- USS Marcus Island (CVE-77)
USS "Marcus Island" (CVE-77) was an "Casablanca" class escort carrier of the
United States Navy .She was laid down as "Kanalku Bay" under
Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc.,Vancouver, Washington ,15 September 1943 ; renamed Marcus Island6 November 1943 ; launched16 December 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. S. L. La Hache; acquired by the Navy26 January 1944 ; and commissioned atAstoria, Oregon ,26 January 1944 , Capt. Charles F. Greber in command.After shakedown and training along the West Coast, "Marcus Island" made a round trip aircraft ferry run to U.S. bases in the South Pacific between
19 May and1 July . Then she embarked Composite Squadron 21, departedSan Diego 20 July , and arrivedTulagi , Solomon Islands,24 August to prepare for operations in thePalaus . As flagship for Rear Adm. W. D. Sample's CarDiv 27, she began preinvasion strikes againstPeleliu andAngaur 12 September . She provided close air support as assault troops hit the beaches beginning the 15th, and until2 October , she launched scores of sorties during embittered fighting on the rugged islands."Marcus Island" arrived at Manus, Admiralties, on the 4th; and, after completing preparations for the invasion of the
Philippines , she sortied with the Escort Carrier Group (TG 77.4)12 October for Leyte as part of the task unit known as "Taffy 2 ". Beginning18 October , she launched airstrikes against enemy positions and during the next week, her pilots flew 261 target and air cover missions.The
Battle for Leyte Gulf and the running fight of "Taffy 3 " in thebattle off Samar 25 October are well chronicled elsewhere; "Marcus Island"’s war diary succinctly recorded the pace of action on the 25th - "A day of intense activity". During the heroic stand of "Taffy 3", fighters and bombers from "Marcus Island" struck hard at the Japanese force. One TBM put a torpedo into the portside aft of a heavy cruiser, probably "Chikuma". Amidst intense antiaircraft fire, her fighters made repeated strafing runs against battleships, cruisers, and destroyers. Her planes joined in two strikes against the retreating Japanese ships that afternoon, and her pilots claimed 14 hits on enemy ships including a torpedo and six bomb hits on an "Agato" class cruiser. In addition her fighters battled and shot down five Japanese planes. On the 26th, she sent 12 bombers and fighters to theVisayan Sea where they helped sink cruiser "Kinu" and destroyer "Uranami" with repeated hits from bombs, rockets, and strafing."Marcus Island" departed the Philippines
30 October but returned less than two weeks later as part of the escort for theMindoro attack group. DepartingKossol 10 December , she transitedSurigao Strait the 13th. Her patrolling aircraft shot down one enemy fighter14 October and shot down three more planes on the 15th. "Marcus Island" came under attack the morning of the Mindoro invasion, and between 0810 and 0930, enemy planes made three suicide runs and one bombing strike against the carrier. All the planes were shot down or deflected by intense antiaircraft fire, although two kamikazes crashed close off the bow to port and starboard causing minor damage and several casualties.Between
16 December and23 December "Marcus Island" returned to the Admiralties; on the 29th she departed once more for the western Philippines, steaming with units of theLuzon Attack Force for operations inLingayen Gulf . As she steamed through theMindanao Sea 5 January 1945 , one of her planes depth-bombed a Japanese midget submarine which was subsequently rammed and sunk by USS|Taylor|DD-468. Three days later her planes shot down four enemy aircraft in spirited dogfights. As the amphibious landings began the 9th, "Marcus Island" launched close support and strafing strikes over the Lingayen beaches. In addition they attacked and sank two small enemy coastal ships north of Lingayen Gulf along the Luzon coast that same day. "Marcus Island" continued to provide coordinated airstrikes in support of the Lingayen operations until steaming down the Luzon coast17 January . On the 29th, she furnished close air support during an unopposed landing atZambales Province , Luzon; thence she steamed toUlithi , arriving5 February .Rear Admiral Sample hauled down his flag
6 February , and on the 8th, "Marcus Island" became flagship of Rear Adm.Felix Stump 's CarDiv 24. The carrier debarked hard-hitting Composite Squadron 21 on14 February and embarked Composite Squadron 87 the same day. After completing training out of Ulithi, she steamed toLeyte Gulf 4 March to7 March to conduct rehearsal exercises for the impending invasion of theRyukyus .Departing
21 March , "Marcus Island" arrived south ofKerama Retto , the 26th and began launching airstrikes. She provided close air support and air cover during operations in the Ryukyus. Between26 March and29 April she operated primarily south and southeast ofOkinawa while launching attack and spotter strikes. Composite Observation Squadron 1 replaced Composite Squadron 87 on5 April . Planes of both the squadrons flew 1,085 sorties during this period and pounded enemy airfields, gun emplacements, supply dumps, and troop concentrations. Her pilots shot down 11 Japanese aircraft and destroyed another 13 on the ground."Marcus Island" departed Okinawa
29 April ; and, after loading damaged aircraft atGuam , she sailed5 May for theUnited States , arriving San Diego22 May . She sailed west again on10 July , carrying replacement troops and aircraft to Pearl Harbor and Guam before returning toAlameda, California , on V-J Day. Sailing once more via Pearl Harbor and Guam, she reached Okinawa28 September and embarked returning troops, arriving San Francisco24 October . By early January 1946 she completed additional "Magic Carpet" runs to Guam and Pearl Harbor.Departing San Diego,
12 January "Marcus Island" sailed via thePanama Canal and Norfolk, arriving Boston2 February . She remained atBoston , decommissioned there12 December 1946 , and entered theAtlantic Reserve Fleet . She reclassified to CVHE-77 on12 June 1955 and to AKV-27 on7 May 1959 . She was sold at Boston to Comarket, Inc.,29 February 1960 ."Marcus Island" received four
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
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