- USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)
The USS "Mission Bay" (CVE-59) was a sclass|Casablanca|escort carrier of the
United States Navy . Named forMission Bay, California , she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.Originally scheduled to be built as AVG-59, USS "Mission Bay" (CVE-59) was redesignated ACV-59 on
20 August 1942 and laid down by Kaiser Co., Inc.,Vancouver, Washington ,28 December 1943 ; launched26 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. James McDonald; redesignated CVE-59 on15 July 1943 ; acquired by the Navy from theMaritime Commission 13 September 1943 ; and commissioned atAstoria, Oregon , the same day, with Captain William L. Rees in command. After shakedown offCalifornia , "Mission Bay" departedSan Diego 15 November for the east coast via thePanama Canal , arrivingPortsmouth, Virginia ,5 December . Assigned to convoy and antisubmarine duty, she got underway for Europe the 26th, arrivingCasablanca ,French Morocco (nowMorocco ),14 January 1944 . Two days later the escort aircraft carrier sailed for the east coast, reaching Portsmouth8 February .On
20 February "Mission Bay" steamed fromNew York with a load of Army planes and personnel forIndia , stopping atRecife ,Brazil , andCape Town ,Union of South Africa (now Republic of South Africa), before arriving atKarachi 29 March . By12 May she was back at Portsmouth. The 28th the carrier departed New York again on another trip to North Africa. "Mission Bay" arrived Casablanca6 June to steam for home 2 days later, entering the New York channel the 17th. That same day she collided with a dredge and had to continue on to Portsmouth for repairs, mooring22 June . On8 September "Mission Bay" steamed from Portsmouth for the south Atlantic. After refueling atDakar ,French West Africa (nowSenegal ),20 September , she conducted antisubmarine operations into November ending at Portsmouth the 25th. Her next cruise from Portsmouth21 December took her to theCaribbean for exercises betweenMayport, Florida , andGuantánamo Bay ,Cuba , into March 1945. In February "Mission Bay" was ordered to sail in the direction of Gibraltar to meet "Quincy" (CA-71) the 23d and escort the heavy cruiser returning in convoy from theYalta Conference ,4 February to11 February , with PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt and party embarked. "Mission Bay" left the convoy en route toNewport News, Virginia , mooring atBermuda ,British West Indies , the 27th before continuing on to Portsmouth to arrive9 March .After
antisubmarine duty in the North Atlantic from29 March to14 May when she anchored off New York, "Mission Bay" cruised off the east coast, training pilots, until she sailed for Guantanamo Bay19 July . The escort carrier returned toQuonset Point , R.I.,2 August to continue training operations off the east coast through the Japanese surrender15 August into December. On19 December "Mission Bay" was assigned to the 16th Fleet, with Norfolk as her home yard, to serve in an incommission, in reserve status the next year. Placed in service in reserve21 February 1947 , she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk to remain there until she joined the New York Group30 November 1949 . On12 June 1955 she was redesignated CVU-59. The utility aircraft carrier was struck from theNaval Vessel Register 1 September 1958 and sold to Hugo Neu Corp ofNew York, New York 30 April 1959 . She was subsequently scrapped.References
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