USS Savo Island (CVE-78) was the twenty-fourth of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named to memorialize the U.S. casualties of the Battle of Savo Island, which was fought as part of the Guadalcanal campaign. The ship was launched in December 1943, commissioned in February 1944, and served as a frontline carrier throughout the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign and the Philippines campaign. During the Battle of Okinawa, she provided air cover for the replenishment carrier fleet. Postwar, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from throughout the Pacific. She was decommissioned in December 1946, when she was mothballed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was sold for scrapping in February 1960.

Savo Island was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of aircraft carriers ever built. Built to stem heavy losses during the Battle of the Atlantic, they came into service in late 1943, by which time the U-boat threat was already in retreat. Although some did see service in the Atlantic, the majority were utilized in the Pacific, ferrying aircraft, providing logistics support, and conducting close air support for the island-hopping campaigns. The Casablanca-class carriers were built on the standardized Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, a lengthened variant of the Doyen-class hull, and specifically designed to be mass-produced using welded prefabricated sections. This allowed them to be produced at unprecedented speeds: the final ship of her class, Munda, was delivered to the Navy just 101 days after the laying of her keel.

Savo Island was 512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) long overall (490 ft (150 m) at the waterline), had a beam of 65 ft 2 in (19.86 m), and a draft of 20 ft 9 in (6.32 m). She displaced 8,188 long tons (8,319 t) standard, which increased to 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) with a full load. To carry out flight operations, the ship had a 257 ft (78 m) hangar deck and a 474 ft (144 m) flight deck. Her compact size necessitated the installation of an aircraft catapult at her bow, and there were two aircraft elevators to facilitate movement of aircraft between the flight and hangar deck: one each fore and aft.

She was powered by four Babcock & Wilcox Express D boilers that raised 285 psi (1,970 kPa) of steam at 577 °F (303 °C). The steam generated by these boilers fed two Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines, delivering 9,000 hp (6,700 kW) to two propeller shafts. This allowed her to reach speeds of 19 kn (35 km/h; 22 mph), with a cruising range of 10,240 nmi (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph). For armament, one 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose gun was mounted on the stern. Additional anti-aircraft defense was provided by eight Bofors 40 mm (1.57 in) anti-aircraft guns in single mounts and twelve Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) cannons mounted around the perimeter of the deck. By 1945, Casablanca-class carriers had been modified to carry twenty Oerlikon cannons and sixteen Bofors guns; the doubling of the latter was accomplished by putting them into twin mounts. Sensors onboard consisted of a SG surface-search radar and a SK air-search radar.

Although Casablanca-class escort carriers were intended to function with a crew of 860 and an embarked squadron of 50 to 56, the exigencies of wartime often necessitated the inflation of the crew count. They were designed to operate with 27 aircraft, but the hangar deck could accommodate much more during transport or training missions.

During the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, she carried 16 FM-2 fighters, and 12 TBM-1C torpedo bombers, for a total of 28 aircraft. During the Battle off Samar, she carried 17 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-1C torpedo bombers, for a total of 29 aircraft. During the Battle of Mindoro, she carried 24 FM-2 fighters and 9 TBM-1C torpedo bombers, for a total of 33 aircraft. During the Battle of Lingayen Gulf, she carried 19 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-1C torpedo bombers, for a total of 31 aircraft. During the Battle of Okinawa, she carried 20 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, for a total of 32 aircraft.

Her construction was awarded to Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington under a Maritime Commission contract, on 18 June 1942. The escort carrier was laid down on 27 September 1943 under the name Kaita Bay, as part of a tradition which named escort carriers after bays or sounds in Alaska. She was laid down as MC hull 1115, the twenty-fourth of a series of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers. She was renamed Savo Island on 6 November 1943, as part of a new naval policy which named subsequent Casablanca-class carriers after naval or land engagements. She was launched on 22 December 1943; sponsored by Miss Margaret Taffinder; transferred to the United States Navy and commissioned on 3 February 1944, with Captain Clarence Eugene Ekstrom in command.

Upon being commissioned, Savo Island underwent a shakedown cruise down the West Coast to San Diego, where she took on a load of replacement aircraft. Between 15 March 1944 and 2 July, she underwent two transport missions, ferrying aircraft to bases in the Southwest Pacific. On 6 July, she embarked Composite Squadron (VC) 27, which would be her aircraft contingent throughout the Marianas and Palau Islands campaign and the Philippines campaign of 1944–45. After a brief period of training off the waters of San Diego, she sailed west to Pearl Harbor, where similar exercises were conducted. There, on 4 August, she was assigned to Task Group 32.7, the Western Escort Carrier Group, commanded by Rear Admiral William Sample, of the Third Fleet, assigned to support the planned landings on the island of Peleliu, in the Palau Islands. Her aircraft contingent began combat operations on 11 September, strafing and bombarding the island to soften up the defenses for the landings. Following the landing of marines, her aircraft transitioned into providing close air support and patrol missions, up until 30 September.