USS Shamrock Bay (CVE-84)

History


Name:	USS Shamrock Bay
Builder:	Kaiser Shipyards
Laid down:	15 March 1943
Launched:	4 February 1944
Commissioned:	15 March 1944
Decommissioned:	6 July 1946
Struck:	27 June 1958
Fate:	Sold for scrapping May 1958
General characteristics
Class and type:	Casablanca-class escort carrier
Displacement:	7,800 tons (light) 10,400 tons (full load)
Length:	512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) overall
Beam:	65 ft 2 in (19.86 m) 108 ft 1 in (32.94 m) maximum width
Draft:	22 ft 6 in (6.86 m)
Propulsion:	2 × 5-cylinder reciprocating Skinner Unaflow engines 4 × 285 psi boilers 2 shafts, 9,000 shp
Speed:	19.3 knots (35.7 km/h)
Range:	10,240 nmi (18,960 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h)
Complement:	860 officers and men Embarked Squadron: 50 to 56 officers and men Total: 910 to 916 officers and men.
Armament:	1 × 5-inch/38 cal DP gun 16 × 40 mm AA cannon in 8 twin mounts 28 × 20 mm AA machine guns in single mounts
Aircraft carried:	28
Service record
Part of:	United States Pacific Fleet (1944–1946) Atlantic Reserve Fleet (1946–1958)
Operations:	Philippines campaign Invasion of Iwo Jima Battle of Okinawa Operation Magic Carpet
Awards:	3 Battle stars

USS Shamrock Bay (CVE-84) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was laid down with the hull code ACV-84 on 15 March 1943 by the Kaiser Co., Vancouver, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1121); re-designated CVE-84 on 10 June 1943; launched on 4 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. James R. Dudley; and commissioned on 15 March 1944, Captain Frank T. Ward, Jr., in command.

Following shakedown, Shamrock Bay remained on the west coast into June qualifying pilots in carrier landings. Then transferred to transport duty in the Atlantic, she carried Army fighter planes and Army and Navy personnel to Casablanca and brought back damaged P-40s for use in training and for salvage and aircraft engines for overhaul and salvage. Passengers on the return voyages were, for the most part, Army Air Corps personnel from the China-Burma-India theater.

On 27 October, Shamrock Bay completed her second transport run at Norfolk and prepared for antisubmarine operations in the South Atlantic. However, the loss of escort carriers in the Philippine area brought a change of orders; and, on 11 November, with Composite Squadron 42 (VC-42) embarked, she sailed for the Pacific.

Transiting the Panama Canal on 18 November, she arrived at San Diego on the 27th; embarked VC-93 for transportation to Hawaii on 2 December; and reached Pearl Harbor on the 9th. There, VC-42 and −93 were disembarked and VC-94 reported for duty. On the 11th, Shamrock Bay continued west, and, delivering planes to Johnston Island en route, arrived at Seeadler Harbor, on Manus in the Admiralty Islands, on the 22nd to join the 7th Fleet.

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