USS Bunker Hill (CV-17)

USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy that served with distinction during World War II. Named for the Battle of Bunker Hill, she was commissioned in 1943 and participated in major campaigns across the Pacific Theater. The ship is most remembered for surviving severe damage from kamikaze attacks in 1945, which resulted in heavy casualties but did not sink the vessel.

Construction and commissioning

The ship's keel was laid down on 15 September 1941 at the Fore River Shipyard operated by Bethlehem Steel in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 7 December 1942, exactly one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, sponsored by Mrs. Donald W. Duncan. *Bunker Hill* was commissioned on 25 May 1943 under the command of Captain J. J. Ballentine, joining the Pacific Fleet at a critical juncture in the Pacific War.

Service history

Following her shakedown cruise in the Caribbean and training off Norfolk, *Bunker Hill* transited the Panama Canal to join the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific Ocean. Her air group participated in numerous major operations, beginning with raids on Rabaul and support for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. The carrier provided crucial air support during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where her aircraft helped defeat the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service. She later took part in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and strikes against the Japanese home islands. On 11 May 1945, while operating off Okinawa, *Bunker Hill* was hit in quick succession by two kamikaze aircraft, causing massive fires and killing 393 sailors and airmen. Despite the devastation, damage control parties saved the ship, which returned to the United States under her own power for repairs.

Design and description

As a member of the *Essex*-class, *Bunker Hill* belonged to a class that formed the backbone of the U.S. Navy's carrier force during the latter half of World War II. These ships had a standard displacement of approximately 27,100 tons and an overall length of 872 feet. They were designed for speed and endurance, powered by eight Babcock & Wilcox boilers driving four Westinghouse geared steam turbines, which produced 150,000 shaft horsepower and a top speed of 33 knots. Her flight deck and hangar bay could accommodate over 90 aircraft of various types, including F6F Hellcat fighters, SB2C Helldiver dive bombers, and TBF Avenger torpedo bombers. Armament evolved during the war but typically included twelve 5-inch/38 caliber guns and numerous 40 mm and 20 mm anti-aircraft cannons for defense against enemy aircraft.

Awards and legacy

For her wartime service, *Bunker Hill* received the Presidential Unit Citation and 11 battle stars. Although repaired after the war, she was never returned to active service, being placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Naval Station Norfolk. She was reclassified as an attack aircraft carrier (CVA-17) and later as an anti-submarine warfare carrier (CVS-17) before being struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1966. After serving as a stationary electronics test platform at North Island, she was sold for scrap in 1973. The ship's name and legacy are preserved in the National Museum of the United States Navy and through numerous artifacts, while her survival after the kamikaze attacks remains a testament to the resilience of her crew and the *Essex*-class design.

Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers Category:Ships built in Massachusetts