USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)

USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)
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Ship name	USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24)
Country	United States
Ship class	Independence-class light aircraft carrier
Ship type	Aircraft carrier
Laid down	15 February 1942
Launched	23 May 1943
Commissioned	31 December 1943
Decommissioned	15 January 1953
Fate	Transferred to French Navy as Bois Belleau (R97); scrapped 1970s
Displacement	11,000 long tons (standard)
Length	622 ft (189 m)
Beam	71.5 ft (21.8 m)
Draft	26 ft 6 in (8.08 m)
Propulsion	Steam turbines
Speed	31.5 kn
Complement	1,569 officers and enlisted
Aircraft	~34–50

USS Belleau Wood (CVL-24) was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy commissioned during World War II. Named for the Battle of Belleau Wood, the ship served in the Pacific Theater of World War II supporting major operations including the Marianas campaign, the Philippine Sea, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After wartime service she participated in occupation duties, was decommissioned, and later transferred to the French Navy where she served as Bois Belleau (R97).

Construction and commissioning

Belleau Wood was laid down as the light cruiser St. Louis (CL-49) hull on 15 February 1942 at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Newport News, Virginia, part of the emergency carrier conversions following the Battle of Coral Sea and Battle of Midway. Launched on 23 May 1943 and sponsored amid ceremonies attended by Navy Department officials, she was converted on the ways to an Independence-class light aircraft carrier and commissioned on 31 December 1943 under the command of Captain John F. Lehman Jr. during a period of rapid expansion of the United States Pacific Fleet to counter Imperial Japanese Navy carrier forces.

Design and technical characteristics

As an Independence-class light aircraft carrier, Belleau Wood inherited hull lines from the Cleveland-class cruiser design and featured a short, flush-decked flight deck, armored hangar deck, and cruiser-type powerplant similar to USS Cleveland (CL-55). Displacement was approximately 11,000 long tons standard with an overall length near 622 feet and a beam of 71.5 feet; speed reached about 31.5 knots enabling integration with Fast Carrier Task Force operations under commanders such as Admiral Marc A. Mitscher and Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.. Armament included light and medium anti-aircraft guns such as dual-purpose 5-inch/38-caliber gun mounts and multiple 40 mm and 20 mm batteries to defend against kamikaze attacks during late-war operations. Air group complements typically ranged from 34 to 50 aircraft, including types like the Grumman F6F Hellcat, Grumman F4F Wildcat, Vought F4U Corsair, and Grumman TBF Avenger, making her integral to carrier air wing strike, interdiction, and combat air patrol missions.

World War II service

After shakedown and carrier qualifications, Belleau Wood joined Task Force 58 and participated in strikes during the Marianas campaign supporting Operation Forager and air operations against Guam, Saipan, and Tinian. Her air groups flew sorties in the lead-up to and during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, contributing to the massive aerial engagements often called the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot" against Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service units. During Leyte Gulf operations she provided air cover for Amphibious Battle of Leyte landings and engaged in anti-shipping strikes linked to Operation King II. Belleau Wood endured operational hazards including typhoon conditions similar to those that later affected Task Force 38 and faced evolving kamikaze threats in the Philippine Islands campaign. Her pilots supported Iwo Jima and Okinawa related operations with fighter sweeps, close air support, and anti-submarine patrols, operating alongside carriers such as USS Enterprise (CV-6), USS Lexington (CV-16), and USS Essex (CV-9). Following the Japanese surrender, the carrier participated in occupation duty and repatriation operations in Tokyo Bay and surrounding waters, assisting in the transport and air support tasks during the transition to peacetime.

Post-war career and transfer to France

Post-war reductions saw Belleau Wood assigned to Operation Magic Carpet personnel movements and later placed in reserve as the United States Navy reorganized under postwar treaties and budget constraints such as those influenced by the National Security Act of 1947. Decommissioned in 1953 and subsequently struck from the Naval Vessel Register, she was transferred under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program to the French Navy in 1953, recommissioned as Bois Belleau (R97), and formed part of France's carrier force during the Cold War alongside ships like Clemenceau-class aircraft carrier concepts and serving in theaters including the Mediterranean Sea and Indochina-related operations. The ship's air group under French command operated carrier-capable aircraft of the period, adapting the former US Navy layout to French Navy operational doctrines.

Awards and honors

For her wartime service Belleau Wood earned multiple campaign ribbons and battle stars recognizing participation in Marianas operations, the Philippine Sea, Leyte Gulf, and late-war strikes—official citations reflecting contributions to the Pacific War air campaign. Individual crew members received decorations tied to actions aboard the carrier, including awards from the Navy Cross, Silver Star, and Legion of Merit lists where meritorious conduct during combat sorties and damage control were recorded. The ship's name commemorates the Battle of Belleau Wood, and her legacy is preserved through naval histories and veterans' associations documenting carrier warfare evolution.

Decommissioning and fate

After a French naval career extending into the 1960s, Bois Belleau was stricken and placed for disposal; she was ultimately scrapped in the 1970s, ending the physical existence of the hull. Artifacts and commemorations related to Belleau Wood survive in museums and naval collections, and her service is noted in histories of United States Navy carrier operations during World War II and Cold War naval transfers. Category:Independence-class aircraft carriers