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USS Bairoko
USS Bairoko was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier of the United States Navy in service from 1945 to 1955. The Commencement Bay class were built during World War II, and were an improvement over the earlier Sangamon class, which were converted from oil tankers. They were capable of carrying an air group of 33 planes and were armed with an anti-aircraft battery of 5 in (127 mm), 40 mm (1.6 in), and 20 mm (0.8 in) guns. The ships were capable of a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), and due to their origin as tankers, had extensive fuel storage.
In 1941, as United States participation in World War II became increasingly likely, the US Navy embarked on a construction program for escort carriers, which were converted from transport ships of various types. Many of the escort carrier types were converted from C3-type transports, but the Sangamon-class escort carriers were instead rebuilt oil tankers. These proved to be very successful ships, and the Commencement Bay class, authorized for Fiscal Year 1944, were an improved version of the Sangamon design. The new ships were faster, had improved aviation facilities, and had better internal compartmentation. They proved to be the most successful of the escort carriers, and the only class to be retained in active service after the war, since they were large enough to operate newer aircraft.
Bairoko was 557 ft 1 in (169.80 m) long overall, with a beam of 75 ft (23 m) at the waterline, which extended to 105 ft 2 in (32.05 m) at maximum. She displaced 21,397 long tons (21,740 t) at full load, of which 12,876 long tons (13,083 t) could be fuel oil (though some of her storage tanks were converted to permanently store seawater for ballast), and at full load she had a draft of 27 ft 11 in (8.51 m). The ship's superstructure consisted of a small island. She had a complement of 1,066 officers and enlisted men.
The ship was powered by two Allis-Chalmers geared steam turbines, each driving one screw propeller, using steam provided by four Combustion Engineering-manufactured water-tube boilers. The propulsion system was rated to produce a total of 16,000 shp (12,000 kW) for a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Given the very large storage capacity for oil, the ships of the Commencement Bay class could steam for some 23,900 nautical miles (44,300 km; 27,500 mi) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).
Her defensive anti-aircraft armament consisted of two 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose guns in single mounts, thirty-six 40 mm (2 in) Bofors guns, and twenty 20 mm (1 in) Oerlikon light AA cannons. The Bofors guns were placed in three quadruple and twelve twin mounts, while the Oerlikon guns were all mounted individually. She carried 33 planes, which could be launched from two aircraft catapults. Two elevators transferred aircraft from the hangar to the flight deck.
The first fifteen ships of the Commencement Bay class were ordered on 23 January 1943, allocated to Fiscal Year 1944. The ship was originally named Portage Bay, but on 5 June 1944, before construction of the ship began, she was renamed Bairoko after the battles fought around Bairoko Harbor during the Solomon Islands campaign; American forces captured the harbor in August 1943. The ship was laid down at the Todd-Pacific Shipyards in Tacoma, Washington, on 25 July 1944. She was launched on 25 January 1945 and was commissioned on 16 July 1945. Bairoko then completed fitting out work before conducting her shakedown cruise in Puget Sound. She sailed for San Diego, California, in early August. After arrival, her new complement of aircraft carried out flight training for the rest of the month. She was finally ready for service on 3 September, the day after the surrender of Japan formally ended World War II. The ship then went into the shipyard at San Pedro for repairs that lasted for four weeks.
On 18 October, Bairoko left San Pedro for a lengthy cruise in the western Pacific. She stopped in Pearl Harbor on the way, staying there for about two weeks before departing on 7 November. While en route, her orders were changed, directing her to join her sister ships Siboney and Puget Sound in the Mariana Islands in the central Pacific. She arrived there on 24 November, and the three carriers, joined by four destroyer escorts, formed a task group and sailed for Hong Kong on 30 November. The carriers conducted combined air training exercises while on the way. After arriving, the ships underwent maintenance for a week and then departed on 21 December, bound for Manila, the Philippines. The group arrived two days later, and remained in port there until 30 December, when they departed for Guam. There, Bairoko left the rest of the ships and sailed back to California alone. She reached San Diego on 25 January 1946.
On 1 February, Bairoko returned to Tacoma for modifications to allow her to operate jet aircraft. Work on the ship lasted for three weeks, after which she participated in pilot qualification training in Puget Sound. She arrived back in San Diego on 3 March, where she took on sixteen Ryan FR-1 Fireball jet-and-piston fighters of VF-41 squadron. Bairoko carried out fight testing of the new aircraft until 26 April, when the ship was removed from active service due to crew shortages. She remained confined to port until 15 September, when she was reactivated. The ship went to sea next on 15 October for general training exercises. She sailed for San Pedro on 26 October for another round of modifications that lasted for three months. The ship was back in service by 24 January 1947, and she cruised in the local area until 17 February, when she departed for Pearl Harbor to take on a load of aircraft she was to ferry to other carriers participating in fleet problem 2-47, which was held between 2 and 9 March. Bairoko then returned the planes to San Diego after the maneuvers, arriving there on 20 March.
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USS Bairoko
USS Bairoko was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier of the United States Navy in service from 1945 to 1955. The Commencement Bay class were built during World War II, and were an improvement over the earlier Sangamon class, which were converted from oil tankers. They were capable of carrying an air group of 33 planes and were armed with an anti-aircraft battery of 5 in (127 mm), 40 mm (1.6 in), and 20 mm (0.8 in) guns. The ships were capable of a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), and due to their origin as tankers, had extensive fuel storage.
In 1941, as United States participation in World War II became increasingly likely, the US Navy embarked on a construction program for escort carriers, which were converted from transport ships of various types. Many of the escort carrier types were converted from C3-type transports, but the Sangamon-class escort carriers were instead rebuilt oil tankers. These proved to be very successful ships, and the Commencement Bay class, authorized for Fiscal Year 1944, were an improved version of the Sangamon design. The new ships were faster, had improved aviation facilities, and had better internal compartmentation. They proved to be the most successful of the escort carriers, and the only class to be retained in active service after the war, since they were large enough to operate newer aircraft.
Bairoko was 557 ft 1 in (169.80 m) long overall, with a beam of 75 ft (23 m) at the waterline, which extended to 105 ft 2 in (32.05 m) at maximum. She displaced 21,397 long tons (21,740 t) at full load, of which 12,876 long tons (13,083 t) could be fuel oil (though some of her storage tanks were converted to permanently store seawater for ballast), and at full load she had a draft of 27 ft 11 in (8.51 m). The ship's superstructure consisted of a small island. She had a complement of 1,066 officers and enlisted men.
The ship was powered by two Allis-Chalmers geared steam turbines, each driving one screw propeller, using steam provided by four Combustion Engineering-manufactured water-tube boilers. The propulsion system was rated to produce a total of 16,000 shp (12,000 kW) for a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph). Given the very large storage capacity for oil, the ships of the Commencement Bay class could steam for some 23,900 nautical miles (44,300 km; 27,500 mi) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).
Her defensive anti-aircraft armament consisted of two 5 in (127 mm) dual-purpose guns in single mounts, thirty-six 40 mm (2 in) Bofors guns, and twenty 20 mm (1 in) Oerlikon light AA cannons. The Bofors guns were placed in three quadruple and twelve twin mounts, while the Oerlikon guns were all mounted individually. She carried 33 planes, which could be launched from two aircraft catapults. Two elevators transferred aircraft from the hangar to the flight deck.
The first fifteen ships of the Commencement Bay class were ordered on 23 January 1943, allocated to Fiscal Year 1944. The ship was originally named Portage Bay, but on 5 June 1944, before construction of the ship began, she was renamed Bairoko after the battles fought around Bairoko Harbor during the Solomon Islands campaign; American forces captured the harbor in August 1943. The ship was laid down at the Todd-Pacific Shipyards in Tacoma, Washington, on 25 July 1944. She was launched on 25 January 1945 and was commissioned on 16 July 1945. Bairoko then completed fitting out work before conducting her shakedown cruise in Puget Sound. She sailed for San Diego, California, in early August. After arrival, her new complement of aircraft carried out flight training for the rest of the month. She was finally ready for service on 3 September, the day after the surrender of Japan formally ended World War II. The ship then went into the shipyard at San Pedro for repairs that lasted for four weeks.
On 18 October, Bairoko left San Pedro for a lengthy cruise in the western Pacific. She stopped in Pearl Harbor on the way, staying there for about two weeks before departing on 7 November. While en route, her orders were changed, directing her to join her sister ships Siboney and Puget Sound in the Mariana Islands in the central Pacific. She arrived there on 24 November, and the three carriers, joined by four destroyer escorts, formed a task group and sailed for Hong Kong on 30 November. The carriers conducted combined air training exercises while on the way. After arriving, the ships underwent maintenance for a week and then departed on 21 December, bound for Manila, the Philippines. The group arrived two days later, and remained in port there until 30 December, when they departed for Guam. There, Bairoko left the rest of the ships and sailed back to California alone. She reached San Diego on 25 January 1946.
On 1 February, Bairoko returned to Tacoma for modifications to allow her to operate jet aircraft. Work on the ship lasted for three weeks, after which she participated in pilot qualification training in Puget Sound. She arrived back in San Diego on 3 March, where she took on sixteen Ryan FR-1 Fireball jet-and-piston fighters of VF-41 squadron. Bairoko carried out fight testing of the new aircraft until 26 April, when the ship was removed from active service due to crew shortages. She remained confined to port until 15 September, when she was reactivated. The ship went to sea next on 15 October for general training exercises. She sailed for San Pedro on 26 October for another round of modifications that lasted for three months. The ship was back in service by 24 January 1947, and she cruised in the local area until 17 February, when she departed for Pearl Harbor to take on a load of aircraft she was to ferry to other carriers participating in fleet problem 2-47, which was held between 2 and 9 March. Bairoko then returned the planes to San Diego after the maneuvers, arriving there on 20 March.