USS Vella Gulf (CVE-111)
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| History | |
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| Name: | USS Vella Gulf |
| Builder: | Todd Pacific Shipyards |
| Laid down: | 7 February 1944 |
| Launched: | 19 October 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 9 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 9 August 1946 |
| Reclassified: | Helicopter Carrier, CVHE-111, 12 June 1955; Cargo Ship and Aircraft Ferry, T-AKV-111 |
| Struck: | 1 June 1960 |
| Recommissioned: | 1 November 1960 |
| Struck: | 1 December 1970 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap 22 October 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Commencement Bay-class escort carrier |
| Displacement: | 10,900 long tons (11,100 t), 24,100 long tons (24,500 t) full load |
| Length: | 557 ft (170 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draft: | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2-shaft Allis-Chambers geared turbines, 16,000 shp |
| Speed: | 19 knots (22 mph; 35 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1,066 |
| Armament: | 2 × 5 in (130 mm) guns (2×1), 36 × 40 mm AA guns |
| Aircraft carried: | 34 |
| Service record | |
| Part of: | United States Pacific Fleet (1945-1946), Pacific Reserve Fleet (1946-1970) |
| Operations: | Mariana and Palau Islands campaign |
| Awards: | 1 Battle star |
USS Vella Gulf (CVE-111) (ex-Totem Bay) was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier of the United States Navy.
She was laid down as Totem Bay on 7 February 1944 at Tacoma, Washington by the Todd-Pacific Shipyards. She was renamed Vella Gulf on 26 April 1944 and launched on 19 October 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Donald F. Smith. On 9 April 1945, she was commissioned with Captain Robert W. Morse in command.
Following initial local operations in Puget Sound, Vella Gulf sailed for San Diego and arrived there on 4 May to pick up the initial increment of her assigned Marine air group. After embarking them at the naval air station, the escort aircraft carrier conducted shakedown off the southern California coast and embarked the remainder of her group during this period. At the completion of a post-shakedown availability, she departed the west coast on 17 June, bound for Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 25 June and conducted 11 days of intensive training operations.
Vella Gulf departed Pearl Harbor on 9 July, stopped at Eniwetok in the Marshalls on the 16th to refuel, and proceeded on to Guam, where she arrived four days later. On the 23rd, she sailed for the Marianas to conduct air strikes against Rota and Pagan Islands. The next day, she launched 24 sorties against Pagan Island with her Vought F4U Corsairs, Grumman F6F Hellcat photographic aircraft, and Grumman TBM Avenger bombers. Three days later, the escort carrier launched 21 sorties against Rota, with a dozen Corsairs, eight Avengers and one Hellcat taking part. Light anti-aircraft fire from Japanese guns peppered the skies but failed to reach the American planes. Two planes returned from the mission having conducted their attacks from such a low altitude that shrapnel from their own bomb explosions slightly damaged their tail surfaces.
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