- USS Altamaha (CVE-18)
USS "Altamaha" (AVG-18/ACV-18/CVE-18) was an
escort aircraft carrier in theUnited States Navy during World War II. She was named for theAltamaha River in Georgia."Altamaha" was laid down under a
Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 235) on 19 December 1941 atTacoma, Washington , by theSeattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation ; launched on 25 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas S. Combs, the wife of Comdr. Combs who was the commanding officer ofseaplane tender USS|Casco|AVP-12|2, and commissioned on 15 September 1942 Capt. J. R. Tate in command.Following brief sea trials, "Altamaha" got underway for
San Diego, California , on 27 October in company with USS|Kendrick|DD-612|2. While they were en route, "Kendrick" spotted asubmarine and claimed that members of her crew had seen three torpedoes which had been fired at the escort carrier. However, no one on "Altamaha" observed any of the torpedoes. The voyage continued uneventfully, and the ships reached San Diego on October 31. The carrier then took on aircraft and passengers and sailed in convoy on 3 November for the southwest Pacific.Upon reaching
Espiritu Santo on 24 November, she delivered part of her cargo and continued on toNew Caledonia . She reachedNouméa on 28 November and commenced a period of flight operations and training exercises. The vessel returned to Espiritu Santo on 30 December, but continued on to theFiji Islands and touched atNadi on 13 January 1943 before beginning another period of opertional training.In early February, "Altamaha" paused off
Funafuti ,Ellice Islands ; loaded cargo and personnel on to barges and sent them ashore. The carrier then proceeded toHawaii and arrived atPearl Harbor on 10 February. There, the planes and personnel of Air Group 11 came on board, and the ship set a course for theFiji Islands on February 19. She reached Nadi on 28 February, discharged her cargo, and reversed her course back toward theHawaiian Islands .After a short stay in port at Pearl Harbor, the escort carrier got underway on 9 March with replacement aircraft for the flattops of the Pacific Fleet. She paused at
Palmyra Island on 15 March, continued on toJohnston Island debarked marine aviation personnel on March 17; and touched at Midway three days later before reversing course and returning to Hawaii. She remained at Pearl Harbor for one day, 23 March, and then continued on to the West Coast."Altamaha" reached San Diego on 1 April and commenced three and one-half months of flight operations off the
California coast alternated with upkeep in San Diego. On 13 July, she arrived atAlameda, California , to take on planes from the naval air station there. The escort carrier got underway for Australia three days later and madeBrisbane on 3 August. Following a 10-day visit to Fremantle, she got underway on August 16 forIndia and arrived atKarachi on 28 August and delivered 29 Army Air Force airplanes.On 2 September, the escort carrier reversed her course and steamed back to Australia. She reached
Melbourne on September 18 and, at the end of three days there in a leave and upkeep status got underway for the West Coast of the United States. On 8 October, the vessel entered theMare Island Navy Yard ,Vallejo, California , for overhaul.The escort carrier got underway for sea trials on 8 November paused briefly at Alameda to take on replacement aircraft, and sailed on November 13 for Brisbane. "Altamaha" reached her destination on 30 November and began discharging her cargo. The ship left there on 4 December to return home. Upon her arrival at San Diego on December 21, she began a period of local operations carrier qualifications, and repairs.
The ship got underway for Pearl Harbor on 22 March 1944 arrived there on March 28, and began taking on Composite Squadron 6 for transportation to an operating area 300 miles east of the
Marshall Islands . The carrier had been selected to be the nucleus of Task Group (TG) 11.1-which was established for ahunter-killer operation to destroy Japanesesubmarines operating against the Pearl Harbor-Marshall Islands supply lines-and left Hawaii in company with fourdestroyer escorts on 30 March. The warships reached their assigned area on 3 April and began their first patrol. The group reported contacting two submarines but did not receive credit for damaging or destroying either. The task group put intoMajuro Atoll on 8 April to allow the destroyer escorts to refuel.The ships sailed on April 11 to carry out a second antisubmarine mission. "Altamaha" was the target of a torpedo attack on April 15 but successfully evaded all four shots. The remainder of the patrol passed uneventfully before TG 11.1 was relieved on 18 April and shaped a course for Pearl Harbor. Following a short upkeep period in Hawaiian waters, the carrier returned to
Majuro in early May and operated in an antisubmarine screen off the Marshall Islands for several days before returning to Pearl Harbor on 11 May.After a two-day layover in Hawaii, "Altamaha" pushed on toward the West Coast. Reaching Alameda on May 18, she entered the shipyard of the
United Engineering Company for repairs and alterations. She resumed operations on the last day in May and headed for Hawaii, laden with aircraft and spare parts.Having delivered her cargo at Pearl Harbor, "Altamaha" returned to Alameda. From there, she proceeded to San Diego which she reached on 19 June and spent two days loading men and equipment before departing California on June 21, bound for the
New Hebrides . She reached Espiritu Santo on 7 July, discharged cargo and, on July 12, headed forMorobe ,New Guinea , where she arrived on 16 July. Having made additional calls atLangemak , New Guinea, andSeeadler Harbor ,Manus Island , "Altamaha" arrived back at Espiritu Santo on the 25th. She made one more cruise from this island, during which she visited Seeadler Harbor andGuadalcanal . The carrier departed the New Hebrides on 10 August bound for Hawaii."Altamaha" paused at Pearl Harbor for two days and then sailed on to San Diego. She spent four days there before getting underway and setting course for Pearl Harbor. She departed Hawaiian waters on 8 September, made port calls at
Emirau Island and Seeadler Harbor, and returned to San Diego, where she arrived on 6 October. The vessel next spent three weeks in local operations before getting underway on October 26 for another voyage west.The escort carrier paused at Pearl Harbor for three days, then sailed for
Eniwetok with replacement aircraft and pilots. On 15 November, she reachedUlithi and then carried out flight operations off Ulithi through 14 December, when she got underway for the 3d Fleet replenishment area. On December 16, the ship joined TG 30.8 - which was composed of oilers and replacement carriers - in thePhilippine Sea and, the next day, began transferring pilots to USS|Buchanan|DD-484|2. However, heavy seas compelled her to break off that task. By early morning on December 18, the disturbance had grown into a ragingtyphoon . By 0900, the escort carrier was laboring heavily and rolling as much as 25 to 30 degrees to either side. An hour later, visibility dropped to zero, and the vessel abandoned all effort to keep station. Almost one-half of the aircraft on board "Altamaha" broke loose and plunged overboard. The ship also experienced problems with flooding in the forward elevator pit. By 1600, the weather was improving and the ship rode better. Soon she made a rendezvous with other members of TG 30.8.While the carrier sustained considerable material damage, she suffered no personnel casualties and was able to resume her resupply operations on 19 December. "Altamaha" continued her operations with the replenishment group through early February 1945. During this time, she serviced 3rd Fleet units in
Philippine waters and made port calls atGuam , Manus and Ulithi. On 15 February, the ship touched at Pearl Harbor."Altamaha" continued on to the West Coast, arriving at Alameda on 26 February. The ship began an availability at the
Hunters Point Navy Yard on 3 March during which she was dry-docked for routine work below the waterline and repairs to apropeller damaged in the typhoon. The carrier emerged from the yard on 14 March and began loading planes, ammunition, and supplies for transportation to Pearl Harbor.During the remaining months of World War II, "Altamaha" provided general transportation service from Alameda, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor to various points in the Pacific. Among her stops were Guam,
Saipan , Eniwetok,Kossol Roads and Samar. Following the Japanese capitulation in mid-August "Altamaha" returned to the West Coast for repairs and an overhaul at the Hunters Point Navy Yard. She began sea trials in mid-October and got underway for Pearl Harbor on the 22d. The vessel was then assigned to the "Magic-Carpet" fleet and transported armed forces personnel and equipment throughout the Pacific back to the United States.On 15 January 1946, "Altamaha" headed to Tacoma, Washington. Deactivation preparations were begun there, and the carrier was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 September 1946. The ship was redesignated CVHE-18 on 12 June 1955. Her name was struck from the
Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959, and the vessel was sold on 25 April 1961 to Eisenberg & Co., New York City, N.Y., and, later that year, was scrapped in Japan."Altamaha" won one battle star for her World War II service.
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*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/a7/altamaha-i.htm
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