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USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86)
Encyclopedia
USS Sitkoh Bay (CVE-86), an escort aircraft carrier
, was converted from a Maritime Commission hull (MC hull 1123) by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company of Vancouver, Washington
. Her keel was laid down on 23 November 1943, and she was launched on 19 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Kathryn Mullinnix; and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon
, on 28 March 1944, Captain
Robert G. Lockhart in command.
. On 28 April, the escort carrier entered port at Alameda, California
, loaded cargo and embarked passengers. She stood out of Alameda on 30 April, bound for Pearl Harbor
, and began the first of many routine voyages shuttling planes, pilots, and air crewmen back and forth between the front line and rear areas. The majority of her missions carried her from Pearl Harbor, or via Pearl Harbor from the California
coast, to various islands in the southern or central Pacific which served as staging areas for the war being waged farther north or west. In the latter part of 1944, her ports of call were Majuro
in the Marshall Islands
, and Manus
in the Admiralty Islands
. From these two points, planes were staged on to the 3rd and 7th Fleet
s, respectively.
In January 1945, the South Pacific was dropped from Sitkoh Bays itinerary, and she concentrated on replenishing the 3rd Fleet in the Central Pacific. Her ports of call included Apra Harbor
, Guam
, in the Marianas; Roi Harbor, Roi Island, and Eniwetok in the Marshalls; and Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines. Her missions in early 1945 were in support of the campaigns in the Philippines
, the assault on Iwo Jima
, and the preparations for the invasion of Okinawa.
Sitkoh Bays only action came on 7 April 1945 while she was delivering Marine Air Group 31 to Okinawa. At 1528, a Yokosuka P1Y
"Frances" dove at the carrier. Sitkoh Bays anti-aircraft gunners combined with an F4U Corsair
on combat air patrol from to splash the interloper about 100 yards off Sitkoh Bays port beam. The next day, she cleared the area for Guam en route to Pearl Harbor and a return to her replenishment routine.
After the cessation of hostilities with Japan
on 15 August, Sitkoh Bay joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8), the replenishment group for the 3rd Fleet, and cruised with it off the southeastern coast of Honshū
from 25 August-5 September. On 10 September, she entered Eniwetok and departed the next day for Guam. For the next month, she made voyages between Guam, Samar Island
in the Philippines, and Okinawa, returning to Pearl Harbor on 18 October and San Diego on the 26th for an availability period. After further voyages to the Central Pacific, Sitkoh Bay returned to the United States and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 30 November 1946 at Bremerton, Wash.
On 29 July 1950, Sitkoh Bay recommissioned, Captain C. W. Lord in command. She was assigned to the Military Sealift Service, and for the next four years, she sailed between the west coast and Japan, supporting U.N. forces in Korea
. Her major ports of call were San Francisco, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor and Yokohama
and Yokosuka in Japan. Sitkoh Bay departed from this west coast-to-Japan routine three times over those four years. In March 1951, she delivered a load of F8F Bearcat
s to the French forces at Saigon in French Indochina
and then visited Manila
, P.I., before returning to California-to-Japan runs. In September, she visited Pusan, Korea. Sitkoh Bay ventured from her normal sea-lanes again in May 1952, when she sailed back to San Francisco from Yokosuka.
The escort carrier ceased operations again in 1954 and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 July. She joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet and was berthed at San Francisco. On 12 June 1955, the mothballed escort carrier was redesignated a utility aircraft carrier, CVU-86. In mid-March 1958, she changed berthing areas, moving from San Francisco to San Diego. On 1 April 1960, Sitkoh Bay, by then reclassified as a cargo ship and aircraft ferry, AKV-86, was struck from the Naval vessel Register
. Her hulk was sold on 30 August 1960 to Eisenberg & Co. of New York City
for scrapping.
service, and one for the Korean War
.
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...
, was converted from a Maritime Commission hull (MC hull 1123) by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company of 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...
. Her keel was laid down on 23 November 1943, and she was launched on 19 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Kathryn Mullinnix; and commissioned 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...
, on 28 March 1944, 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....
Robert G. Lockhart in command.
Service history
Sitkoh Bay spent the month after commissioning completing her fitting out and making short shakedown and trial cruises along the northwestern coast of the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On 28 April, the escort carrier entered port at 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...
, loaded cargo and embarked passengers. She stood out of Alameda on 30 April, bound 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...
, and began the first of many routine voyages shuttling planes, pilots, and air crewmen back and forth between the front line and rear areas. The majority of her missions carried her from Pearl Harbor, or via Pearl Harbor from the 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...
coast, to various islands in the southern or central Pacific which served as staging areas for the war being waged farther north or west. In the latter part of 1944, her ports of call were 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...
in the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, and Manus
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...
in the 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...
. From these two points, planes were staged on to the 3rd and 7th Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
s, respectively.
In January 1945, the South Pacific was dropped from Sitkoh Bays itinerary, and she concentrated on replenishing the 3rd Fleet in the Central Pacific. Her ports of call included Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, 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...
, in the Marianas; Roi Harbor, Roi Island, and Eniwetok in the Marshalls; and Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines. Her missions in early 1945 were in support of the campaigns in 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 assault on 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...
, and the preparations for the invasion of Okinawa.
Sitkoh Bays only action came on 7 April 1945 while she was delivering Marine Air Group 31 to Okinawa. At 1528, a Yokosuka P1Y
Yokosuka P1Y
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Francillon, Ph.D., René J. Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War. London: Putnam 7 Company Ltd., 1970. ISBN 0-370-00033-1 ....
"Frances" dove at the carrier. Sitkoh Bays anti-aircraft gunners combined with an F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
on combat air patrol from to splash the interloper about 100 yards off Sitkoh Bays port beam. The next day, she cleared the area for Guam en route to Pearl Harbor and a return to her replenishment routine.
After the cessation of hostilities with 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...
on 15 August, Sitkoh Bay joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8), the replenishment group for the 3rd Fleet, and cruised with it off the southeastern coast of Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
from 25 August-5 September. On 10 September, she entered Eniwetok and departed the next day for Guam. For the next month, she made voyages between Guam, Samar Island
Samar Island
Samar is an island in the Visayas, within the central Philippines. The island is divided into three provinces: Samar province, Northern Samar, and Eastern Samar. These three provinces, along with the provinces on the nearby islands of Leyte and Biliran are part of the Eastern Visayas region...
in the Philippines, and Okinawa, returning to Pearl Harbor on 18 October and San Diego on the 26th for an availability period. After further voyages to the Central Pacific, Sitkoh Bay returned to the United States and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 30 November 1946 at Bremerton, Wash.
On 29 July 1950, Sitkoh Bay recommissioned, Captain C. W. Lord in command. She was assigned to the Military Sealift Service, and for the next four years, she sailed between the west coast and Japan, supporting U.N. forces in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
. Her major ports of call were San Francisco, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor and Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
and Yokosuka in Japan. Sitkoh Bay departed from this west coast-to-Japan routine three times over those four years. In March 1951, she delivered a load of F8F Bearcat
F8F Bearcat
The Grumman F8F Bearcat was an American single-engine naval fighter aircraft of the 1940s. It went on to serve into the mid-20th century in the United States Navy and other air forces, and would be the company's final piston engined fighter aircraft...
s to the French forces at Saigon in French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
and then visited 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,...
, P.I., before returning to California-to-Japan runs. In September, she visited Pusan, Korea. Sitkoh Bay ventured from her normal sea-lanes again in May 1952, when she sailed back to San Francisco from Yokosuka.
The escort carrier ceased operations again in 1954 and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 July. She joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet and was berthed at San Francisco. On 12 June 1955, the mothballed escort carrier was redesignated a utility aircraft carrier, CVU-86. In mid-March 1958, she changed berthing areas, moving from San Francisco to San Diego. On 1 April 1960, Sitkoh Bay, by then reclassified as a cargo ship and aircraft ferry, AKV-86, 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...
. Her hulk was sold on 30 August 1960 to Eisenberg & Co. of New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for scrapping.
Awards
Sitkoh Bay was awarded three battle stars for her World War IIWorld 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, and one for the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.