Bunker Hill (CV-17)
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| Bunker Hill (CV-17) | |
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| Ship name | USS Bunker Hill |
| Ship class | Essex-class aircraft carrier |
| Ship tonnage | 27,100 long tons (standard) |
| Ship length | 872 ft 6 in |
| Ship beam | 93 ft 1 in |
| Ship draft | 28 ft 7 in |
| Ship propulsion | Steam turbines, 150,000 shp |
| Ship speed | 33 knots |
| Ship range | 20,000 nmi at 15 kn |
| Ship complement | 2,600 officers and enlisted |
| Ship armament | 5 in/38 cal guns, 40 mm Bofors, 20 mm Oerlikon |
| Ship aircraft | ~90 aircraft |
| Ship builder | Bethlehem Steel - Fore River Shipyard |
| Ship launched | 25 Mar 1943 |
| Ship commissioned | 25 May 1943 |
| Ship decommissioned | 9 Feb 1947 (first) |
| Ship final disposition | Scrapped 1973 |
Bunker Hill (CV-17) was an Essex-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy commissioned in 1943. She served with distinction in the Pacific Theater of World War II, participating in major operations against the Imperial Japanese Navy and supporting campaigns that involved Task Force 58, Task Force 38, and carrier air groups from across the United States. Postwar she underwent modernizations and served during the early Cold War before being decommissioned and scrapped; her wartime exploits and the 11 May 1945 kamikaze attack remain subjects of historical study and commemoration.
Design and construction
Bunker Hill originated in the same Essex-class program that produced sister ships such as USS Essex (CV-9), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Lexington (CV-16), USS Intrepid (CV-11), and USS Franklin (CV-13), designed under wartime expansion overseen by the United States Navy Bureau of Ships and the Maritime Commission. Built by Bethlehem Steel at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, her keel was laid in 1941 during a naval construction surge following the Attack on Pearl Harbor and the Entry of the United States into World War II. The Essex-class incorporated developments evident in earlier carriers like USS Saratoga (CV-3) and USS Ranger (CV-4), including improved flight decks, enhanced armor and anti-aircraft batteries influenced by experiences in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway. Bunker Hill's design reflected lessons from the Naval War College analyses and directives from figures such as Admiral Ernest King and Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, emphasizing speed, air group capacity, and damage control measures first tested on carriers like USS Enterprise (CV-6) and USS Wasp (CV-7).
World War II service
Assigned to Task Force 58 under commanders including Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, Bunker Hill embarked carrier air groups that included squadrons flown by personnel trained at Naval Air Station Pensacola and carrier aviators from units like VF-9, VB-9, and VT-9. She participated in raids on the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, the Marianas Campaign, and strikes on Truk Lagoon, coordinating with carriers such as USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Bataan (CVL-29), USS Ticonderoga (CV-14), USS Hancock (CV-19), and USS Wasp (CV-18). Bunker Hill played roles in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and support for the Leyte Gulf operations, launching air strikes against targets in Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Japanese home islands. Her air wing attacked shipping and airfields, engaging Zero fighters and kamikaze formations; pilots included veterans trained at Naval Air Training Command and experimental tactics developed with Commander Marc Mitscher’s staff. The carrier sustained damage from enemy action, notably during kamikaze attacks that mirrored losses experienced by USS Franklin (CV-13) and USS Enterprise (CV-6), requiring adept damage control by crews schooled in procedures refined after the Battle of Guadalcanal and coordinated with Fleet Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.’s fast carrier task forces.
Postwar career and Cold War service
After Victory over Japan Day, Bunker Hill participated in Operation Magic Carpet duties, repatriating U.S. Navy personnel and coordinating with ports such as San Diego, California and Pearl Harbor. She underwent postwar overhauls influenced by the Twin-Pod Stabilizer experiments and lessons from postwar conversions like those on USS Midway (CV-41) and USS Coral Sea (CV-43), receiving updates to radar systems from manufacturers linked to RCA and fire-control improvements similar to those installed on USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42). In the early Cold War, Bunker Hill served in training cruises, NATO-related maneuvers with units from United Kingdom navies including HMS Illustrious (R06) counterparts, and goodwill visits to Mediterranean Sea ports under the auspices of United States Fleet Forces Command and Sixth Fleet operations. She hosted aviators transitioning to jet aircraft and integrated innovations associated with carriers such as USS Forrestal (CV-59), preparing personnel for doctrines debated at institutions like National War College and Naval War College facilities. Reserve and training assignments placed her alongside other inactive Essex-class units like USS Oriskany (CV-34) and USS Kearsarge (CV-33) in fleet inventories.
Decommissioning, fate, and legacy
Bunker Hill was decommissioned, placed in reserve, and ultimately stricken from the Naval Vessel Register before being sold for scrap in 1973, a fate similar to many wartime-built carriers including USS Bon Homme Richard (CV-31) and USS Shangri-La (CV-38). Elements of her legacy persist through preserved artifacts displayed at museums such as the National Museum of the United States Navy, exhibits referencing carriers at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, and oral histories collected by institutions like the Naval Historical Foundation and the Smithsonian Institution. Her wartime damage control practices influenced training curricula at the Naval School of Damage Control and informed veteran accounts archived by the Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress. Commemorations have linked her service to broader remembrance of campaigns like the Battle of Okinawa and the Philippine Liberation.
Awards and honors
During her service Bunker Hill earned multiple battle stars for campaigns including the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, the Marianas campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and operations supporting Iwo Jima and Okinawa. Crew members received individual awards such as the Navy Cross, the Silver Star, and the Purple Heart for actions during air operations and damage-control efforts following kamikaze strikes; unit recognitions reflect citations issued by United States Pacific Fleet and endorsements from commanders like Admiral Nimitz and Admiral Halsey.
Cultural depictions and media impact
Bunker Hill and her crew appear in wartime newsreels produced by Office of War Information and archival footage used by documentaries produced by PBS, NBC News, and The History Channel exploring carrier operations and kamikaze warfare. Her experiences have been recounted in books by historians associated with Naval Institute Press, articles in American Heritage and the Naval War College Review, and memoirs by aviators tied to squadrons documented alongside pilots from VF-9 and VB-9. The ship is referenced in academic analyses at institutions like Harvard University and UCLA concerning industrial mobilization and in veteran oral histories archived by Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers Category:United States Navy ships of World War II Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts Category:1943 ships