM Avenger

TBF Avenger

The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....

s were launched at 0724 to join a 0552 launch of four fighters redirected to attack the Japanese surface ships.

At 0729, RADAR

Radar

Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...

reported six Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zeros closing on the formation. The ship went to General Quarters

General quarters

General Quarters or Battle Stations is an announcement made aboard a naval warship to signal the crew to prepare for battle or imminent damage....

and so remained for the next 108 hours. Anti-aircraft guns shot down two planes, but one of the survivors crashed into the flight deck of , another crashed into , and another narrowly missed . A Yokosuka D4Y

Yokosuka D4Y

The D4Y Navy Type 2 Carrier Dive bomber was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy. Its Allied reporting name was "Judy". The D4Y was one of the fastest dive-bombers of the war, and only the delays in its development hindered its service, while its predecessor, the slower fixed gear Aichi D3A...

"Judy" then strafed Petrof Bay and narrowly missed with a bomb that failed to explode. Santee was hit by a torpedo a few minutes later.

Meanwhile, Petrof Bays planes hit the enemy while Taffy 3 was actually under attack. The Wildcats made strafing attacks while the Avengers launched torpedoes. During the two strikes, her pilots claimed one probable hit on , two probable hits on , two on and one on an unidentified cruiser, plus strafing runs on Yamato, the cruisers, and destroyers. Wildcats without enough fuel to return to Petrof Bay landed at Tacloban airfield where the received some friendly fire. Surviving Avengers landed on of Taffy 3 and of Taffy 2 with less than ten gallons of fuel remaining. Only one torpedo plane and two fighters returned to Petrof Bay.

Petrof Bay launched a final strike at 1530 to search for and attack the enemy then in retreat. After rendezvousing with other aircraft from the CVEs, the flight proceeded to San Bernardino Strait

San Bernardino Strait

The San Bernardino Strait is a strait in the Philippines. It separates the Bicol Peninsula of Luzon island from the island of Samar in the south.-Filipinos and San Bernardino Strait:...

where it found and attacked a cruiser of the Mogami class, scoring two torpedo hits and one probable hit. These planes also landed at Tacloban Airfield when their fuel was inadequate to return to Petrof Bay.

At 2232, one of the destroyers in the screen had a sound contact. A 90-degree emergency turn was made and almost immediately thereafter two torpedoes straddled Petrof Bay, one twenty yards on the port and the other passing under the overhang on the starboard side. attacked with depth charges and was believed successful in destroying the submarine.

On 26 October, the only remaining Japanese force within range of the CVE's aircraft was one light cruiser and four destroyers sighted in the Visayan Sea

Visayan Sea

The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines, surrounded by the islands of the Visayas, Eastern Visayas and Western Visayas located to the east and west, while the Central Visayas is located to the south...

. Petrof Bay launched its only two remaining torpedo-bombers to participate in a strike against the five ships. One plane scored a hit with a 500 pound semi-armor piercing bomb and a near miss on the cruiser and strafed a destroyer which caught on fire and blew up.

Suwanee was crashed by another Zero at noon; and four Japanese aircraft started suicide runs on Petrof Bay from astern. The first aircraft exploded in mid-air from a hit from the five-inch gun aided by gunfire from other ships. The second turned to starboard, smoking, and withdrew. The third aircraft looped into the clouds, came straight down, missed and hit the water twenty feet in front of the bridge. The aircraft exploded as it hit the water, drenching the ship with gas. The fourth Japanese aircraft dove straight for the flight deck, its tail and wing were shot off as it fell aft of the fantail.

During the night of 28 October Petrof Bay retired to the fueling area. That night the ship returned to rendezvous with Taffy 2, TG 77.2 and TG 77.3, and, in company with them, triumphantly and proudly proceeded to Manus Island. All VC-76 aircrew were recovered. The squadron logged 15,000 hours of flight time through eight months of combat without a single personnel loss, while pilots were awarded seventeen Navy Crosses. Captain Kane also received a Navy Cross.

Next, Petrof Bay, as a part of Task Unit 77.4.5, departed for the traffic lanes leading to Leyte 19 November arriving in the area 23 November.

In mid-January 1945, the ship was detached from Task Group 77.3 and ordered to report for duty to Task Group 77.4, to prevent runs being made by the enemy from and into Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

. Direct support was furnished 29 January–30 January for the landings in the San Narciso

San Narciso

San Narciso is the name of two places in the Philippines:*San Narciso, Quezon*San Narciso, ZambalesIn other uses:* San Narciso, a fictional Californian city in Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49...

and San Antonio areas.

Iwo Jima

With the reconquest of Luzon

Luzon

Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...

well underway, Petrof Bay departed for Ulithi

Ulithi

Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...

.

The fortress island of Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...

stood in the path of the advancing Americans, and was needed as a base for fighter escorts for the B–29

B-29 Superfortress

The B-29 Superfortress is a four-engine propeller-driven heavy bomber designed by Boeing that was flown primarily by the United States Air Forces in late-World War II and through the Korean War. The B-29 was one of the largest aircraft to see service during World War II...

raids on 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...

and the Japanese Empire. After being in port for only five days, Petrof Bay departed Ulithi, underway for Iwo Jima

Iwo Jima

. On 15 February, she arrived at the objective area in company with Task Group 52.19, the Advance Movement Group.

As the battleships, cruisers and destroyers began shelling the island, aircraft from the CVEs began strafing and bombing attacks. The troop transports arrived 18 February, and the Marines established a beachhead the next day. Aircraft from Petrof Bay supported these landings and furnished the troops with air support during the operation, making 786 air sorties.

By 7 March, the airstrip on Iwo Jima was fully operational and the ship was ordered to retire to Ulithi

Ulithi

via Guam. Iwo Jima was the last operation for the ship's original squadron, VC–76, and at 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...

they were disembarked and Composite Squadron 93 (VC–93) embarked 10 March.

Okinawa

As a part of Task Unit 52.1.2 the ship departed 21 March, escorting TG 54.1, Fire Support Group, to furnish air cover and air support in the invasion and capture of Okinawa. As Marines landed on Kerama Retto

Kerama Retto

The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....

, Petrof Bays new squadron got its first taste of combat during strikes supporting the operation. Anti-aircraft fire was exceptionally heavy and accurate. The day before the landings on Okinawa the escort carrier's aircraft supported landings on Kiese Shima. Thereafter, she launched daily strike groups, patrols and special missions.

"L" Day was 1 April, Easter Sunday, and the landings on Okinawa were made at 0830 with slight opposition. Aircraft from Petrof Bay preceded the troops.

The unit was ordered to attack and neutralize Sakishima Gunto 13 April, and the first strike was launched from 228 miles. Heavy anti-aircraft fire was encountered and two aircraft were shot down, but the pilots rescued. On 16 April the formation was back southeast of Okinawa.

During the period from 9 May until 26 May, the ship furnished direct air support, on-target air and anti-submarine patrol. During the Okinawa operation Petrof Bays combat air patrol shot down 17 enemy aircraft.

On 26 May, Petrof Bay departed for Guam, where she arrived and entered Apra Harbor 30 May. VC-93 was disembarked and Composite Squadron 90 (VC-90) embarked for transportation to Pearl Harbor. On 19 June, Petrof Bay moored at the Naval Operating Base, Terminal Island, San Pedro, Calif., for a general overhaul.

Postwar

Petrof Bay sailed for Pearl Harbor 13 August 1945. Two days later 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...

accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration

Potsdam Declaration

The Potsdam Declaration or the Proclamation Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender is a statement calling for the Surrender of Japan in World War II. On July 26, 1945, United States President Harry S...

. The carrier arrived 20 August, took VC-20 aboard for qualifying exercises in local seas, replaced VC-20 with VC-4, and sailed for Tokyo Bay 29 August by way of Eniwetok and Saipan

Saipan

Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...

. Flight operations continued, consisting of scouting and antisubmarine patrols with the last flight, a TBM Avenger, landing at 1628 on 10 September off Saipan

Saipan

. She arrived at Saipan

Saipan

11 September, did not continue to Tokyo Bay, and departed for Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...

25 September with 104 members of VC-7

VC-7

VC-7 Redtails was an aircraft squadron of the United States Navy. It was located at Naval Air Station Miramar fronm 1964 to 1980. Its primary function was to help train aviators in attacking and shooting down enemy aircraft. VC-7 was established as VJ-1 on 4 December 1942. In 1946 it was...

and other military personnel aboard as passengers. All aircraft were unloaded at Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

, ending Petrof Bays career as a warship

Warship

A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...

.

The 123 men of VPB-152 and others were boarded as passengers. She departed 5 October, arrived in San Francisco 11 October, disembarking hundreds of veteran passengers including her operational squadron, VC-4. On 18 October she made a round trip to Pearl Harbor

Pearl Harbor

to pick up more veterans, returning 31 October. Alterations were made at Hunters Point to accommodate more passengers and she departed 17 November for Eniwetok where she loaded 1,062 veterans, followed by 153 at Kwajalein

Kwajalein

Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...

. She arrived in San Francisco 6 December, departed for Guam

Guam

12 December, embarked 944 veterans, and arrived at San Pedro

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California

San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...

18 January 1946.

Departing San Pedro 29 January 1946, she touched at San Diego, transited the Panama Canal

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...

, and steamed up the eastern seaboard to Norfolk

Norfolk

Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...

, arriving 15 February. From there she headed northward again, and made her final mooring under her own power at Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

, Mass. 23 February.

She was decommissioned and placed in the Boston Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet 31 July 1955, reclassified CVU–80 12 June 1955, struck from the Navy Vessel Register 27 June 1958, sold to J. Berkurt 30 July 1959, and subsequently scrapped.

Awards

Petrof Bay received five battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for 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...

service.

External links

Escort Carrier WWII: War in the Pacific on the Aircraft Carrier USS Petrof Bay - review of book by Rick Cline
WW2DB: USS Petrof Bay by David Stubblebine
http://www.SubmarineBooks.com
Photo gallery at navsource.org

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