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USS Solomons (CVE-67)
Encyclopedia
USS Solomons (CVE-67) was a Casablanca class
escort carrier of the United States Navy
, the second ship to carry the name.
She was converted from a Maritime Commission hull (MC hull 1104) built by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company of Vancouver, Washington
. Her keel was laid on 19 March 1943. Soon thereafter, she was assigned the first of her three names, Emperor. After being designated an auxiliary aircraft carrier, ACV-67, she was renamed Nassuk Bay on 28 June 1943. On 15 July, she was redesignated an escort carrier, CVE-67. She was launched on 6 October 1943 by Mrs. F. J. McKenna while still bearing the name Nassuk Bay. One month later, she received her third and final name, Solomons, and as such was commissioned on 21 November 1943, Captain
M. E. Crist in command.
-Puget Sound
area undergoing post-trial shakedown, tests, and exercises. Departing Astoria on 20 December 1943, she stopped at Alameda, California
, three days later and arrived at San Diego on 25 December. Following operations out of San Diego, she sailed for Pearl Harbor
on 30 December. On 6 January 1944, Solomons loaded aircraft and supplies there, embarked passengers, and departed on the 9th for the U.S. west coast.
Arriving at San Diego on 14 January, Solomons conducted battle practice off the coast of southern California until the end of the month. She departed San Diego on 30 January bound for Norfolk, Virginia. During her approach to the Panama Canal, Solomons planes participated in a simulated aerial attack on the canal. The carrier arrived at Balboa, Panama
, on 9 February, embarked passengers, and departed for Norfolk two days later, arriving on 16 February.
Loaded with planes, supplies, and aviation stores, Solomons got underway on 21 March bound for Brazil
, arrived at Recife
on 13 April, and reported for duty with the 4th Fleet. On the next day, she got underway for her first antisubmarine patrol. This cruise, which lasted until 30 March, and the next, from 4–20 May, proved uneventful.
Departing Recife in June 1944, Solomons was soon involved in her sole U-boat
engagement of the war. On 15 June, one of Solomons pilots reported contact with an enemy submarine some 50 miles from the carrier. and were immediately directed to the position of the contact. The pilot who had made the initial contact on the submarine was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire, but at 1654, another Solomons aircraft regained visual contact. Five other Solomons aircraft soon joined up with it, and the group commenced a series of rocket and depth charge attacks, which resulted in sinking the submarine, although with the loss of another pilot. Straub succeeded in rescuing 20 survivors, including the commanding officer. Solomons continued anti-submarine air operations until 23 June, when she returned to Recife to refuel and disembark the captured German sailors. According to one crewman from the Solomons (Oct. 2006), based upon dialog with a pilot that witnessed the event, the sub came up firing, and took out at least two of the planes attacking it. According to that pilot, the one that took out the sub, flew his plane directly down the conning tower of the sub, to stop his fellow pilots from getting shot down. The crewman said it was the loudest noise he had ever heard in his life, when the resulting explosion occurred.
After one more anti-submarine patrol and a visit to Rio de Janeiro
, Solomons returned to Norfolk, arriving on 24 August. She remained at that port for a month before leaving for Staten Island
, New York. She docked there on 25 September. She embarked 150 Army airmen together with their P-47 Thunderbolt
s and departed on 6 October, bound for Casablanca
, French Morocco
. By 7 November, she was back in the United States, this time at Narragansett Bay
, Rhode Island.
Solomons spent the rest of her active service engaged in qualifying Navy and Marine pilots in carrier landings, initially off Quonset Point
RI. In January 1945, she moved to Port Everglades
, Florida, and continued her carrier landing qualification assignment throughout 1945. For a week in December, she participated in an unsuccessful search for the 14 airmen of Flight 19
, and the 13 from the ill-fated rescue mission. On 15 May 1946, Solomons was decommissioned at Boston Naval Shipyard and struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 5 June. Sold for scrap to the Patapsco Scrap Corp., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she was delivered to its agent on 22 December at Newport, RI.
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...
, the second ship to carry the name.
She was converted from a Maritime Commission hull (MC hull 1104) built 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 on 19 March 1943. Soon thereafter, she was assigned the first of her three names, Emperor. After being designated an auxiliary aircraft carrier, ACV-67, she was renamed Nassuk Bay on 28 June 1943. On 15 July, she was redesignated an escort carrier, CVE-67. She was launched on 6 October 1943 by Mrs. F. J. McKenna while still bearing the name Nassuk Bay. One month later, she received her third and final name, Solomons, and as such was commissioned on 21 November 1943, 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....
M. E. Crist in command.
Service history
Solomons spent the next four weeks in the Astoria, OregonAstoria, 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...
-Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
area undergoing post-trial shakedown, tests, and exercises. Departing Astoria on 20 December 1943, she stopped 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...
, three days later and arrived at San Diego on 25 December. Following operations out of San Diego, she sailed 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...
on 30 December. On 6 January 1944, Solomons loaded aircraft and supplies there, embarked passengers, and departed on the 9th for the U.S. west coast.
Arriving at San Diego on 14 January, Solomons conducted battle practice off the coast of southern California until the end of the month. She departed San Diego on 30 January bound for Norfolk, Virginia. During her approach to the Panama Canal, Solomons planes participated in a simulated aerial attack on the canal. The carrier arrived at Balboa, Panama
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, on 9 February, embarked passengers, and departed for Norfolk two days later, arriving on 16 February.
Loaded with planes, supplies, and aviation stores, Solomons got underway on 21 March bound for Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, arrived at Recife
Recife
Recife is the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Brazil with 4,136,506 inhabitants, the largest metropolitan area of the North/Northeast Regions, the 5th-largest metropolitan influence area in Brazil, and the capital and largest city of the state of Pernambuco. The population of the city proper...
on 13 April, and reported for duty with the 4th Fleet. On the next day, she got underway for her first antisubmarine patrol. This cruise, which lasted until 30 March, and the next, from 4–20 May, proved uneventful.
Departing Recife in June 1944, Solomons was soon involved in her sole U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
engagement of the war. On 15 June, one of Solomons pilots reported contact with an enemy submarine some 50 miles from the carrier. and were immediately directed to the position of the contact. The pilot who had made the initial contact on the submarine was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire, but at 1654, another Solomons aircraft regained visual contact. Five other Solomons aircraft soon joined up with it, and the group commenced a series of rocket and depth charge attacks, which resulted in sinking the submarine, although with the loss of another pilot. Straub succeeded in rescuing 20 survivors, including the commanding officer. Solomons continued anti-submarine air operations until 23 June, when she returned to Recife to refuel and disembark the captured German sailors. According to one crewman from the Solomons (Oct. 2006), based upon dialog with a pilot that witnessed the event, the sub came up firing, and took out at least two of the planes attacking it. According to that pilot, the one that took out the sub, flew his plane directly down the conning tower of the sub, to stop his fellow pilots from getting shot down. The crewman said it was the loudest noise he had ever heard in his life, when the resulting explosion occurred.
After one more anti-submarine patrol and a visit to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Solomons returned to Norfolk, arriving on 24 August. She remained at that port for a month before leaving for Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, New York. She docked there on 25 September. She embarked 150 Army airmen together with their P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Republic Aviation's P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug", was the largest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was heavily armed with eight .50-caliber machine guns, four per wing. When fully loaded, the P-47 weighed up to...
s and departed on 6 October, bound for Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
. By 7 November, she was back in the United States, this time at Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
, Rhode Island.
Solomons spent the rest of her active service engaged in qualifying Navy and Marine pilots in carrier landings, initially off Quonset Point
Quonset Point
Quonset Point, also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. It is contained entirely within the town of North Kingstown. "Quonset" is a Native American word likely meaning "small long place".Quonset Point was the location of Naval Air...
RI. In January 1945, she moved to Port Everglades
Port Everglades
Port Everglades is a port in Broward County, Florida. As one of South Florida's leading economic powerhouses, Port Everglades is the gateway for international trade and cruise vacations. Already one of the three busiest cruise ports worldwide, Port Everglades is also one of Florida's leading...
, Florida, and continued her carrier landing qualification assignment throughout 1945. For a week in December, she participated in an unsuccessful search for the 14 airmen of Flight 19
Flight 19
Flight 19 was the designation of five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared on December 5, 1945 during a United States Navy-authorized overwater navigation training flight from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All 14 airmen on the flight were lost, as were all 13 crew members of a...
, and the 13 from the ill-fated rescue mission. On 15 May 1946, Solomons was decommissioned at Boston Naval Shipyard and 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 5 June. Sold for scrap to the Patapsco Scrap Corp., Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she was delivered to its agent on 22 December at Newport, RI.