USS Bataan (CVL-29)

USS Bataan preparing for her second Korean War deployment
History
United States
Awarded:	16 December 1940
Builder:	New York Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down:	31 August 1942
Launched:	1 August 1943
Commissioned:	17 November 1943
Decommissioned:	11 February 1947
Recommissioned:	13 May 1950
Decommissioned:	9 April 1954
Struck:	1 September 1959
Honors and awards:	6 Battle Stars (World War II) 7 Battle Stars (Korea)
Fate:	Sold for scrapping in May 1961
General characteristics
Class and type:	Independence-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	11,120 long tons (11,300 t) light 16,260 long tons (16,520 t) full load
Length:	Overall: 622.5 ft (189.7 m) Waterline: 600 ft (180 m)
Beam:	Extreme: 109 ft 2 in (33.27 m) Waterline: 71 ft (22 m)
Draft:	26 ft (7.9 m)
Speed:	32 kn (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Complement:	156 officers and 1,372 men
Armament:	26 × Bofors 40 mm guns (2×4, 9×2) 18 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (18×1)

USS Bataan (CVL-29/AVT-4), originally planned as USS Buffalo (CL-99) and also classified as CV-29, was an 11,000 ton Independence-class light aircraft carrier which was commissioned in the United States Navy during World War II.

The vessel that eventually became the light aircraft carrier Bataan was originally planned as the Cleveland-class light cruiser Buffalo (CL-99). Following the December 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, the need for more carriers became urgent. In response, the Navy ordered the conversion of nine Cleveland-class light cruiser then under construction to completion as light aircraft carriers. These became known as the Independence-class light aircraft carriers. Thus, CL-99 was reclassified CV-29 and renamed Bataan on 2 June 1942. She was further reclassified as CVL-29 on 15 July 1943.

Bataan displaced 11,000 long tons (11,000 t) light and 16,260 long tons (16,520 t) at full load. She had an overall length of 622 feet 6 inches (189.74 m) and a waterline length of 600 feet (180 m). Her extreme beam was 109 feet 2 inches (33.27 m) and her beam at the waterline was 71 feet 6 inches (21.79 m). Her draft was 26 feet (7.9 m) maximum. For armament she was equipped with 24 Bofors 40 mm gun and 22 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon for anti-aircraft protection. She normally carried 30 aircraft. Her armor consisted of 5 inches (127 mm) of belt armor, 2 inches (51 mm) on the decks, and ¹⁄₂ inch (13 mm) on the conning tower. She was powered by four Babcock & Wilcox steam boilers and General Electric geared turbines producing 100,000 shaft horsepower (75,000 kW) for her four screws. She had a design speed of 31.5 knots (58.3 km/h; 36.2 mph) and had a range of 12,500 nautical miles (23,200 km; 14,400 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). She normally carried a complement of 1569.