Commencement Bay-class escort carrier

Common card · No. 279610

The Commencement Bay-class escort aircraft carriers were the last class of escort carriers built for the US Navy in World War II. The ships were based on the hull of the Maritime Commission type T3 tanker, which gave them a displacement of approximately 23,000 tons and a length of 557 feet (170 m). Unlike most earlier escort carrier classes, which were laid down as something else and converted to aircraft carriers mid-construction, the Commencement Bays were built as carriers from the keel up. Their general layout was similar to the Sangamon-class escort carriers, but some of the Sangamon's engineering shortcomings were addressed. They entered service late in World War II – USS Commencement Bay launched on 9 May 1944 – so most of them saw little or no operational service. Only Block Island, Gilbert Islands, Cape Gloucester and Vella Gulf saw action in the Pacific, while the lead ship Commencement Bay was used as a training vessel only during wartime. Thirty-five of them were ordered but...

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