HMS Puncher (D79)

History
HMS Puncher in April, 1945
United States
Name:	USS Willapa
Builder:	Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down:	21 May 1943
Launched:	8 November 1943
Fate:	Transferred to the Royal Navy
United Kingdom
Name:	HMS Puncher
Commissioned:	5 February 1944
Decommissioned:	16 February 1946
Identification:	pennant number D79
Honours and awards:	Atlantic 1944
Fate:	Returned to US, sold as a merchant ship

Name:	Muncaster Castle (1949-54) Bardic (1954-59) Ben Nevis (1959-73)
In service:	1949
Out of service:	1973
Fate:	Scrapped in 1973
General characteristics
Class and type:	Bogue-class escort carrier (USA) Ruler-class escort carrier (UK)
Displacement:	7,800 tons
Length:	492 ft 3 in (150.0 m)
Beam:	69 ft 6 in (21.2 m)
Draught:	26 ft (7.9 m)
Installed power:	2 x Foster Wheeler boilers 9,350 shp (6,970 kW)
Propulsion:	1 x shaft Geared turbines
Speed:	16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph)
Complement:	646
Armament:	2 x 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. dual purpose guns in single mounts 16 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts 14 x 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in dual mounts
Aircraft carried:	24
Aviation facilities:	2 x aircraft lifts 43 ft × 34 ft (13.1 m × 10.4 m) 1 x aircraft catapult 9 x arrestor wires

USS Willapa (AVG-53/ACV-53/CVE-53) was a Bogue-class escort aircraft carrier (originally an auxiliary aircraft carrier) in the United States Navy built during World War II. The ship was leased to the United Kingdom, renamed HMS Puncher (D79) (British Ruler class) and crewed by the Royal Canadian Navy with aircrew from the Fleet Air Arm. Following the war the ship was converted for mercantile service and renamed Muncaster Castle, Bardic and Ben Nevis, before being broken up in 1973.

The Bogue-class ships were larger and had a greater aircraft capacity than all the preceding American built escort carriers. They were also all laid down as escort carriers and not simply converted merchant ships. Each vessel had a complement of 646 men and an overall length of 492 feet 3 inches (150.0 m), a beam of 69 feet 6 inches (21.2 m) and a draught of 25 ft 6 in (7.8 m). Propulsion was provided by two Foster Wheeler boilers and a steam geared turbine driving one shaft, giving 9,350 shaft horsepower (6,970 kW), which could propel the ship at 16.5 knots (30.6 km/h; 19.0 mph).

Puncher's armament comprised two 4-inch (102 mm)/50 caliber dual purpose guns in single mounts, sixteen 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts and twenty 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons in single mounts.

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Wikipedia