USS Independence (CVL-22)

USS Independence (CVL-22)
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Ship name	USS Independence (CVL-22)
Ship caption	USS Independence underway, 1942
Ship country	United States
Ship registry	United States Navy
Ship namesake	Independence
Ship builder	Newport News Shipbuilding
Ship laid down	9 June 1941
Ship launched	3 April 1942
Ship commissioned	14 January 1943
Ship decommissioned	29 January 1947
Ship fate	Sold for scrap 1951
Ship class	Independence-class light aircraft carrier
Ship displacement	11,000 tons (standard)
Ship length	622 ft
Ship beam	71 ft
Ship draft	23 ft
Ship propulsion	Steam turbines
Ship speed	31.5 kn
Ship complement	1,569
Ship aircraft carried	~30–35

USS Independence (CVL-22) was an Independence-class light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy commissioned during World War II. Converted from the light cruiser hull of a Cleveland-class cruiser design, she provided air support across the Pacific Theater and participated in major operations including the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Independence earned multiple battle stars for wartime service and became notable for surviving heavy damage before returning to action.

Design and Construction

Independence was laid down at Newport News Shipbuilding as a light cruiser hull under the Emergency Shipbuilding Program before being reordered as a light aircraft carrier in response to losses at Pearl Harbor and the urgent carrier shortage that followed. The conversion produced an Independence-class light aircraft carrier characterized by a flush-deck flight deck, compact hangar deck, and a higher speed derived from steam turbine propulsion used in contemporary Brooklyn-class cruiser designs. Naval architects adapted elements from the Cleveland-class cruiser drawings to expedite construction, trading armor and sustained sortie capacity for rapid production and increased carrier numbers to support operations in the Central Pacific Campaign. The design emphasized aircraft complement flexibility to operate Grumman F6F Hellcat, Vought F4U Corsair, and Douglas SBD Dauntless types within carrier air groups assigned by Chief of Naval Operations directives.

Commissioning and Early Service

Commissioned on 14 January 1943 with Captain Norman K. “Dusty” Anderson in command, Independence completed shakedown and carrier qualifications along the United States West Coast and in the Caribbean Sea before joining the Pacific Fleet task forces. Assigned to Task Force 16 and later elements of Task Force 58, she embarked composite air groups drawn from Naval Air Station squadrons and trained intensively with fast carrier task force doctrines developed by Admiral Chester W. Nimitz and Admiral William F. Halsey Jr.. Early operations included escorting amphibious assault convoys and providing combat air patrols and strikes in support of the Gilbert Islands invasion and the Marshall Islands campaign under operational control of Commander, Air Force, Pacific Fleet planners.

World War II Operations

Independence’s wartime record encompassed strikes across the Central Pacific, Marianas Islands, and the Philippines. She launched air operations in support of the Battle of the Philippine Sea while integrated into Task Group formations commanded by Admirals Marc A. Mitscher and Raymond Spruance. Aircraft from her carrier air groups conducted fighter sweeps, dive-bombing, and torpedo attacks targeting Japanese Navy installations, airfields, and surface units during the Marianas campaign, Palau Islands operation, and the Leyte Gulf operations. Independence’s pilots engaged Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters, intercepted Kawanishi H8K flying boats, and contributed to interdiction efforts against Shortland Islands and Rabaul-area targets supporting Allied advances. During the Philippine liberation she supported admiral-level fleet actions and provided on-station replacement aircraft and personnel for carrier task groups engaged in the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

Damage, Repair, and Modifications

Independence sustained significant damage on multiple occasions, most notably during intense kamikaze and air attack phases late in 1944 and early 1945. Struck and damaged by enemy action and in one incident by internal explosions associated with ordnance handling, she required emergency repairs at forward bases such as Ulithi Atoll before transiting to Pearl Harbor and then to Puget Sound Navy Yard for drydock overhaul. Repair periods included augmentation of anti-aircraft batteries with additional Bofors 40 mm and Oerlikon 20 mm mounts, reinforcement of flight deck fittings, and upgrades to radar and combat information center systems in line with evolving Naval Tactical Data System practices. Structural adjustments optimized hangar arrangements for increased sortie rates and the ship received improved firefighting and damage-control equipment following investigations into carrier survivability after engagements such as the Battle of Okinawa.

Postwar Activities and Decommissioning

After Japanese Instrument of Surrender and the end of World War II, Independence participated in Operation Magic Carpet runs repatriating United States servicemen from Philippines and China ports to the West Coast of the United States. She also took part in peacetime carrier fleet exercises and goodwill visits before being placed in reserve under the 12th Naval District as postwar demobilization reduced active force levels. Decommissioned on 29 January 1947 and berthed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, she was later stricken from the Naval Vessel Register and sold for scrap in 1951, concluding her hull’s service after having served across major Pacific War campaigns.

Legacy and Commemoration

Independence’s service contributed to the tactical evolution of United States Navy carrier aviation, influencing postwar carrier design discussions that included lessons applied toward Essex-class aircraft carrier improvements and eventually the forerunners of supercarrier development. Veterans’ reunions, museum exhibits, and mentions in histories of the Fast Carrier Task Force preserve her operational story; she is cited in analyses of carrier conversion programs initiated by the U.S. Navy during crises following Pearl Harbor. Several crew members received individual awards tied to actions while embarked, and scholarly works on Pacific War naval operations reference Independence’s deployments in studies of naval logistics, damage control, and carrier task force tactics.

Category:Independence-class aircraft carriers Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States