NAVAL AVIATION RESOURCE CENTER > ESCORT CARRIERS > PREVIOUS PAGE
A nearly complete Block Island (ACV-21) at the Seattle-Tacoma Shipyard, 1943.
[Source: U.S. Navy photo via www.navsource.org]
Name: U.S.S. Block Island Number: CVE 21 |
Class: Bogue Commisioned: 8 March 1943 |
Service History:
Departing San Diego, California in May 1943, Block Island steamed to Norfolk, Virginia, to join the Atlantic Fleet. After two trips from New York City to Belfast, United Kingdom, during the summer of 1943 with cargoes of Army fighters, she operated as part of a hunter-killer group.
During her four anti-submarine cruises, Block Island′s planes sank two submarines: U-220 in 48°53′N 33°30′W on 28 October 1943 and U-1059 in 13°10′N 33°44′W on 19 March 1944. She shared credit with destroyer USS Corry (DD-463) and destroyer escort USS Bronstein (DE-189) for the sinking of U-801 in 16°42′N 30°20′W on 17 March 1944 and with Buckley for U-66 sunk on 6 May 1944 in 17°17′N 32°29′W. USS Thomas (DE-102), USS Bostwick (DE-103), USS Borie (DD-215) and Bronstein sank U-709 on 1 March 1943 and the same day Bronstein got U-603.
Block Island was torpedoed off the Canary Islands at 20:13 on 29 May 1944. U-549 had slipped undetected through her screen. The submarine put three torpedoes into the carrier before being sunk herself by USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) and USS Ahrens (DE-575) of the screen in 31°13′N 23°03′W. The carrier lost 6 men in the attack; the remaining 951 were picked up by the escort screen.
Sources:
Wikipedia
NAVAL AVIATION RESOURCE CENTER > ESCORT CARRIERS > PREVIOUS PAGE