USS Block Island (CVE-21)

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USS Block Island (CVE-21/AVG-21/ACV-21) was a Template:Sclass for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first of two escort carriers named after Block Island Sound off Rhode Island and was the only American carrier sunk in the Atlantic during the war.

Originally classified AVG-21, she became ACV-21 on 20 August 1942, and CVE-21 on 15 July 1943.<ref name="CVE21">Template:Cite web</ref> She was named after Block Island, an island in Rhode Island east of New York.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Construction and commissioning

Block Island was launched on 6 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in Tacoma, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs H. B. Hutchinson, wife of Commander Hutchinson. She transferred to the United States Navy on 1 May 1942 and commissioned on 8 March 1943, with Captain Logan C Ramsey in command.

Aircraft carried

Block Island had capacity for up to 24 fighter and anti-submarine aircraft normally a mixture of Grumman Wildcat and Avengers with composition dependent upon the mission. The squadron had the callsign VC-25 USN (Composite Squadron Twenty Five).<ref>Block Island I (CVE-21) 1943–1944 at History.Navy.mil</ref>

When she was utilized in a ferry role, she could carry up to 90 aircraft depending on aircraft type.

Service history

Departing San Diego, California in May 1943, Block Island steamed to Norfolk, Virginia, to join the Atlantic Fleet. She then made two trips from New York City to Belfast, Northern Ireland, carrying Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighters.

Template:USS and Template:USS had pioneered new anti-submarine warfare (ASW) techniques in the Battle of the Atlantic, forming hunter-killer groups to destroy German submarines. Block Island formed another group with four veteran flush-deck destroyers, Template:USS, Template:USS, Template:USS, and Template:USS as Task Group (TG) 21.1. During her four anti-submarine cruises, Block IslandTemplate:'s aircraft sank two submarines and shared another two with her escorts.

On 28 October 1943, her Avenger and Wildcat aircraft sank Template:GS with depth charges at Template:Coord. The German submarine's entire crew was killed.

File:U-66 Gerettet 3.jpg

Survivors from U-66 aboard Block Island

On 17 March 1944, Block Island, the destroyer Template:USS, and destroyer escort Template:USS sank Template:Ship at Template:Coord. Nine of the boat's crew were killed and 47 taken prisoner.

On 19 March 1944, her aircraft sank Template:GS in Template:Coord southwest of the Cape Verde Islands. U-1059 was transporting torpedoes to the Monsun Gruppe ("Monsoon Group"), a group of U-boats that operated in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Of U-1059Template:'s crew, 47 were killed and 8 captured.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 6 May 1944, Block Island and the destroyer escort Template:USS sank Template:GS at Template:Coord.<ref name="CVE21"/> The boat lost 24 killed and there were 36 survivors, later transferred to Block Island.

Sinking

File:USS Block Island (CVE-21) after being torpedoed in the Atlantic Ocean, 29 May 1944.jpg

Block Island down by the stern after being torpedoed by the German submarine U-549 in the Atlantic Ocean, 29 May 1944.

Block Island was torpedoed off the Canary Islands at 20:13 on 29 May 1944 by Template:GS which had slipped through her screen of escorts. U-549 fired three T-3 torpedoes, hitting her with two and severely damaging the ship which later sank.<ref>U-549 slipped undetected through the screen of the hunter-killer group at UBoat.net</ref><ref>Images of USS Block Island sinking at Uboat archive.net</ref> Six crewmen were killed in the attack; the remaining 951 were picked up by the escorting destroyers.<ref name="CVE21"/>

Template:USS attacked and sank U-549 using her hedgehog spigot mortar system and depth charges in Template:Coord.<ref name="CVE21"/>

When Block Island was torpedoed, six of her Wildcats (VC-55) were in the air and had no place to land. They headed for the Canary Islands but all had to ditch at night after running out of fuel and only two of the pilots were rescued.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Awards

Block Island received two battle stars for her service.

See also

• List of U.S. Navy losses in World War II

References

Template:Reflist  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.{{#if:|{{#if:| The entries can be found [{{#if:1|{{{1}}}}} here] and [{{#if:1|{{{2}}}}} here].| The entry can be found [{{#if:1|{{{1}}}}} here].}}}}

External links

• www.ussblockisland.us USS Block Island Association