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USS Ommaney Bay

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Ommaney Bay off Hawaii, July 1944.
History
United States
NameOmmaney Bay
NamesakeOmmaney Bay, Baranof Island, Alaska
BuilderKaiser Shipyards
Laid down6 October 1943
Launched29 December 1943
Commissioned11 February 1944
IdentificationHull symbol: CVE-79
Honors and
awards		2 Battle stars
FateStruck by kamikaze aircraft and scuttled, 4 January 1945
General characteristics [1]
Class & typeCasablanca-class escort carrier
Displacement
Length
  • 512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) (oa)
  • 490 ft (150 m) (wl)
  • 474 ft (144 m) (fd)
Beam
Draft20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) (max)
Installed power
Propulsion
Speed19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range10,200 nmi (18,900 km; 11,700 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement860 (ship's crew)
Sensors &
processing systems		1 × SG radar, 1 × SK radar
Armament
Aviation facilities

USS Ommaney Bay (CVE–79) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy, which served during World War II. It was named after Ommaney Bay, located at the south end of Baranof Island, Alaska. Launched in late 1943 and commissioned in early 1944, the ship took part in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign followed by several battles during the Philippines campaign in 1944 and early 1945. She was heavily damaged in a kamikaze attack in action preceding and linked to the launch of the Battle of Luzon and subsequently scuttled on 4 January 1945, with the loss of 95 men, including two men on board the destroyer escort Eichenberger who were killed by flying debris. She earned 2 battle stars whilst in service. In 2023, the Naval History and Heritage Command announced that the wreck was located by "a combination of underwater survey and video information provided by Sea Scan Survey and DPT Scuba, two Australian diving firms, to positively identify the wreck."[2]

Design and description

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A blueprint showing the side profile of an aircraft carrier.
A side profile of the design of Thetis Bay

Ommaney Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of aircraft carriers ever built. The escort carrier programs were driven by the U.S. Navy's unpreparedness to meet the U-boat threat when it entered World War II in December 1941. During the first six months of the Second Happy Time, over 2,000,000 tons of shipping were sunk off the Eastern Seaboard by German submarines. The 1942 escort carrier program had already called for the conversion of twenty-four hulls into escort carriers,[3] but President Franklin D. Roosevelt believed that more were needed to stem the loss of shipping.[4] It was against the backdrop of these losses that the industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, assisted by Roosevelt's advisor Thomas G. Corcoran, gave a presentation to the president for a 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) carrier design by Gibbs & Cox that was to be produced at scale at his shipyards. On 8 June 1942, Roosevelt declared that he desired the construction of the Kaiser design, and after some discussion, it was decided that the program was to be overseen by the Maritime Commission, with the hulls built to standard merchant marine practice.[5] Although Kaiser wished to build not less than a hundred of the design, an order of fifty ships was placed.[6]

The Casablanca-class carriers came into service in late 1943, by which time the U-boats were already in retreat.[4] Some did see service in the Atlantic, but the majority were utilized in the Pacific, ferrying aircraft, providing logistics support, and conducting close air support for the island-hopping campaigns.[7] They were built on the standardized Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, a lengthened variant of the Doyen-class hull, and specifically designed to be mass-produced using welded prefabricated sections. This allowed them to be produced at unprecedented speeds: the final ship of her class, Munda, was delivered to the Navy just 101 days after the laying of her keel.[8]

Ommaney Bay was 512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) long overall (490 ft (150 m) at the waterline), had a beam of 65 ft 2 in (19.86 m), and a draft of 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m). She displaced 8,188 long tons (8,319 t) standard, which increased to 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) with a full load. To carry out flight operations, the ship had a 257 ft (78 m) hangar deck and a 474 ft (144 m) flight deck. Her compact size necessitated the installation of an aircraft catapult at her bow, and there were two aircraft elevators to facilitate movement of aircraft between the flight and hangar deck: one each fore and aft.[9]

She was powered by four Babcock & Wilcox Express D boilers that raised 285 psi (1,970 kPa) of steam at 577 °F (303 °C). The steam generated by these boilers fed two Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines, delivering 9,000 shp (6,700 kW) to two propeller shafts. This allowed her to reach speeds of 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph), with a cruising range of 10,200 nmi (18,900 km; 11,700 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph). For armament, one 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose gun was mounted on the stern. Additional anti-aircraft defense was provided by eight Bofors 40 mm (1.57 in) anti-aircraft guns in four twin mounts and twelve Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons mounted around the perimeter of the deck. By 1945, the standard armament for the Casablanca-class carriers had grown to twenty Oerlikon cannons and sixteen Bofors guns. The sensors onboard consisted of a SG surface-search radar and a SK air-search radar.[10] In action, the Casablanca-class carriers were intended to function with a crew of 860. A typical embarked squadron consisted of sixteen Grumman F4F Wildcat fighters and twelve Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bombers, stored in the hangar deck between the two elevators.[11]

History

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Ommaney Bay was laid down on 6 October 1943 as MCE hull 1116, the twenty-fifth of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers. Her hull was launched on 29 December, sponsored by Mrs P.K. Robottom. She was transferred to the Navy and commissioned on 11 February 1944 at 10:00. In total, her construction and outfitting cost $7,339,521 (equivalent to $103,595,400 in 2024).[12]

She spent much of February 1944 being fitted out at U.S. Naval Ship Yard Tongue Point in Astoria, Oregon.[13] She conducted sea trials in Puget Sound from 4 to 13 March, before proceeding south on 14 March. She arrived at Naval Air Station Alameda on 17 March, and sailed on 19 March for Brisbane, Australia, carrying passengers, aircraft, and supplies.[14] She arrived in Brisbane on 7 April, left port on 12 April, and arrived in San Diego on 27 April.[15] From 1–10 May, she conducted carrier qualification landings, drills and tests, spending the rest of the month moored for alterations and repairs.[16] She sailed on 10 June, conducting a transport mission to Pearl Harbor. She arrived on 16 June, and until August, she trained air groups and squadrons off the Hawaiian coast.[17] On 12 August, Ommaney Bay joined the escort carrier formation Task Unit 32.4.6, commanded by Rear Admiral William D. Sample. She then sailed to Tulagi, arriving on 24 August, where rehearsals were made for Operation Stalemate II, the invasion of the Palau Islands.[18]

After the rehearsals were completed on 26 August, Ommaney Bay set off for the Palau Islands. From 11 September until 1 October, Ommaney Bay provided air cover for the fleet and close support strikes for the forces ashore. Her aircraft targeted Japanese anti-aircraft and artillery emplacements, strafed troop formations, and destroyed supply depots.[19] In total, they expended 63 500 lb (230 kg) GP (general-purpose) bombs, 82 350 lb (160 kg) Mk.54 depth charges[note 1], 54 250 lb (110 kg) GP bombs, 233 100 lb (45 kg) GP bombs, 21 incendiary bombs, 149,060 .50 BMG rounds, and 9,000 .30-06 rounds.[21] On 18 September 1944, a TBM-1C from Ommaney Bay, low on fuel, was the first aircraft to land onto Peleliu's airfield.[22]

On 2 October, Ommaney Bay sailed to Manus Island to renew her depleted stock of fuel and ammunition. She departed to support the Battle of Leyte on 14 October, arrived off Leyte on 22 October, and joined Rear Admiral Felix Stump's Taffy 2 (TU 77.4.2).[23] From 22–24 October, her aircraft attacked anti-aircraft emplacements, pillboxes, bridges, and Japanese positions.[24] Over the night of 25 October, the escort carriers had received reports of the Battle of Surigao Strait, occurring about 100 mi (160 km) to their southwest. In response, Captain Howard Leyland Young, the commander of Ommaney Bay, had ordered some of her Avengers to be outfitted with torpedoes.[25]

On 25 October, at 01:55, Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid ordered three searches at daybreak. Rear Admiral Stump received this order at 04:30, and at 05:09, he delegated one of the searches to Ommaney Bay.[note 2] Two searches were planned, one to cover the Camotes Sea, and one to sweep the area from 340° to 033° from Homonhon, to a distance of 200 mi (320 km). Hampered by the darkness and the rain, it was not until 06:58, by which time the first shells were falling around Taffy 3, that a search contingent of five Wildcats and seven Avengers was finally assembled. If launched expeditiously, the patrol would have intercepted Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's Center Force, providing some advance warning to the American fleet.[25]

Nonetheless, once Ommaney Bay's search contingent had been launched, orders were received that canceled the search and vectored them towards the Camotes Sea, where the Japanese had been sighted. Arriving, they found the heavy cruiser Mogami, escorted by the destroyer Akebono. At 09:02, they set upon Mogami, with her Avengers dropping 500 lb (230 kg) semi-armor-piercing (SAP) and GP bombs. Three bombs hit Mogami, setting her forward aviation fuel storage for her floatplanes ablaze, and disabling her sole remaining turbine.[note 3] Dead in the water, and with her forward 8-inch magazines threatening to blow, the order to abandon ship was given, and Mogami was scuttled by Akebono at 12:56.[27]

Word filtered in of the beleaguered Taffy 3 to the north, and at 07:08, Admiral Kinkaid ordered Taffy 2 to divert all of the aircraft towards the defense.[28] At 08:10, four Avengers took off from Ommaney Bay, each armed with a Mark 13 torpedo. Her pilots made a run against a heavy cruiser, possibly Tone, and observed a torpedo hit on the stern of a heavy cruiser, possibly Chikuma. One of her Avengers, having failed to release its torpedo earlier, dropped it against the battleship Kongō, forcing her to make a hard turn away from Taffy 3.[29] At 09:15, she launched one of her Avengers with a Mk.13 torpedo,[30] and at 11:20, another flight of three torpedo-carrying Avengers was dispatched, both returning with inconclusive results.[31]

At 13:15, four Wildcats and six Avengers were launched from Ommaney Bay to pursue Kurita's fleet. They assembled into a formation of eight Wildcats and eleven Avengers, setting off at 13:31. Three of her Avengers were armed with torpedoes, with the other three were each carrying three 500 lb (230 kg) SAP bombs. At 14:00, one of her Avengers spotted a blip on its radar. Peeling off, the three torpedo-laden Avengers found Chikuma dead in the water, accompanied by the escorting destroyer Nowaki. Diving down to attack, all three torpedoes were planted into the port of the stationary Chikuma. Within fifteen minutes, Chikuma had capsized.[32] At 15:10, a final strike of two Avengers, each armed with three 500 lb (230 kg) SAP bombs and six HE rockets, was launched, which attacked a damaged Japanese destroyer, possibly Hayashimo.[33]

Ommaney Bay launched six strikes that day. As part of Taffy 2, she was also obliged to accept aircraft from other task groups, which were damaged or low on fuel from their strikes. She was forced to jettison several aircraft over her deck to preserve the functionality of her flight deck.[34] She remained on station until 30 October, when her task group retired from Leyte Gulf for Manus.[35]

A Yokosuka P1Y kamikaze aircraft passing above Ommaney Bay's flight deck.

The carrier spent the month of November at Manus and Kossol Passage for availability and replenishment. On 10 November, she was docked in Seeadler Harbor, over one point five miles (2.4 km) from the ammunition ship Mount Hood, when the ship suddenly exploded violently. Even from her distant vantage point, Ommaney Bay was showered with metal fragments, and was hit by a tidal wave. From 12 December to 17 December, the escort carrier operated in the Mindanao and Sulu Seas in support of operations on the island of Mindoro.[36]

On the early morning of 15 December, forty Japanese planes, divided equally between kamikazes and escorts, took off from Clark Field and Davao, bound for the battleships and carriers to the east of Mindoro. The first sightings were reported at 7:00, and for the rest of the morning, kamikaze attacks harried the task force. At 09:40, a group of Japanese planes dove towards the carriers. One plane missed with a bomb, and disengaged, and two were shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Manila Bay and the destroyer escorts. However, a Yokosuka P1Y kamikaze dove directly towards Ommaney Bay, approaching from the port-bow side. Engaged by heavy anti-aircraft fire from the entire task force, the plane was set ablaze about four hundred yards (370 m) away, and passed thirty yards (27 m) over the flight deck, crashing into the ocean. On 19 December she returned to Kossol Passage. On 27 December, she departed for the Philippines in support of the planned 6th Army landings at Lingayen Gulf. After arriving, she paused at San Pedro Bay, before leaving port and entering the Sulu Sea on 3 January 1945.[37]

Sinking

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Ommaney Bay under attack by kamikaze aircraft, 4 January 1945.
Ommaney Bay burning after the kamikaze attack.
Ommaney Bay engulfed in smoke and flames, a short while after the attack. Photographed from the battleship West Virginia, the destroyer Patterson is depicted maneuvering into position, whilst attempting to combat the flames.

On the afternoon of 4 January 1945, she was transiting the Sulu Sea, to the west of the Philippines. At 17:00, approximately 15 Japanese planes were picked up on radar, 45 nautical miles (83 km; 52 mi) west of the task group, and approaching quickly. These planes split into two groups, one group heading towards the rear of the task group, whilst the other continued on its course towards the center. Although fighters from the carrier group were scrambled, false radar signals hampered their efforts to intercept, and the only successful interception was when P-47 fighters intercepted two enemy planes, shooting down one. The other plane escaped, and is believed to be the kamikaze which would attack Ommaney Bay. This successful intercept was not reported back to command, nor was the fact that the plane which escaped was being herded towards the carrier group.[38] At 17:12, a Yokosuka P1Y penetrated the screen undetected and made for Ommaney Bay, approaching directly towards the ship's bow. Captain Young later reported that the kamikaze's approach was concealed by the blinding glare of the sun.[39]

Captain Young, acutely aware of the kamikaze threat, had assigned multiple lookouts throughout the carrier's deck. At the time of the attack, ten lookouts were assigned, along with an additional lookout located on the signal platform, equipped with Polaroid glasses. Additionally, a lack of radar signals had led the task group to believe that the Japanese planes had withdrawn, and the kamikaze attack took the lookouts by complete surprise. New Mexico was only able to respond with inaccurate anti-aircraft fire, whilst Ommaney Bay was unable to react at all.[40] The plane sliced across the superstructure with its wing, collapsing it onto the flight deck. It then veered into her flight deck on the forward starboard side. Two bombs were released; one of them penetrated the flight deck and detonated below, setting off a series of explosions among the fully gassed planes on the forward third of the hangar deck, near the No. 1 boiler uptakes.[41] The second bomb passed through the hangar deck, ruptured the fire main on the second deck, and exploded near the starboard side.[42] A TBM torpedo bomber had been hit by the kamikaze's wreckage, sparking a fire which consumed the aft of the flight deck. Water pressure forward was lost immediately, along with power and bridge communications. An oil tank may have been breached, contributing to the fire, as the smoke was noted as looking "oily".[43]

Men struggling with the terrific blazes on the hangar deck soon had to abandon it because of the heavy black smoke from the burning planes and exploding .50 caliber ammunition. Destroyer escorts found it difficult to assist Ommaney Bay, because of the intense heat, the ammunition going off, and the real possibility that a catastrophic detonation could be triggered by the blaze. The destroyer Bell, attempting to maneuver into a position to fight the fires, collided with the carrier, damaging her port bridge wing. At 17:45, wounded crew began to be taken off the ship, and by 17:50 the entire topside area had become untenable. In addition, the stored torpedo warheads threatened to detonate at any time. The order to abandon ship was given. At 18:12, Captain Young was the last man to evacuate the burning wreck. At 18:18, the torpedoes stored in the aft end of the ship finally detonated, collapsing the flight deck and launching debris onto the destroyers who were rescuing survivors. Two crewmen from the Eichenberger aboard a motor whaleboat were struck and killed by airborne debris.[44]

At 19:58 the carrier was scuttled by a torpedo from the destroyer Burns, under orders from Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf.[45] A total of 95 Navy men were lost, and 65 men were wounded, including the two killed from Eichenberger.[42] On 6 January and on 9 January, Columbia was struck by kamikaze attacks, killing seven survivors rescued from Ommaney Bay.[46] As a replacement for the sunken carrier, Shamrock Bay was dispatched to support the landing on Lingayen Gulf.[47]

Discovery of wreck

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On July 10, 2023, the Naval History and Heritage Command at the Washington Navy Yard announced that two Australian diving firms had located the wreck in the Sulu Sea. Retired Rear Admiral Samuel J. Cox said that "wreckage had been spotted at the site and preliminarily examined several years ago...There's no other escort carrier anywhere near there, so we were pretty sure that that's what it was and where it was... Then this latest group was able to get down there and find enough features so that there's absolutely no doubt.” [2]

Squadron history

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Operation Embarked Squadron Fighters Torpedo bombers Recon planes Total
Battle of Peleliu[48] Composite Squadron (VC) 75 16 FM-2 11 TBM-1C 27
Battle of Leyte[49] 16 FM-2 11 TBM-1C 27
Battle of Mindoro[50] 24 FM-2 9 TBM-1C 33
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf[51] 19 FM-2 10 TBM-1C, 1 TBM-3 1 TBM-1CP 31

See also

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Notes

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  1. ↑ Refitted with M219 impact fuzes for the ground attack role.[20]
  2. ↑ 0509: Received the following orders from CTU 77.4.2: Make the following searches for Jap surface ships, 340° 030°, distance 135 miles. Origin, SULUAN ISLAND. Also search MINDANAO SEA, distance 100 miles from SURIGAO STRAITS, COMOTES SEA area. These two areas to be cleared by 0900.[26]
  3. ↑ Mogami's action report states that her engine, which had grown too hot and been evacuated at 04:45, had independently failed. Abukuma's report directly attributes the loss of Mogami's engine to the bomb hit.

References

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  1. ↑ Chesneau & Gardiner 1980, p. 109.
  2. 1 2 Ruane, Michael (11 July 2023). "Navy identifies wreck of WWII aircraft carrier hit by kamikaze plane". Washington Post. No. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
  3. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, pp. 6–8.
  4. 1 2 Friedman 1983, p. 174.
  5. ↑ Foster 2014, p. 86; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 9–10; Friedman 1983, p. 175.
  6. ↑ Friedman 1983, p. 175.
  7. ↑ Adcock 1996, p. 30; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 56–60.
  8. ↑ Ross 1993, p. 8; Y'Blood 2012, p. 34.
  9. ↑ Chesneau & Gardiner 1980, p. 109; Ross 1993, p. 19; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 34–35.
  10. ↑ Chesneau & Gardiner 1980, p. 109; Ross 1993, pp. 19–21.
  11. ↑ Baker 2007.
  12. ↑ MARCOM; DANFS 2015; Ommaney Bay War Diary February 1944, p. 1.
  13. ↑ Ommaney Bay War Diary February 1944, p. 1.
  14. ↑ Ommaney Bay War Diary March–April 1944, p. 1.
  15. ↑ Ommaney Bay War Diary February 1944, pp. 2–4.
  16. ↑ Ommaney Bay War Diary May 1944, p. 1.
  17. ↑ Ommaney Bay War Diary June 1944.
  18. ↑ Ommaney Bay War Diary August 1944.
  19. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report September–October 1944, pp. 1–2.
  20. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report September–October 1944, pp. 5, 7, 111.
  21. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report September–October 1944, p. 7.
  22. ↑ DANFS 2015; Y'Blood 2012, p. 115.
  23. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 128; Ommaney Bay War Diary October 1944, p. 3.
  24. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, p. 6.
  25. 1 2 Y'Blood 2012, p. 151.
  26. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, p. 14.
  27. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, pp. 152–153; Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 87–91; Tully 2014, pp. 255–259; Hackett & Kingsepp 2019.
  28. ↑ Lundgren 2014, p. 66; Y'Blood 2012, p. 158.
  29. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 92–99; Y'Blood 2012, p. 202.
  30. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 100–104.
  31. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 105–109.
  32. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 106–117; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 222–224; Tully, Wright & Tamura 2000.
  33. ↑ Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 118–122.
  34. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 222.
  35. ↑ DANFS 2015; Y'Blood 2012, p. 242; Ommaney Bay Action Report October 1944, pp. 123–139.
  36. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 246.
  37. ↑ DANFS 2015; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 262–263.
  38. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, pp. 279–280.
  39. ↑ Smith 2014, p. 43.
  40. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, pp. 281.
  41. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, pp. 282.
  42. 1 2 Smith 2014, p. 44.
  43. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, pp. 283; Rielly 2010, p. 154.
  44. ↑ Smith 2014, p. 44; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 284–286.
  45. ↑ Smith 2014, p. 45; Y'Blood 2012, pp. 287.
  46. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 300.
  47. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 310.
  48. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 109.
  49. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 128.
  50. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 251.
  51. ↑ Y'Blood 2012, p. 277.

Sources

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Online sources

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Bibliography

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Military documents

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  • Photo gallery of USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79) at NavSource Naval History

11°25′N 121°19′E / 11.417°N 121.317°E / 11.417; 121.317

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