USS Santee (CVE-29)

The second USS "Santee" (CVE-29) (originally launched as AO-29, following reclassification as an escort aircraft carrier, was originally ACV-29) was launched on 4 March 1939 as "Esso Seakay" under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 3) by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, sponsored by Mrs. Charles Kurz; acquired by the United States Navy on 18 October 1940; and commissioned on 30 October 1940 as AO-29, with Commander William G. B. Hatch in command.

Prior to her acquisition by the Navy, "Esso Seakay" had been operated by Standard Oil of New Jersey on the west coast. During her commercial service, she set several records for fast oil hauling. Its original model was a type T3-S2-A1 tanker.

After commissioning, "Santee" served in the Atlantic. When American neutrality ended on 7 December 1941, "Santee" was carrying oil for a secret airdrome at NS Argentia, Newfoundland. In the spring of 1942, Santee's conversion to an aircraft carrier was begun at the Norfolk Navy Yard.

1942

On 24 August 1942, "Santee" was commissioned as an escort carrier with designation ACV-29, with Commander William Sample in command. The ACV was fitted with such haste that workmen from Norfolk were still on board during her shakedown training and her decks were piled high with stores. After conversion, nominally completed on 8 September, "Santee" reported to Task Force 22 (TF 22) and the first plane landed on her flight deck on 24 September.

After shakedown, "Santee" departed Bermuda on 25 October and headed for the coast of Africa. While the escort carrier was en route on 30 October, an SBD-3 scout bomber being launched from a catapult dropped a 325 pound depth bomb onto the flight deck. It rolled off the deck and detonated close to the port bow shaking the entire ship, carrying away the rangefinder and a searchlight base, and damaging radar antennas.

Nevertheless, "Santee" continued steaming with Task Group 34.2 (TG 34.2). On 7 November, the escort carrier, with destroyers USS|Rodman|DD-456|2 and USS|Emmons|DD-457|2, and minelayer, USS|Monadnock|CMC-4|2, left the formation and, the following morning, took positions off Safi, French Morocco. "Santee" launched planes and fueled ships until Friday, 13 November, when she rejoined TG 34.2 and returned to Bermuda. The group departed that island on 22 November and anchored in Hampton Roads, Virginia two days later.

1943

After voyage repairs and drydock, "Santee" got underway with destroyer USS|Eberle|DD-430|2, on 26 December. On 1 January 1943, "Santee" anchored at Port of Spain, Trinidad. Two days later, with destroyers "Eberle" and USS|Livermore|DD-429|2, she headed for the coast of Brazil. After disembarking passengers at Recife, she sailed to join Task Unit 23.1.6 (TU 23.1.6) at sea in tightening the noose on enemy merchant shipping and naval activity in the South Atlantic.

For a month, her planes flew antisubmarine missions and regular patrols. On 15 February, the escort carrier put in at Recife, remaining until 21 February. Back conducting routine sorties in the same manner, "Santee" operated from 21 February through 2 March when she again put in to Recife.

Her next period at sea, which began on 4 March, brought action. On 10 March, light cruiser USS|Savannah|CL-42|2 and "Eberle" were investigating a cargo liner which had been spotted by Santee's aircraft and which had been tentatively identified as the "Karin", a Dutch merchantman. It turned out to be the German blockade runner "Kota Nopan" (ex-Dutch "Kota Pinang"). As the "Eberle" boarding party drew alongside, explosives placed by the abandoning crew detonated, killing eight boarders. On 15 March, "Santee" set out for Norfolk and anchored at Hampton Roads on 28 March.

Underway again on 13 June, with four-stacked destroyers, USS|Bainbridge|DD-246|2, USS|Overton|DD-239|2, and USS|MacLeish|DD-220|2, "Santee" reached Casablanca on 3 July. Four days later, the escort carrier departed the harbor with a convoy of homeward-bound empties. No submarines were sighted, but one of her Avengers made a forced landing in Spain, and its crew was interned. Santee's small task group left the convoy on 12 July with orders to operate independently against Nazi submarine concentrations south of the Azores. She remained at this anti-submarine work until 25 July and managed to attack seven surfaced U-boats, at the price of two SBD Dauntless dive bombers.

On the 25th, she joined a west-bound convoy, which reached the Virginia coast on 6 August. On 26 August, "Santee", with destroyers "Bainbridge" and USS|Greer|DD-145|2, again headed into the Atlantic; and two days steaming brought them to Bermuda.

"Santee" made another convoy run from Bermuda to Casablanca and back to Hampton Roads from 29 August to 13 October. On 25 October, the escort carrier departed the east coast for Casablanca, reaching Basin Delpit on 13 November. Standing out of Casablanca the next day, she rendezvoused on 17 November with USS|Iowa|BB-61|6, carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt. After providing air cover for the battleship and her escorts for several days, "Santee" was ordered to the Bay of Biscay, where she engaged in anti-submarine work until the end of November.

As TG 21.11, "Santee" and a trio of four-stackers patrolled the North Atlantic from 1–9 December. The group was dissolved upon arrival at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 10 December, and "Santee", minus her aircraft, stood out of Norfolk on 21 December, and headed for New York in company with battleship USS|Texas|BB-35|2, and several destroyers. From 22–28 December, the escort carrier packed her hangar and flight decks with P-38 Lightning fighter planes at Staten Island. Getting underway in convoy on 29 December, she steamed unchallenged across the North Atlantic, reaching Glasgow on 9 January 1944.

1944

Emptied of her P-38 cargo, "Santee" departed Glasgow in convoy on 13 January and returned to Norfolk on 24 January. She stood out of Norfolk on 13 February with destroyer escort USS|Tatum|DE-789|2, transited the Panama Canal on 18–19 February and moored at San Diego, California, on 28 February. There, "Santee" embarked 300 Navy and Marine Corps personnel and 31 aircraft for delivery to Pearl Harbor. She also took on 24 F4F Wildcat fighters and TBF Avenger dive bombers as her own instruments of war.

Standing out of San Diego Bay on 2 March, the CVE unloaded her ferried aircraft and personnel at Pearl Harbor upon her arrival on 9 March.

Escort carriers USS|Sangamon|CVE-26|2, USS|Suwannee|CVE-27|2, USS|Chenango|CVE-28|2 and "Santee", all former oilers, swarmed out of Pearl Harbor with a flock of destroyers on 15 March, heading southwest. Designated Carrier Division 22 (CarDiv 22), they joined the fast carriers of the 5th Fleet on 27 March and sped west to the Palaus. There, their planes of CarDiv 22 flew patrols over vulnerable tankers before setting course for Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides on 4 April.

In this, the closing phase of the New Guinea campaign, "Santee" fueled and provisioned near Espiritu Santo from 7–10 April; then sailed to Purvis Bay, Solomons, on 13 April. CarDiv 22 joined CarDiv 24 and a destroyer squadron on 16 April and set course for New Guinea.

Santee's air group aircraft aided in destroying 100 enemy aircraft and ripping up enemy airfields before the landings, prior to departing for Manus Island, Admiralties, on 24 April. Arriving at Seeadler Harbor the next day, "Santee" and her sister ships took on fuel and food; then sailed again on 26 April for Hollandia (currently known as Jayapura). From 12 May through 1 June, "Santee" traded in her own air arm for 66 F4U Corsairs and 15 F6F Hellcats and personnel of Marine Air Group 21 (MAG 21). On 2 June, Carrier Division 22 started north for Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshalls. On 4 August, the CVE reached newly-won Guam. The 81 aircraft of Air Group 21 became the first planes to operate from the reconquered island.

After training exercises and the re-embarkment of her own planes at Manus, "Santee" got underway on 10 September and rendezvoused with Task Force 77 near Mapia Island. At Morotai in the Moluccas, "Santee" Avengers bombed ground installations. One plane was lost to the enemy, but "Santee" herself had no contact with the Japanese. By 1 October, the CVE was back in Seeadler Harbor.

Sailing from Manus on 12 October, "Santee" and accompanying combatants reached Philippine waters on 20 October. The escort carrier's gunners shot down an enemy plane during an air attack that morning, and her aircraft splashed two more.

At 07:36 on 25 October, "Santee" launched five Avenger and eight Wildcat aircraft for an attack against Japanese surface units some 120 miles to the north. At 07:40, a Japanese plane made a suicide dive on "Santee" with an estimated 63 kilogram bomb, crashing through the flight deck and stopping on the hangar deck. At 07:56, a torpedo fired from a Japanese submarine struck the ship, causing flooding of several compartments and a six degree list. Emergency repairs were completed by 09:35.

Between 18–27 October, "Santee" planes shot down 31 Japanese planes and sank one 5,000 ton ammunition ship, in addition to damage inflicted by strafing during their 377 sorties. On 31 October, the CVE anchored in Seeadler Harbor for temporary repairs to battle damage.

Underway again on 9 November, she moored at Pearl Harbor on 19 November. Following more repairs, the escort carrier embarked 98 Marines for transportation to the United States and entered Los Angeles Harbor on 5 December. "Santee" completed the year undergoing repairs to battle damage and general overhaul.

1945

After post repair trials at San Diego, the escort carrier headed toward Hawaii on 31 January 1945, and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 February. On 7 March, she got underway for Ulithi in the Western Carolines, altering her course en route to assist in the search for the B-24 which had disappeared while carrying Army Lieutenant General Millard F. Harmon, before anchoring on 19 March. Two days later "Santee" steamed toward Leyte Gulf.

On 27 March, "Santee" departed the Philippines to provide air coverage for southern transport groups Dog and Easy en route to the objective area at Okinawa Gunto for the invasion of Okinawa Jima, the largest combined operation of the Pacific war.

On Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, "Santee" provided direct support to the American ground forces landing on Okinawa and she continued this duty until 8 April, when she turned to aid British carriers in denying the use of Sakishima Gunto airfields to the enemy. For 42 consecutive dawns, Santee's aircraft winged over target sectors in the East China Sea, with daily returns to Okinawa itself for routine ground support. On 16 June, "Santee" launched a fighter bomber mission against specified targets on Kyūshū, Japan.

Pulling out of the Okinawa area that day, "Santee" reached Leyte Gulf on 19 June, where minor repairs were made. Out again on 1 July, she operated west of Okinawa from 5–14 July, covering minesweeping operations. On 7 July, a tail hook broke on a landing aircraft, allowing it to clear all barriers, crash among parked planes, and cause a fire. Four fighters and two torpedo bombers were jettisoned, six torpedo bombers were rendered non-flyable duds, and one of the pilots of the parked aircraft was killed.

"Santee" was detached from the task unit on 15 July and proceeded to Guam, arriving at Apra Harbor four days later. Following flight deck repairs and general upkeep, the escort carrier got underway on 5 August for Saipan, engaging in carrier aircraft training for squadrons flown from that island en route. Anchoring in Saipan Harbor on 9 August, the CVE got underway for the Philippines on 13 August. "Santee" received word of the cessation of the hostilities against Japan on 15 August and anchored in San Pedro Bay, Leyte, two days later.

On 4 September, while en route to Korea to support occupation forces there, "Santee" was ordered to northern Formosa to evacuate ex-prisoners of war. On 5 September, the escort carrier received, from destroyer escort USS|Kretchmer|DE-329|2, 155 officers and men of the British and Indian Armies. These soldiers had been captured by the Japanese in Malaya in 1942. They were given medical aid and berthed on the hangar deck. The next day, "Santee" picked up additional men from destroyer escorts USS|Finch|DE-328|2 and USS|Brister|DE-327|2, making a total of 322 officers and men. They included 30 American Army and Naval officers and men who had been taken on Bataan and Corregidor, and 10 officers and men from the Dutch Army and Merchant Marine, captured in Java. On 9 September, "Santee" disembarked the 477 evacuees at Manila Bay.

Five days later, "Santee" stood out of Manila Bay and steamed for Okinawa, anchoring at Buckner Bay on 19 September. Underway again the next day, "Santee" reached Wakanoura Wan, Honshū, Japan, on 22 September. From 24–26 September, "Santee" steamed along the coast, providing air coverage for occupation forces landing at Wakayama.

"Santee" departed Wakanoura Wan on 3 October, left her formation on 6 October to search for a missing PBM Mariner aircraft which had carried Rear Admiral William D. Sample, the ship's first commanding officer after her conversion to an escort carrier.

On 20 October, "Santee" got underway for Okinawa, arriving two days later at Buckner Bay. On 23 October, "Santee" got underway for Pearl Harbor, disembarking 375 passengers there on 4 November. The next day, "Santee" continued her role in "Operation Magic Carpet" by embarking 18 marines bound for the west coast.

Anchoring at San Diego on 11 November, "Santee" remained there until 26 November, when she got underway for Guam on additional "Magic Carpet" duty.

On 27 February 1946, "Santee" departed San Diego and arrived at Boston Harbor on 25 March, via the Panama Canal. The CVE was placed in reserve on 21 October. "Santee" was reclassified on 12 June 1955 as an escort helicopter aircraft carrier, CVHE-29, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959. On 5 December 1959, she was sold to the Master Metals Company for scrapping.

"Santee" received nine battle stars for World War II service.

Notes

References

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External links

* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s5/santee-ii.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Santee"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/03/029.htm navsource.org: USS "Santee"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/auxil/ao29.txt hazegray.org: USS "Santee"]
* http://www.t2tanker.org