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| USS Casablanca (CVE-55) | |
|---|---|
| Ship name | USS Casablanca (CVE-55) |
| Ship caption | USS Casablanca underway in 1944 |
| Ship builder | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Ship launched | 22 November 1943 |
| Ship commissioned | 17 January 1944 |
| Ship decommissioned | 24 May 1946 |
| Ship struck | 8 May 1946 |
| Ship identifiers | Hull number CVE-55 |
| Ship displacement | 10,400 long tons (full load) |
| Ship length | 512 ft (156 m) |
| Ship beam | 65 ft (20 m) |
| Ship draught | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Ship propulsion | 2 × Skinner Uniflow reciprocating steam engines |
| Ship speed | 19 kn (35 km/h) |
| Ship range | 10,240 nmi at 15 kn |
| Ship complement | 860 officers and enlisted |
| Ship aircraft | up to 28 aircraft |
USS Casablanca (CVE-55) was the lead ship of the Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. Commissioned in January 1944, she conducted carrier pilot training, participated in Marianas and Lingayen Gulf related operations, and served in ferrying and replenishment roles before decommissioning in 1946. Her rapid wartime construction exemplified American industrial mobilization and the escort carrier concept developed to support Battle of the Atlantic convoys and Pacific Theater operations.
Casablanca was ordered under the Casablanca-class escort carrier program designed to provide large numbers of small, economical carriers for escort and support duties. Built by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation under Maritime Commission contract, she was laid down as Hull 1104 and launched on 22 November 1943. The class derived from the VC2-S-AP5 Victory ship hull design, modified with a flight deck, hangar deck, and catapult to operate a mix of Grumman F4F Wildcat, Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, Vought F4U Corsair, Grumman TBF Avenger, and Curtiss SB2C Helldiver types as needed.
As the lead ship, Casablanca embodied compromises: relatively short length and beam compared with Essex-class aircraft carriers, a single hangar elevator, and light armor, yielding speed near 19 knots and a full-load displacement about 10,400 long tons. Propulsion came from Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines and four boilers, a choice aimed at rapid production and existing industrial capacity. Armament typically included a single 5"/38 caliber dual-purpose gun, eight 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns in twin mounts, and twelve 20 mm Oerlikon cannons, sufficient for escort and anti-aircraft defense in carrier task groups.
The Casablanca-class concept addressed acute wartime needs: rapid construction, easy maintenance, and versatility for anti-submarine warfare, convoy escort, pilot training, aircraft ferrying, and replenishment. Casablanca’s construction schedule reflected this urgency—keel to commissioning in under two months of fitting out after launch—and she was commissioned into active service on 17 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. H. L. Gibson.
Following shakedown and carrier qualification operations, Casablanca operated as a training carrier at Naval Air Station San Diego and other Pacific bases, qualifying hundreds of naval aviators and aircrew on carrier landings and takeoffs. She conducted pilot qualifications for squadrons that later fought in Marshall Islands campaign and Mariana and Palau Islands campaign operations. Casablanca also served as an aircraft transport, ferrying replacement planes and personnel between Pearl Harbor, the West Coast, and forward bases such as Eniwetok and Guam.
In mid-1944 Portsmouth-style replenishment cycles, Casablanca supported Task Force 58-adjacent logistics by delivering aircraft and spare parts to fleet carriers engaged in raids on Gilbert and Marshall Islands and later Philippines campaign (1944–45). During the approach to Lingayen Gulf and operations around Leyte Gulf, escort carriers like Casablanca provided antisubmarine screens and close air support via composite squadrons, though Casablanca primarily remained on ferry and training duties rather than front-line fleet carrier strike groups.
Casablanca’s service illustrates the multifunctional escort carrier role: training pilots for Carrier Air Groups, ferrying Douglas SBD Dauntless and TBF Avenger aircraft, and substituting as a replenishment platform when fleet attrition demanded. Her deck and hangar facilitated rapid turnover of aircraft launches, qualifications, and maintenance for squadrons later credited in actions over Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Philippine archipelago.
After Victory over Japan Day Casablanca participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating United States service members from Pacific bases to the continental United States. She completed several troop transport voyages before returning to the West Coast for inactivation. Decommissioned on 24 May 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 8 May 1946, she entered the reserve berthing program briefly before being sold for scrapping in 1947. Her dismantling reflected the postwar drawdown and the obsolescence of escort carriers in the face of newer carrier designs such as the Midway-class aircraft carrier and the continuing shift to jet-capable, armored fleet carriers.
Casablanca received service recognition consistent with escort carrier duties during World War II; crew and embarked squadrons were eligible for campaign ribbons and unit commendations related to Pacific operations, training contributions, and participation in Operation Magic Carpet. Individual awards were issued to personnel for specific actions, carrier qualifications, and operational support roles during wartime mobilization.
Casablanca’s commanding officers included career United States Navy aviators and surface warfare officers tasked with overseeing carrier qualification, ferry, and replenishment missions. Commanding officers presided over rapid training rotations, logistical sorties, and postwar repatriation voyages, coordinating with Commander, Carrier Division staffs and Fleet Air Wing commands to integrate the carrier into broader Pacific operations.
Category:Casablanca-class escort carriers Category:Ships built in Seattle Category:1943 ships Category:World War II escort aircraft carriers of the United States