The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II

Chronology of the USN in WWII

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  United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Suwannee (CVE-27)

Asisbiz USS Suwannee (CVE-27) aerial view of the escort carrier underway March 1943 USN 470158

 USS Suwannee (CVE-27)

Name: Markay
Owner: Keystone Tankship Corporation
Builder: Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Kearny, New Jersey
Laid down: 3 June 1938
Launched: 4 March 1939
Sponsored by: Mrs. Howard L. Vickery
Fate: Purchased by the US Navy, 26 June 1941
United States Name: Suwannee
Namesake: Suwannee River in Georgia and Florida
Acquired: 26 June 1941
Commissioned: 16 July 1941
Decommissioned: 21 February 1942
Reclassified: Fleet Oiler (AO), 26 June 1941
Identification: AO-33
Recommissioned: 24 September 1942
Decommissioned: 8 January 1947
Reclassified: Aircraft Escort Vessel (AVG), 14 February 1942; Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier (ACV), 20 August 1942; Escort Carrier (CVE), 15 July 1943; Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier (CVHE), 12 June 1955
Stricken: 1 March 1959
Identification: AVG-27, ACV-27, CVE-27, CVHE-27
Fate: Sold 30 November 1959, Scrapped in Bilbao, Spain, June 1962

General characteristics (1942 as converted)[1]

Class and type: Sangamon-class escort carrier
Displacement: 11,400 long tons (11,600 t) (standard load), 24,275 long tons (24,665 t) (full load)
Length: 525 ft (160 m) wl, 553 ft (169 m) oa, 502 ft (153 m) fd
Beam: 75 ft (23 m), 114 ft (35 m) extreme width
Draft: 32 ft (9.8 m)
Installed power: 13,500 shp (10,067 kW)
Propulsion: 4 × Boilers (450 psi (3,100 kPa)), 2 × Steam turbines, 2 × screws
Speed: 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement: 860-1080 officers and men
Armament: 2 × Single 127 mm (5.0 in)/51 caliber guns, 4 × Twin 40 mm (1.57 in)/56 caliber Bofors 40 guns, 12 × Single 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons, Additional 20 & 40 mm guns later added
Aircraft carried: 25-32 Grumman F4F Wildcat & Grumman TBF Avenger or Douglas SBD Dauntless
Aviation facilities: 1 × Catapult (One additional catapult added later), 2 × Elevators
Service record:
Commanders: Joseph J. Clark (1942–43)
Operations: World War II
Awards: 13 battle stars

 

 USS Suwannee (CVE-27), was built as the civilian oiler Markay, in 1939, before being acquired by the US Navy, in 1941, and renamed Suwannee (AO-33), after the tradition of naming fleet oilers after rivers. In 1942, she was converted to a Sangamon-class escort carrier. Originally classified as an 'Aircraft Escort Vessel', AVG-27, on 14 February 1942, she was reclassified an 'Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier', ACV-27, 20 August 1942, before finally being classified as an 'Escort Carrier', CVE-27, 15 July 1943. After the war, she was later classified an 'Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier' and again redesignated, CVHE-27, 12 June 1955.

Description and construction

Markay was laid down on 3 June 1938, at Kearney, New Jersey, by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., under a Maritime Commission contract (MC Hull 5); launched on 4 March 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Marguerite Vickery (née Blanchard), wife of Howard L. Vickery; delivered to the Keystone Tankship Corporation, and operated by that company until acquired by the Navy, on 26 June 1941. Keystone Tankship Corp., in turn delivered the vessel at Baltimore, Maryland. Renamed Suwannee (AO-33), the ship was commissioned 'in ordinary', an inactive status, on 9 July 1941, then placed in commission, on 16 July 1941.

Flight deck arrangements

The USS Suwannee featured a traditional escort carrier flight deck arrangement typical of the Bogue-class ships. It had a full-length flight deck, approximately 495 feet in length, and was capable of carrying between 25 to 32 aircraft. The ship was equipped with a hydraulic catapult, which facilitated the launching of aircraft from its deck, and two elevators to transport aircraft between the flight deck and the hangar deck below. These elevators allowed the ship to efficiently move aircraft in and out of position for quick launch or recovery, a crucial feature for operations in the Pacific Theatre. The flight deck was designed to support a wide variety of aircraft, including fighters like the Grumman F4F Wildcat and bombers such as the Douglas SBD Dauntless and Grumman TBF Avenger. The carrier’s arrangement allowed for effective coordination of air operations, vital for its role in providing air support for naval operations.

Propulsion

The USS Suwannee was powered by a conventional steam propulsion system. It was equipped with four boilers that provided steam to two steam turbines, which were linked to a single screw, delivering a maximum speed of around 18 knots (33 km/h or 21 mph). This propulsion system was relatively standard for many escort carriers of the time, providing a good balance of speed and endurance for the carrier’s size. The ship's displacement ranged from 8,390 long tons at standard load to 13,980 long tons at full load. The USS Suwannee was capable of operating at a relatively steady pace, ensuring it could keep up with the larger aircraft carriers and support extended naval operations.

Armament

The USS Suwannee was equipped with a robust armament suite designed to protect itself from enemy air and surface threats. Its primary armament consisted of two single 5-inch/38 caliber dual-purpose guns, which were effective against both air and surface targets. Additionally, the ship had four twin 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun mounts and a significant complement of 12 single 20mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft guns. These anti-aircraft weapons were crucial for defending the ship from Japanese aircraft, particularly during operations in hostile waters. Over time, additional 40mm and 20mm guns were added to enhance its air defense capabilities. The armament provided a solid defense against potential air attacks while also offering some surface engagement capability.

Fire control and electronics

For fire control, the USS Suwannee was equipped with radar systems that aided in both targeting and navigating in various weather conditions. The ship had radar systems such as the SC and SK radar, which were essential for detecting incoming aircraft and ships over long distances. These radar systems were critical for defensive operations, particularly in the Pacific Theater, where the carrier was frequently exposed to enemy aircraft and submarine threats. The ship’s fire control system was integrated with its gun systems, allowing the crew to target incoming threats with better accuracy. During the war, radar and improved fire control systems became a standard feature of escort carriers, significantly enhancing their combat effectiveness in air defense operations.

Armor

The USS Suwannee, like most escort carriers, did not have heavy armor, as its design prioritized speed and aircraft handling over protection. The ship’s hull was made from steel, but the carrier had only minimal armor protection in vital areas, such as the bridge and machinery spaces. While the carrier’s deck was reinforced to handle the stresses of aircraft operations, it did not have the extensive armor found on larger fleet carriers. Escort carriers like the Suwannee were designed to be fast and maneuverable, with a focus on providing air support rather than engaging directly in combat. As a result, while it had some degree of protection against strafing attacks and shrapnel, it was still vulnerable to torpedo and bomb damage, as evidenced by the torpedo hits suffered by other ships of its class during the war.

Overall, the USS Suwannee (CVE-27) was a versatile and reliable escort carrier that served effectively in multiple theaters of World War II. It provided essential air support, conducted anti-submarine operations, and protected convoys, making it an important asset to the U.S. Navy during the conflict.

Service history - World War II

 

United States Navy aircraft carrier CVE-27 Suwannee
From Till Operation Force Action
42/12/05 43/01   32 sail Norfolk > Noumea
42/12/12       joinPac - Panama Canal
43/01/04       New Caledonia
43/01/23 43/02   18.2 xRennel
43/01/30 43/01/30   16 xRennel - temporary attached from TF 18
43/02/04 43/02/13   18  
43/02/14 43/02/19     Efate
43/02/25 45/11/08   CarDiv22  
43/03/10 43/03/15     Efate
43/03/30 43/04/07     Efate
43/04/14 43/05/21     Efate
43/04/22 43/08     Havannah Harbor, Esp. Santo
43/05/28 43/06/27     Efate
43/07/18 43/07/19   CarDiv22/DF Efate
43/08       sail from Havannah Harbor, Esp. Santo to USA
43/08/06 43/08/22     Esp. Santo
43/08/22 43/08/26     out of Esp. Santo
43/08/26 43/08/30     Esp. Santo
43/10       San Diego
43/11 43/12/14 Galvan 53.6.1/CarDiv22 CVEG-60: VF-60,VC-60
43/11/05       Esp. Santo
43/12/21 44/01/03     San Diego
44/01/03 44/01/10     sail San Diego > P.H.
44/01/10 44/01/22     P.H.
44/01/22 44/02/02 Flint 53.6/CarDiv22 CVEG-60: VF-60,VC-60
44/01/26     53.6/CarDiv22 damaged (collision with Sangamon) en route to Marshalls
44/02/17 44/02/22 Catch CarDiv22  
44/02/24 44/03/02     sail Kwajalein > P.H.
44/03/02 44/03/16     P.H.
44/03/15 44/04/07 Desec1 50.15  
44/04 44/05/05 Persec 78.1/CarDiv22 CVEG-60: VF-60, VT-60
44/04/04 44/04/14     Tulagi
44/05/05       Manus
44/05/1 44/06/12     ferry missions betw. Esp. Santo, Tulagi, Kwajalein
44/06/12 44/08/04 Forage 53.7/CarDiv22 CVEG-60: VF-60,VT-60
44/06/19 44/09 Forage 53.7/CarDiv22 sinking I-184 SE of Guam (13-01' N,149-53' E)
44/08 44/08/09   CarDiv22 Eniwetok: prepare for Stalemate II
44/08/04 44/08/09   CarDiv22 sail Marianas > Eniwetok
44/08/09 44/08/14   CarDiv22 sail from Eniwetok to Manus
44/08/13 44/09/15     Manus
44/09/15 44/10/04 Trade 77.1.1/CarDiv22 land Morotai - CVEG-60: VF-60,VT-60
44/10/10 44/10/26 King2 77.4.1/CarDiv22 CVEG-60: VF-60,VT-60
44/10/25   King2 77.4.1/CarDiv22 xLeyte -damage(kami - A6M-5b)
44/10/25 44/10/26 King2 77.4.1/CarDiv22 xLeyte
44/10/26   King2 77.4.1/CarDiv22 xLeyte -disable(kami - A6M-5b)
44/10/26 44/10/28     sail Leyte > Palau
44/10/28 44/11/01     Kossol Roads, Palau
44/11/01 44/11/19     sail Kossol Roads, Palau > Manus (5 day stop) > P.H.
44/11/20 44/11/26     sail P.H. > Puget Sound
44/11/26 45/01/31     Puget Sound Naval Shipyard - repairs
45/02/16 45/02/23     P.H.
45/03/21 45/03/27     Ulithi
45/03/21 45/05/28 Iceber 52.1.3/UF CVEG-40: VF-40, VT-40
45/04/11   Iceber 52.1.3/UF Kerama Retto - refuel, rearm
45/04/29 45/05/01 Iceber 52.1.3/UF Kerama Retto
45/05/24   Iceber   damaged by crash landing 25 nm S of Ishigakijima, Sakishima Gunto (24-00N, 124-00E)
45/05/28 45/06/16 Iceber 32  
45/06/20       San Pedro Bay, Leyte
45/06/30 45/07/06 Oboe6 78.4.1 land Balikpapan
45/07/06 45/08/03     San Pedro Bay, Leyte
45/08/03 45/08/06     sail Leyte > Okinawa
45/08/06 45/09/02     Buckner Bay, Okinawa

After operating for six months as an oiler with the Atlantic Fleet, Suwannee was designated an 'Aircraft Escort Vessel', AVG-27, on 14 February 1942, and decommissioned, on 21 February, at Newport News, Virginia, for conversion to a Sangamon-class escort carrier. On 20 August, she was redesignated an 'Auxiliary Carrier', ACV-27, and was recommissioned as such on 24 September 1942, Captain Joseph J. Clark in command.

1942

Less than a month after commissioning, Suwannee was underway from Hampton Roads, for the invasion of North Africa. She joined Ranger as the other carrier attached to the Center Attack Group whose specific objective was Casablanca, itself, via Fedhala, just to the north. Early in the morning of 8 November, she arrived off the coast of Morocco, and for the next few days, her Grumman F4F Wildcats maintained combat and anti-submarine (ASW) air patrols, while her Grumman TBF Avengers joined Ranger's in bombing missions. During the Naval Battle of Casablanca from 8–11 November, Suwannee sent up 255 air sorties and lost only five planes, three in combat and two to operational problems.

On 11 November, off Fedhala Roads, her ASW patrol sank what was reported to be a German U-boat, but which was later determined to have been Sidi Ferruch, one of the three French submarines which sortied from Casablanca, on the day of the assault. She was the first escort carrier to score against an enemy submarine, and she helped to prove the usefulness of her type in ASW.

Asisbiz Grumman F4F 4 Wildcat of VGF 27 aboard USS Suwannee (ACV 27) circa in late 1942 or early 1943 80 G K 15634

F4F 'Rosenblatt's Reply' on Suwannee, 1942–1943

Suwannee remained in North African waters until mid-November, then sailed, via Bermuda, for Norfolk, Virginia. She arrived back at Hampton Roads, on 24 November, and stayed until 5 December, when she got underway for the South Pacific.

1943

The auxiliary carrier transited the Panama Canal, on 11–12 December, and arrived at New Caledonia, on 4 January 1943. For the next seven months, she provided air escort for transports and supply ships replenishing and bolstering the Marines on Guadalcanal, as well as for the forces occupying other islands in the Solomons group. During that span of time, she visited Guadalcanal, Efate, and Espiritu Santo in addition to New Caledonia. She was reclassified as an 'Escort Carrier', CVE-27, on 15 July 1943.

She returned to the United States at San Diego, California, in October, and by 5 November, was back at Espiritu Santo. On 13 November, she departed to participate in the Gilbert Islands operation. From 19–23 November, she was a part of the Air Support Group of the Southern Attack Force, and her planes bombed Tarawa, while the ships in the Northern Attack Force engaged the enemy at Makin. Following the occupation of the Gilberts, the escort carrier returned to the US, via Pearl Harbor, arriving in San Diego on 21 December.

1944

She remained on the west coast for two weeks, into the new year, then set a course for Lahaina Roads in the Hawaiian Islands. She departed Hawaii, on 22 January 1944, and headed for the Marshalls. During that operation, Suwannee joined the Northern Attack Force, and her planes bombed and strafed Roi and Namur Islands, in the northern part of Kwajalein Atoll, and conducted anti-submarine patrols for the task force. She remained in the vicinity of Kwajalein for the first 15 days of February, then spent the next nine days helping out at Eniwetok. On 24 February, she headed east again and arrived at Pearl Harbor, on 2 March for a two-week stay.

By 30 March, she was in the vicinity of the Palau Islands as the 5th Fleet subjected those islands to two days of extensive bombing raids. A week later, she put into Espiritu Santo, for four days. After short stops at Purvis Bay, in the Solomons, and at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, the escort carrier headed for New Guinea. For two weeks, she supported the Hollandia landings by shuttling replacement aircraft to the larger fleet carriers actually engaged in air support of the landings. She returned to Manus on 5 May.

Following two voyages from Espiritu Santo, one to Tulagi and the other to Kwajalein, Suwannee arrived off Saipan, in mid-June. For the next one and a half months, she supported the invasion of the Marianas, participating in the campaigns against Saipan and Guam. On 19 June, as the Battle of the Philippine Sea began to unfold, Suwannee was one of the first ships to draw enemy blood when one of her planes flying combat air patrol attacked and sank the Japanese submarine I-184. Suwanee's planes did not actually become engaged in the famous battle of naval aircraft, because they remained with the invasion forces in the Marianas providing ASW and combat air patrols (CAPs).

On 4 August, she cleared the Marianas for Eniwetok and Seeadler Harbor, reaching the latter port on 13 August. Almost a month later, on 10 September, she put to sea to support the landings on Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies. Those landings went off without opposition on 15 September, and Suwannee returned to Seeadler Harbor, to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines.

On 12 October, the escort carrier got underway from Manus, in Rear Admiral Thomas L. Sprague's Escort Carrier Group to provide air support for the landings at Leyte Gulf. She reached the Philippines several days later, and her planes began strikes on enemy installations in the Visayas until 25 October. She provided air support for the assault forces with ASW and CAPs and strikes against Japanese installations ashore.

On 24–25 October 1944, the Japanese launched a major surface offensive from three directions to contest the landings at Leyte Gulf. While Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa's Mobile Force sailed south from Japan and drew the bulk of Admiral William Halsey's 3d Fleet off to the north, Admiral Shima's 2nd Striking Force, along with Admiral Shoji Nishimura's Force, attempted to force the Surigao Strait from the south. This drew Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's Bombardment Group south to meet that threat in the Battle of Surigao Strait. With Admiral Oldendorf's old battleships fighting in Surigao Strait and Halsey's 3rd Fleet scurrying north, Suwannee, with the other 15 escort carriers and 22 destroyers and destroyer escorts, formed the only Allied naval force operating off Leyte Gulf when Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's 1st Striking Force sneaked through the unguarded San Bernardino Strait into the Philippine Sea.

Just before 07:00, on 25 October, one of Kadashan Bay's planes reported a Japanese force of four battleships, eight cruisers, and 11 destroyers. This force, Kurita's, immediately began a surface engagement with Rear Admiral Clifton Sprague's 'Taffy 3', the northernmost group of escort carriers. Suwannee was much farther south as an element of Rear Admiral Thomas Sprague's 'Taffy 1'. Consequently, she did not participate in the running surface Battle off Samar.

 USS Cowpens (CVL 25) Gilberts Operation 24th Nov 1943

Japanese Zeke Kamikaze attacks US Suwannee (CVE-27) seen from USS Sangamon (CVE-26) off Samar on 26th Oct 1944

USS Suwannee after the kamikaze attack from 25 October 1944. Parts of the A6M5 Zero's Nakajima Sakae 21, 14-cylinder radial engine were found in the vicinity of the hit. Cylinder heads are destroyed, connecting rods and crankshaft are visible.

Her problems came from another quarter. At 07:40, on 25 October, 'Taffy 1' was jumped by land-based planes from Davao in the first deliberate kamikaze attack of the war. The first one crashed into Santee; and, 30 seconds later, Suwannee splashed a kamikaze during his run on Petrof Bay. Her gunners soon shot down another enemy plane, then bore down on a third circling in the clouds at about 8,000 ft (2,400 m). They hit the enemy, but he rolled over, dove at Suwannee and crashed into her at 08:04 about 40 ft (12 m) forward of the after elevator, opening a 10 ft (3.0 m) hole in her flight deck.[2] His bomb compounded the fracture when it exploded between the flight and hangar decks, tearing a 25 ft (7.6 m) gash in the latter and causing a number of casualties.[2]

Medical officer Lieutenant Walter B. Burwell wrote:

One of our corpsmen tending the wounded on the flight deck saw the plight of those isolated by fire on the forecastle. He came below to report that medical help was critically needed there. It seemed to me that we would have to try to get through to them. So he and I restocked our first aid bags with morphine syrettes, tourniquets, sulfa, Vaseline, and bandages, commandeered a fire extinguisher and made our way forward, dodging flames along the main deck. Along part of the way, we were joined by a sailor manning a seawater fire hose with fairly good pressure, and though the seawater would only scatter the gasoline fires away from us, by using the water and foam alternatively as we advanced, we managed to work our way up several decks, through passageways along the wrecked and burning combat information center and decoding area, through officers' country, and finally out on the forecastle. Many of the crew on the forecastle and the catwalks above it had been blown over the side by the explosions. But others trapped below and aft of the forecastle area found themselves under a curtain of fire from aviation gasoline pouring down from burning planes on the flight deck above. Their only escape was to leap aflame into the sea, but some were trapped so that they were incinerated before they could leap. By the time we arrived on the forecastle, the flow of gasoline had mostly consumed itself, and flames were only erupting and flickering from combustible areas of water and oil. Nonetheless, the decks and bulkheads were still blistering hot and ammunition in the small arms locker on the deck below was popping from the heat like strings of firecrackers. With each salvo of popping, two or three more panicky crew men would leap over the side, and we found that our most urgent task was to persuade those poised on the rail not to jump by a combination of physical restraint and reassurance that fires were being controlled and that more help was on the way. Most of the remaining wounded in the forecastle area were severely burned beyond recognition and hope.

Within two hours, her flight deck was sufficiently repaired to enable the escort carrier to resume air operations. Suwanee's group fought off two more air attacks before 13:00; then steamed in a northeasterly direction to join Taffy 3 and launch futile searches for Kurita's rapidly retiring force. Just after noon on 26 October, another group of kamikazes jumped Taffy 1. A Zero crashed into Suwanee's flight deck at 1240 and careened into a torpedo bomber which had just been recovered. The two planes erupted upon contact as did nine other planes on her flight deck. The resulting fire burned for several hours, but was finally brought under control. The casualties for 25–26 October were 107 dead and 160 wounded. The escort carriers put into Kossol Roads, in the Palaus, on 28 October, then headed for Manus, for upkeep, on 1 November.

1945

After five days in Seeadler Harbor, Suwannee got underway to return to the west coast for major repairs. She stopped at Pearl Harbor, overnight on 19–20 November, and arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard, on 26 November. Her repairs were completed by 31 January 1945; and, after brief stops at Hunter's Point and Alameda, California, she headed west and back into the war. The escort carrier stopped at Pearl Harbor, from 16–23 February, at Tulagi, from 4–14 March, and at Ulithi, from 21–27 March, before arriving off Okinawa, on 1 April.

Asisbiz USS Suwannee (CVE-27) F6F 5 Hellcat flown by Lt Coleman over Ishigaki Island of Sakishima Group 7th May 1945 ASC

Her first assignment was close air support for the invasion troops, but, within a few days, she settled down to a routine of pounding the kamikaze bases at Sakishima Gunto. For the major portion of the next 77 days, her planes continued to deny the enemy the use of those air bases. Periodically, she put into the anchorage at Kerama Retto, to rearm and replenish, but she spent the bulk of her time in air operations at sea.

 USS Suwannee (CVE-27) TBM 3 Avenger BulNo 68368 bomb exploded immediately after a normal landing
2KIA 14INJ 24th May 1945

USS Suwannee (CVE-27) TBM 3 Avenger BulNo 68368 bomb exploded immediately after a normal landing 2KIA 14INJ 24th May 1945

On 16 June, she headed for San Pedro Bay, in Leyte Gulf. She remained there for a week, then returned to the Netherlands East Indies, at Makassar Strait, to support the landings at Balikpapan, Borneo. The carrier reentered San Pedro Bay, on 6 July, and spent the next month there. On 3 August, she got underway for Okinawa, arriving in Buckner Bay, three days later.

Hostilities ended on 15 August, but Suwannee remained at Okinawa, for the next three weeks. On 7 September, Van Valkenburgh stood out of Buckner Bay, in company with Anthony, Wadsworth, Beale, and Ammen, as screen for the carriers Suwannee, Chenango, Cape Gloucester, and the cruiser Birmingham, bound for Japan and occupation duty in the erstwhile enemy's waters. For the week that followed, the group operated off the coast of Kyushu, southwest of Nagasaki, Japan, while aircraft from the carriers patrolled the island and coast and assisted in locating mines in the clearance operations paving the way for entry into the harbor at Nagasaki. The ships had entered Nagasaki Harbor by 15 September while Allied prisoners of war (New Zealand) were taken on board the hospital ship Haven. The carriers were sent there because of their medical facilities and doctors. Chenango left Nagasaki, on the morning of 15 September, with war prisoners. Crew members of Suwannee were given shore leave during their stay and observed the devastation of ground zero first hand. Suwannee and all the other ships in port experienced very difficult circumstances when typhoon Ida hit on 17 September. While moored between two buoys with two 1+1⁄4 inches (32 mm) steel cables and an 8 inches (20 cm) hawser both bow and stern, she lost all contact with the stern buoy and moved dangerously close to shore. The bow cables and hawser held and she remained safely in place by turning the screws to maintain position.

On 21 September, Suwannee departed Nagasaki, and remained at sea until she made a quick seven-hour stop at the outer harbor of Nagasaki before heading toward Kobe. That stop was aborted because of a minefield on the path there, so they returned south to Wakayama on 27 September. On 2 October, Suwannee Captain Charles C. McDonald and Rear Admiral William Sample, who headed COMCARDIV 22 on board Suwannee, took off in a Martin PBM Mariner to maintain their flight qualifications and never returned. They were declared dead on 4 October of the following year. They and the seven members of the flight crew were discovered in the wreckage of the aircraft on 19 November 1948, and their bodies were recovered.

During this time Suwannee was transferred from the US 9th Fleet to the 5th Fleet. They remained at Wakayama, until the morning of 4 October, and ran into tropical storm Kate. They then spent a few days in the port of Kure, just south of Hiroshima, and then they returned near Wakayama, on 10 October, for 'typhoon anchorage' as another storm, typhoon Louise, was approaching. They once again anchored in Wakayama, on 13 October, for about two days and then headed north to Tokyo, arriving on the evening of 18 October. About this time Suwannee received orders detaching them from the fleet and assigned them to Operation Magic Carpet.

The ship reached Saipan around 15:00, on 28 October, and stayed just long enough, 15 hours, to load stores and 400 troops. Then on to Guam, arriving at 17:00, on 29 October, to load approximately 35 planes, for a total complement of around 70 planes, then on to Pearl Harbor. For their November participation in Operation Magic Carpet they were part of a much larger contingency of ships. In the Pacific, all the 1,430,000 Navy, Coast Guard, and Marine personnel and the 1,360,000 Army people, on 1 November, except those in occupation units are scheduled to be returned by June. Engaged in the Pacific operations as of 10 November, were 489 ships having space for slightly under 700,000 passengers. Included were: 6 battleships, 7 large carriers, 4 Independence-class carriers, 45 escort carriers, 21 light cruisers, 164 troopships, 165 assault transports, 30 hospital transports, 7 converted Liberty ships and 40 miscellaneous craft.[3]

After a stop in Hawaii, Suwannee was sent to Long Beach, and had a short dry-dock period. Then it was back to Operation Magic Carpet, on 4 December. This trip was to be a non-stop return to Okinawa, to pick up 1,500 troops on an overnight stop, and then return to Seattle. Because of bad weather they did not arrive in Okinawa until 21 December. In mid-January Suwannee unloaded many grateful troops in Los Angeles, and then headed north. After a few days off San Francisco, she headed for Pier 91, in Seattle, and then on to Bremerton. On 28 October, the carrier was placed in a reserve status with the 16th Fleet, at Boston, and just over two months later, on 8 January 1947, she was placed out of commission.

Suwannee remained in reserve at Boston, for the next 12 years. She was designated an 'Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier', CVHE-27, on 12 June 1955, while in reserve. Her name was struck from the Navy List on 1 March 1959. Her hulk was sold to the Isbrantsen Steamship Company, of New York City, on 30 November 1959, for conversion to merchant service. The project was subsequently canceled and in May 1961, her hulk was resold to the J.C. Berkwit Company, also of New York City. She was finally scrapped in Bilbao, Spain, in June 1962.

Awards

Suwannee earned 13 battle stars during World War II.

THE SECRETARY OF THE NAVY
WASHINGTON

TThe President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to the

TUNITED STATES SHIP SUWANNEE
and her attached Air Groups participating in the following operations:

CAG-27 (VGS-27, VGF-27), North Africa, November 8 to 11, 1942;
VGF-28, North Africa, November 8 to 11, 1942;
VGS-30, North Africa, November 8 to 11, 1942;
CAG-27, Rennell Island, January 29 to 30, 1943;
CVEG-60, Gilbert Islands Operation, November 20 to December 8, 1943;
CVEG-60, Marshall Islands Operation, January 31 to February 24, 1944;
CVEG-60, Palau, Yap, Ulithi, Woleai Raid, March 30 to April 1, 1944;
CVEG-60, Western New Guinea Operation, April 22 to May 5, 1944;
CVEG-60, Marianas Operation, June 23 to August 1, 1944;
CVEG-60, Western New Guinea Operation, September 15 to 25, 1944;
CVEG-60, Leyte Operation, October 12 to 28, 1944;
CVEG-40, Okinawa Gunto Operation, March 27 to June 4, 1945;
CVEG-40, Borneo Operation, June 26 to July 6, 1945,

for service as set forth in the following

CITATION:

"For extraordinary heroism in action against enemy forces in the air, ashore and afloat. Striking fiercely at her targets in the face of frequent and sustained hostile air attacks, the U.S.S. SUWANNEE and her attached aircraft squadrons caused extremely heavy losses to the enemy in warships, aircraft, merchant shipping and shore installations destroyed or severely damaged. Twice hit and severely damaged by Japanese suicide planes during the his- toric Battle for Leyte Gulf, the SUWANNEE had fought her guns and her planes aggressively against tremendous odds and had con- tributed to the destruction of the enemy's combatant vessels and to his complete rout. Continuously at sea from March 27 to June 19, 1945, she furnished powerful air support for our Okinawa as- sault and land offensives and covered our ships during their advance and retirement. The SUWANNEE's valiant record of combat achieve- ment reflects the highest credit upon her courageous officers and men and upon the United States Naval Service."

For the President,

/s/ John L Sullivan

Secretary of the Navy

 

  United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Suwannee (CVE-27)

Suwannee III (AO-33) 1941-1959

A river that rises in the southeastern part of the state of Georgia and flows to the southwest across Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Suwannee Sound; sometimes given the variant spelling of Suwanee. She retained the name as an aircraft escort vessel, auxiliary aircraft carrier, escort aircraft carrier, and escort aircraft carrier (helicopter).

(AO-33: displacement 7,500; length 553'0"; beam 75'0"; draft 31'7"; speed 18.0 knots; complement 380; armament 1 5-inch, 4 .50-caliber machine guns; class Cimarron; type T3-S2-A1)

Markay was laid down on 3 June 1938 at Kearney, N.J., by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., under a Maritime Commission contract (M.C. Hull 5); launched on 4 March 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Howard L. Vickery; delivered to the Keystone Tankship Corp. and operated by that company until acquired by the Navy on 26 June 1941. Keystone Tankship Corp., in turn delivered the vessel at Baltimore, Maryland. Renamed Suwannee (AO-33), the ship was commissioned “in ordinary” [an inactive status] on 9 July 1941, then placed in commission on 16 July 1941, Cmdr. Joseph R. Lannom in command.

After fitting out at the Philadelphia [Pa.] Navy Yard (23-31 July 1941), Suwannee transported passengers to Hampton Roads, then on 9 August continued on to the Gulf of Mexico, proceeding to New Orleans, La. (14-16 August)., before she returned to Norfolk on 21 August, setting course later the same day for the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, N.Y. Suwannee there embarked officers and men of Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron (MTBRon) 1 under Lt.(j.g.) Clinton McKellar, and loaded six 77-foot Electric Boat Co. (ELCO) torpedo boats: PT-20, PT-21, PT-22, PT-23, PT-24, and PT-25 (24-26 August) The oiler and her passengers and deck cargo began their voyage when she stood out on 26 August.

After transiting the Panama Canal (31 August-1 September 1941), Suwannee proceeded directly to San Pedro, Calif., (9-11 September), whence she sailed on the 11th for Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. She steamed to Pearl Harbor, T.H., where she disembarked Lt.(j.g.) McKellar and his men and offloaded MTBRon 1’s six ELCOs, completing that operation on 18 September. Shifting to Honolulu, T.H., on the 20th, the oiler sailed for San Pedro with two leave-bound USMC non-commissioned officers and one enlisted marine, from Marine Aircraft Group 21, later the same day.

Reaching San Pedro on 26 September 1941, Suwannee embarked east coast-bound travelers on that day and the next, disembarking the three USMC passengers who had ridden the ship from Hawaiian waters. The new passengers’ destinations ranged from new construction like the carrier Hornet (CV-8), the destroyer Hambleton (DD-455), and the submarine Finback (SS-230), to the gunboat Erie (PG-50). A Sea2c, however, who embarked on the 26th with orders to report to the light cruiser Savannah (CL-43), deserted before the oiler cleared San Pedro for the Canal Zone on the 28th.

Suwannee paused briefly at the Canal Zone (6-9 October 1941), disembarking four passengers during her time there-a PhM2c to the U.S. Naval Hospital, Balboa, and an MM2c to the gunboat Erie, on 6 October (in addition to Capt. William H. Abrams, USMCR, Ret., the district legal officer at the Marine Barracks, Balboa) and an OS3c to the Submarine Base, Coco Solo, C.Z., on the 8th; then continued on for Galveston, Texas. Shifting thence to Baytown, Texas, she took on cargo, after which she took departure on 15 October. Disembarking three more passengers at Bayonne, N.J., on the 21st, Suwannee sailed for Hampton Roads the next day. Following her arrival, the oiler disembarked more passengers (23-25 October).

Clearing Norfolk for the Gulf Area on 3 November 1941, Suwannee arrived at her destination after a passage of five days, after which she down the Houston [Texas] Ship Canal, setting course for Argentia, Newfoundland, on 10 November, where she provided services to the Atlantic Fleet’s ships as the fleet’s involvement in the Battle of the Atlantic intensified. Arriving at her destination on 17 November, she remained at Argentia until she sailed for Hampton Roads on 4 December with passengers, the largest group of which (29) held orders to the carrier Yorktown (CV-5). Suwannee’s work at Argentia would earn her the American Defense Service Medal (16-22 November 1941).

Suwannee disembarked her passengers, then underwent a restricted availability at the Norfolk Navy Yard, during which time the Japanese unleashed their onslaught in the Pacific (7-8 December 1941) and Germany joined its Axis partner (11 December). Against that backdrop of the United States’ being at war in both oceans, the oiler sailed from Hampton Roads on 13 December and set course for New Orleans, and there loaded a cargo of oil. Departing that port on 19 December, Suwannee touched at San Juan, Puerto Rico, then returned to Norfolk.

Suwannee cleared Norfolk on 11 January 1942 for Bermuda with passengers that included six bound for the carrier Ranger (CV-4), five for Savannah, and two for the destroyer Rhind (DD-404). Disembarking her passengers on 14 January, she provided fueling services there before returning to Hampton Roads, where, upon completion of unloading, she began preparations to undergo conversion. Re-designated as an aircraft escort vessel, AVG-27, on 14 February 1942, and Suwannee was decommissioned on 20 February 1942 at Newport News, Virginia, to begin the conversion process.

On 20 August 1942, Suwannee was re-designated again, to an auxiliary aircraft carrier, ACV-27. She was recommissioned alongside Pier 9, Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., on 24 September 1942, Capt. Joseph J. “Jocko” Clark in command.

Less than a month after commissioning, Suwannee, with VGS-27 embarked, stood out of Hampton Roads on 25 October 1942 in Task Group (TG) 34.2, as part of Task Force 34, for Operation Torch, the invasion of Vichy French-held North Africa. She joined Ranger (CV-4) as the other carrier attached to the Center Attack Group whose specific objective was Casablanca itself, via Fedala [Mohammedia] just to the north. Early in the morning of 8 November, she arrived off the coast of Morocco and, for the next few days, her Wildcat fighters maintained combat and antisubmarine air patrols, while her Avengers joined Ranger’s in bombing missions. Between 8 and 11 November, Suwannee sent up 255 air sorties and lost only five planes, three in combat and two to operational problems. On 11 November, off Fedala Roads, her antisubmarine patrol claimed the destruction of a submarine, a “kill” not verified in post-war accounting.

Suwannee remained in North African waters until mid-November 1942, then sailed, via Bermuda, for Norfolk. She arrived back at Hampton Roads on 24 November and stayed until 5 December when she got underway for the South Pacific. The auxiliary carrier transited the Panama Canal (11-12 December) and ultimately reached New Caledonia on 4 January 1943, anchoring in Great Roads. For the next seven months (during which time she was re-designated to an escort aircraft carrier, CVE-27, effective 15 July 1943), she provided air escort for transports and supply ships replenishing and bolstering the marines on Guadalcanal, as well as for the forces occupying other islands in the Solomons group. During that span of time, she visited Guadalcanal, Efate, and Espíritu Santo in addition to New Caledonia.

She returned to the U.S. at San Diego in October and, by 5 November 1943 was back at Espíritu Santo, with a new air group, CVEG-60 embarked. On 13 November, she departed to participate in the Gilbert Islands operation. From the 19th to the 23rd, she was a part of the Air Support Group of the Southern Attack Force, and her planes bombed Tarawa, while the ships in the Northern Attack Force engaged the enemy at Makin. Following the occupation of the Gilberts, the escort carrier returned to the United States, via Pearl Harbor, arriving in San Diego on 21 December.

She remained on the west coast for two weeks into the New Year 1944, then set a course for Lahaina Roads in the Hawaiian Islands. She departed Hawaii on 22 January 1944 and headed for the Marshalls. During that operation, Suwannee joined the Northern Attack Force, and her planes bombed and strafed Roi and Namur Islands, in the northern part of Kwajalein Atoll, and conducted antisubmarine patrols for the task force. She remained in the vicinity of Kwajalein for the first 15 days of February; then spent the next nine days helping out at Eniwetok. On the 24th, she headed east again and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 2 March for a two-week stay.

By 30 March 1944, she was in the vicinity of the Palau Islands as the Fifth Fleet subjected those islands to two days of extensive bombing raids. A week later, she put into Espíritu Santo for four days. After short stops at Purvis Bay in the Solomons and at Seeadler Harbor, Manus, the escort carrier headed for New Guinea. For two weeks, she supported the Hollandia landings by shuttling replacement aircraft to the larger fleet carriers actually engaged in air support of the landings. She returned to Manus on 5 May.

Following two voyages from Espíritu Santo, one to Tulagi and the other to Kwajalein, Suwannee arrived off Saipan in mid-June 1944. For the next month and one-half, she supported the invasion of the Marianas, participating in the campaigns against Saipan and Guam.

On 19 June 1944, as the Battle of the Philippine Sea began to unfold, Suwannee was one of the first ships to draw enemy blood when one of her TBM-1C Avengers of VT-60, accompanied by an F6F-3 on anti-submarine patrol, spotted the Saipan-bound Japanese submarine I-184 (Lt.Cmdr. Rikihisa Matsuji, commanding) on the surface. Ens. Guy A. Sabin, A-V(N), USNR, attacked, dropping four 325-pound depth bombs along the axis of the enemy Type KD7 boat, and scored at least two direct hits that sent her, and her 97 souls, to the bottom.

Suwannee’s planes did not actually become engaged in the famous battle of naval aircraft, because they remained with the invasion forces in the Marianas providing antisubmarine and combat air patrols.

On 4 August 1944 she cleared the Marianas for Eniwetok and Seeadler Harbor, reaching the latter port on the 13th. Almost a month later, on 10 September, she put to sea to support the landings on Morotai in the Netherlands East Indies. Those landings went off without opposition on the 15th, and Suwannee returned to Seeadler Harbor to prepare for the invasion of the Philippines.

On 12 October 1944, the escort carrier got underway from Manus in Rear Adm. Thomas L. Sprague’s Escort Carrier Group to provide air support for the landings at Leyte Gulf. She reached the Philippines several days later, and her planes began strikes on enemy installations in the Visayas until 25 October. She provided air support for the assault forces with antisubmarine and combat air patrols and strikes against Japanese installations ashore.

On 24 and 25 October 1944, the Japanese launched a major surface offensive from three directions to contest the landings at Leyte Gulf. While Adm. Ozawa Jisaburo’s Mobile Force sailed south from Japan and drew the bulk of Adm. William F. Halsey, Jr.’s Third Fleet off to the north, Adm. Shima Kiyohide’s Second Striking Force, along with Adm. Nishimura Shoji’s Force, attempted to force Surigao Strait from the south. This drew Vice Adm. Jesse B. Oldendorf's Bombardment Group south to meet that threat in the Battle of Surigao Strait. With Oldendorf’s old battleships fighting in Surigao Strait and Halsey’s Third Fleet scurrying north, Suwannee, with the other 15 escort carriers and 22 destroyers and escort vessels (DE), formed the only Allied naval force operating off Leyte Gulf when Admiral Kurita Takeo’s First Striking Force penetrated the unguarded San Bernadino Strait into the Philippine Sea.

Just before 0700 on the 25th, one of Kadashan Bay’s (CVE-76) planes reported a Japanese force of four battleships, eight cruisers, and numerous destroyers. That force, Kurita’s, immediately began a surface engagement with Rear Adm. Clifton A. F. Sprague’s Taffy 3, the northernmost group of escort carriers. Suwannee was much farther south as an element of Rear Adm. Thomas Sprague’s Taffy 1. Consequently, while she herself did not participate in the running surface battle off Samar, her air group TBMs and F6Fs carried out persistent attacks on Japanese capital ships.

Her problems, however, soon came from another quarter. At 0740 on the 25th, Taffy 1 was jumped by land-based planes from Davao in the first deliberate suicide attack of the war. The first one crashed Suwannee’s sister ship Santee (CVE-29); and, 30 seconds later, Suwannee splashed a kamikaze during his run on Petrof Bay (CVE-80). Her gunners soon scratched another enemy plane, then bore down on a third circling in the clouds at about 8,000 feet. They hit the enemy; but he rolled over, dove at Suwannee, and crashed her about 40 feet forward of the after elevator, opening a 10-foot hole in her flight deck. His bomb compounded the fracture when it exploded between the flight and hangar decks, tearing a 25-foot gash in the latter and causing a number of casualties.

Within two hours, her flight deck was sufficiently repaired to enable the escort carrier to resume air operations. Suwannee’s group fought off two more air attacks before 1300; then steamed in a northeasterly direction to join Taffy 3 and launch futile searches for Kurita’s rapidly retiring force. Just after noon on the 26th, another group of kamikazes jumped Taffy 1. A Zeke crashed Suwannee’s flight deck and careened into a VT-60 TBM, piloted by Lt. F. W. Beidelman, Jr., A-V(N), USNR, which had just been recovered only 30 seconds before. The two planes erupted upon contact, Beidelman and his two crewmen perishing in a fiery instant. Ensuing fires destroyed nine other planes parked forward on her flight deck. The resulting blaze burned for several hours, but was finally brought under control by the concerted efforts of her crew and air group. In the two attacks Suwannee suffered the loss of 13 officers and 80 enlisted men, and the wounding of 13 officers (including Capt. Johnson) and 89 enlisted. A muster revealed 2 officers and 56 sailors missing (some of whom were recovered subsequently). The escort carriers put into Kossol Roads in the Palaus on 28 October, then headed for Manus for upkeep on 1 November.

After five days in Seeadler Harbor, Suwannee got underway to return to the west coast for major repairs. She stopped at Pearl Harbor overnight (19-20 November 1944) and arrived at Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Wash., on the 26th. Her repairs were completed by 31 January 1945; and, after brief stops at Hunter's Point and Alameda, Calif., she headed west and back into the war. The escort carrier paused at Pearl Harbor (16-23 February), sailing with a new air group, CVEG-40, at Tulagi (4-14 March, and at Ulithi (21-27 March), before arriving off Okinawa on 1 April.

Her first assignment was close air support for the invasion troops; but, within a few days, she settled down to a routine of neutralizing the kamikaze bases at Sakishima Gunto. For the major portion of the next 77 days, her planes continued to deny the enemy the use of those facilities. Periodically, she put into the anchorage at Kerama Retto to rearm and replenish, but she spent the bulk of her time in air operations at sea.

On 16 June 1945, she headed for San Pedro Bay in Leyte Gulf. She remained there for a week, then returned to the Netherlands East Indies at Makassar Strait to support the landings at Balikpapan, Borneo. The carrier reentered San Pedro Bay, Leyte, on 6 July and spent the next month there. On 3 August, she got underway for Okinawa, arriving in Buckner Bay three days later.

Hostilities ended on 15 August 1945, but Suwannee remained at Okinawa until 2 September; then headed back to the United States. She was assigned to the Atlantic Inactive Fleet later that month. On 6 February 1946, she was assigned to the berthing area at the Boston [Mass.] Naval Shipyard. On 28 October 1946, the carrier was placed in a reserve status with the Sixteenth Fleet at Boston and, just over two months later, on 8 January 1947, was placed out of commission.

Suwannee remained in reserve at Boston for the next 12 years. She was re-designated-for the final time-to an escort aircraft carrier (helicopter) CVHE-27, on 12 June 1955. Her name was stricken from the Navy List on 1 March 1959.

Her hulk was sold to the Isbrantsen Steamship Co., of New York City on 30 November 1959 for conversion to merchant service, but after the cancellation of the project, in May 1961 her hulk was resold to the J. C. Berkwit Co., also of New York City. She was finally scrapped in Bilbao, Spain, in June 1962.

Suwannee (and her embarked air units for the pertinent periods: VGS-27, VGF-27, VGS-30, VGF-28, CVEG-60 and CVEG-40) received the Presidential Unit Citation and 13 battle stars for her World War II service: North Africa occupation, Algeria-Morocco Landings (8-11 November 1942), Anti-submarine action (planes S-10, S-11, and S-12 of VGS-27) (11 November 1942); Battle of Rennell Island (29-30 January 1943); Gilbert Islands operation (20 November-8 December 1943); Marshall Islands occupation: Occupation of Kwajalein and Majuro Atolls (31 January-8 February 1944) and Eniwetok (17-24 February 1944); Pacific Raids: Palau, Yap, Ulithi and Woleai (30 March-1 April 1944); Hollandia operation (Aitape, Humboldt Bay, and Tanahmerah Bay) 22 April-5 May 1944); capture and occupation of Saipan (23 June-11 July 1944); occupation and capture of Tinian (12 July-1 August 1944); Morotai Landings (15 September 1944); Leyte landings (10 October-29 November 1944); Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (25 March-4 June 1945); and Balikpapan operation (26 June-6 July 1945).

USS Suwannee (CVE-27) Commanding Officer's
Commanding Officer Date Assumed Command
Cmdr. Joseph R. Lannom 16 July 1941
Capt. Joseph J. Clark 24 September 1942
Capt. Frederick W. McMahon 21 January 1943
Capt. William D. Johnson, Jr. 30 December 1943
Capt. Delbert S. Cornwell 8 December 1944
Capt. Charles C. McDonald 2 September 1945
Cmdr. Schermerhorn Van Mater 2 October 1945
Capt. Elton C. Parker 16 November 1945
Cmdr. John M. De Vane, Jr. 29 March 1946
Cmdr. Stanley E. Ruehlow 1 September 1946

Updated, Robert J. Cressman 11th June 2021 Published: Wed Apr 26 13:17:09 EDT 2023

 Flight Simulators
 

   IL-2 Sturmovik 'Cliff's of Dover' Blitz - has no 3D model

   IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad - has no 3D model

   DCS World - has no 3D model

 

USN Top Fighter Pilot by Squadron and Leading Commanding Officer including Unit Total Kills
Squadron # Nickname Start End A/C Carrier/Base Top Ace (kills w/ sqn) CO (kills w/ sqn) Kills # Aces
VF-1 High Hatters Nov-43 Aug-44 F6F Yorktown CV-10 Richard Eastmond (9) B.M. Strean 100 3
VF-2 Rippers Mar-44 Sep-44 F6F Hornet CV-12 Cdr. William A. Dean (10)   240 28
VF-3 Felix the Cat Dec-41 May-42 F4F Lexington CV-2 Butch O'Hare (5) Jimmy Thach 18 1
  May-42 Jun-42 F4F Yorktown CV-5 Elbert McCuskey (5) Jimmy Thach 34.5 1
VF-5 Aug-42 Oct-42 F4F Saratoga CV-3 H. M. Jensen (7) Leroy Simpler 78 4
  Oct-43 Apr-44 F6F Yorktown CV-10 Robert Duncan (7) Ed Owens (5) 93.5 7
VF-6 Shooting Stars Dec-41 Oct-42 F4F Enterprise CV-6 Donald E. Runyon (8) James S. Gray 63 1
VF-6 Aug-43 Feb-44 F6F various CV's Alexander Vraciu (9) H.W. Harrison 37.5 0
VF-7 Sep-44 Jan-45 F6F Hancock CV-19 Lt. Cdr. L. J. Check (10)   72 2
VF-8 Dec-41 Jun-42 F4F Hornet CV-8 Merrill Cook (2) Sam Mitchell 5 0
  Mar-44 Oct-44 F6F Bunker Hill CV-17 Cdr. William Collins (9)   156 13
VF-9 Cat o' Nines Oct-43 Mar-44 F6F Essex CV-9 Hamilton McWhorter (10) Phil Torrey 116 10 est.
  Mar-45 Jun-45 F6F Yorktown CV-10 Eugene Valencia (23) John S. Kitten 129 10 est.
VF-10 Grim Reapers Oct-42 May-43 F4F Enterprise CV-6 Swede Vejtasa (7.25) J.H. Flatley 43 1
  Jan-44 Jun-44 F6F Enterprise CV-6 Richard Devine (8) William Kane 88 5
  Feb-45 Apr-45 F4U Intrepid CV-11 P. L. Kirkwood (8) Walter E. Clarke 87 7
VF-11 Sundowners May-43 Jul-43 F4F Guadalcanal Charles Stimpson (6) Charles White 52 2
  Oct-44 Jan-45 F6F Hornet CV-12 Charles Stimpson (10) E. G. Fairfax 106 5
VF-12 Sep-43 Jun-44 F6F Saratoga CV-3 John Magda (4) R.G. Dose 20 0
  Jan-45 Jun-45 F6F Randolph CV-15 Lt. Cdr. Frederick H. Michaelis (5)   51 2
VF-13 Black Cats Jul-44 Nov-44 F6F Franklin CV-13 Albert Pope (7) Wilson Coleman (6) 86 3
VF-14 Iron Angels May-44 Nov-44 F6F Wasp CV-18 William Knight (7.5) R. Gray 146 8
VF-15 Fighting Aces May-44 Nov-44 F6F Essex CV-9 McCampbell, Duncan, Rushing, Strane, Twelves James Rigg (11) 310 26
VF-16 Fighting Airedales Oct-43 Jun-44 F6F Lexington CV-16 Alexander Vraciu (10) Paul D. Buie (9) 136.5 7
VF-17 Jolly Rogers Oct-43 Mar-44 F4U Solomons Ike Kepford (16) Tom Blackburn (11) 152 11
VF-18 Oct-43 Mar-44 F6F Bunker Hill CV-17 Lt. Cdr. Sam Silber (6)   74 1
  Aug-44 Nov-44 F6F Intrepid CV-11 Cecil Harris (22) Ed Murphy 176.5 13
VF-19 Satan's Kittens Jul-44 Nov-44 F6F Lexington CV-16 William Masoner Jr. (10) T. Hugh Winters (8) 155 11
VF-20 Aug-44 Jan-45 F6F Enterprise CV-6/etc. Douglas Baker (16.33) Fred Bakutis (7.5) 158 9
VF-21 Feb-43 Jul-43 F4F Guadalcanal Ross Torkelson (6) John Hulme 69 3
  Jul-44 Oct-44 F6F Belleau Wood CVL-24 Bob Thomas (5) V. F. Casey 40 1
VF-22 Sep-44 Jan-45 F6F Cowpens CVL-25 Clement Craig (12) Thomas Jenkins 49.5 3
VF-23 Aug-43 May-44 F6F Princeton CVL-23 L.H. Kerr (4.83) H.L. Miller 35 0
VF-26 Apr-44 Oct-44 FM2 Santee CVE-29 Kenneth Hippe (6) Harold Funk 31 1
VC-27 Oct-44 Jan-45 FM2 Savo Island Ralph Elliott (9) P. W. Jackson 61 1
VF-27 May-44 Oct-44 F6F Princeton CVL-23 James Shirley (12) Fred Bardshar (7.5) 134 10
VF-28 May-44 Dec-44 F6F Monterey CVL-26 Oscar Bailey (5) Roger Mehle 55 2
VF-29 Oct-44 Apr-45 F6F Cabot CVL-28 Robert Murray (10.3) William Eder (6.5) 113 12
VF-30 Jan-45 Jun-45 F6F Belleau Wood CVL-24 James Reber (11) Douglas A. Clark 110 7
VF-31 Meat Axers Jan-44 Sep-44 F6F Cabot CVL-28 Cornelius Nooy (19) Bob Winston 165.5 14
VF-32 Outlaw's Bandits Mar-44 Oct-44 F6F Langley CVL-27 Lt. Cdr. Eddie Outlaw (6)   44 2
VF-33 Aug-43 Jan-44 F6F Solomons Frank Schneider (7) Hawley Russell 74.5 3
VF(N)-41 Aug-44 Jan-45 F6F Independence CVL-23 William Henry (9.5) T. F. Caldwell 46 2
VF-42 Dec-41 May-42 F4F Yorktown CV-5 Art Brassfield (4.83) Oscar Pedersen 25 0
VF-44 Crusaders Oct-44 Feb-45 F6F Langley CVL-27 Cdr. Malcolm T. Wordell (7)   47 3
VF-45 Nov-44 May-45 F6F San Jacinto CVL-30 James B. Cain (8) Gordon Schechter 81.5 6
VF-47 Fighting Cocks Mar-45 Aug-45 F6F Bataan CVL-29 Samuel Hibbard (7.33) Albert Clancy 67.5 1
VF-50 Devil Cats Apr-44 Jul-44 F6F Bataan CVL-29 Daniel Rehm (6) J.C. Strange 61 4
VF-51 Apr-44 Nov-44 F6F San Jacinto CVL-30 William Maxwell (7) C. L. Moore 50.5 1
VF-60 Nov-43 Oct-44 F6F Suwanee CVE-27 R. Singleton (3.25) H.O. Feilbach 25 0
VF-72 Jul-42 Oct-42 F4F Hornet CV-8 George Wrenn (5.25) Henry Sanchez 38 1
VF-80 Vorse's Vipers Nov-44 Jan-45 F6F Ticonderoga CV-14 Patrick Fleming (19) Leroy Keith 159.5 10
VF-82 Jan-45 Jun-45 F6F Bennington CV-20 Robert Jennings (7) Edward Hassell 85 5
VF-83 Kangaroos Mar-45 Sep-45 F6F Essex CV-9 Thaddeus Coleman (8) H.A. Sampson 137 11
VBF-83 Mar-45 Sep-45 F4U Essex CV-9 Thomas Reidy (10) Frank Patriarca 91 3
VF-84 Wolf Gang Jan-45 Jun-45 F4U Bunker Hill CV-17 Doris Freeman (7) Roger R. Hedrick 137 4

 

 Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton, Washington Map

 

    USS Suwannee (CVE-27) citations notes:

  1.  

    USS Suwannee (CVE-27) citations:

  1. Navsource 2022.
  2. Smith, Peter C (2014). Kamikaze To Die For The Emperor. Barnsley, UK: Pen & Sword Books Ltd. pp. 14–18. ISBN 9781781593134.
  3. 'All Hands Naval Bulletin - Dec 1945 | PDF | Pacific War | United States Navy'

    Bibliography:

  • Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-739-9.
  • Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2004). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Second ed.). CDSG Press. ISBN 0-9748167-0-1.
  • Brown, J. D. (2009). Carrier Operations in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-108-2.
  • Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-739-9.
  • Friedman, Norman (1984). U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-718-6.
  • Fry, John (1996). USS Saratoga CV-3: An Illustrated History of the Legendary Aircraft Carrier 1927–1946. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0089-X.
  • Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-471-X.
  • Lundstrom, John B. (1994). The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-526-8.
  • Nofi, Albert A. (2010). To Train the Fleet for War: The U.S. Navy Fleet Problems. Naval War College Historical Monograph. Vol. 18. Newport, Rhode Island: Naval War College Press. ISBN 978-1-884733-69-7.
  • Polmar, Norman; Genda, Minoru (2006). Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events. Vol. 1, 1909–1945. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-663-0.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • 'Saratoga V'. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC).
  • Stahura, Barbara (2003). U.S. S. Saratoga: CV-3 & CVA/CV-60 (Revised ed.). Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-56311-855-6.
  • Stern, Robert C. (1993). The Lexington Class Carriers. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-503-9.
  • Stille, Mark (2005). US Navy Aircraft Carriers 1922–1945: Prewar Classes. New Vanguard. Vol. 114. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-890-1.
  • Tully, Anthony P.; Casse, Gilbert (March 2012). 'IJN Ryujo: Tabular Record of Movement'. Combinedfleet.
  • Wadle, Ryan David (August 2005). United States Navy Fleet Problems and the Development of Carrier Aviation, 1929–1933 (PDF). College Station, Texas: Texas A & M University.

    Magazine References: +

  • Airfix Magazines (English) - http://www.airfix.com/
  • Avions (French) - http://www.aerostories.org/~aerobiblio/rubrique10.html
  • FlyPast (English) - http://www.flypast.com/
  • Flugzeug Publikations GmbH (German) - http://vdmedien.com/flugzeug-publikations-gmbh-hersteller_verlag-vdm-heinz-nickel-33.html
  • Flugzeug Classic (German) - http://www.flugzeugclassic.de/
  • Klassiker (German) - http://shop.flugrevue.de/abo/klassiker-der-luftfahrt
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/abonnement-le-fana-de-l-aviation-626-4-6.html
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://www.pdfmagazines.org/tags/Le+Fana+De+L+Aviation/
  • Osprey (English) - http://www.ospreypublishing.com/
  • Revi Magazines (Czech) - http://www.revi.cz/

    Web References: +

  • Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Suwannee_(CVE-27)
  • Naval History and Heritage Command - https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/suwannee.html
  • Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto
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This webpage was updated 7th October 2024

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