USS Makin Island (CVE-93) was a of the United States Navy. It was named for the 1942 Makin raid, an early diversionary raid designed to distract from the Guadalcanal campaign and the Tulagi campaign. Launched in April 1944, and commissioned in May, she served in support of the Philippines campaign, the Invasion of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa. Postwar, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet. She was decommissioned in April 1946, and ultimately sold for scrapping in January 1947.
Design and description
Makin Island was a Casablanca-class escort carrier, the most numerous type of aircraft carriers ever built, and designed specifically to be mass-produced using prefabricated sections, in order to replace heavy early war losses. Standardized with her sister ships, she was long overall, had a beam of , an extreme width of , and a draft of . She displaced standard, with a full load. She had a long hangar deck, a long flight deck. She was powered with two Uniflow reciprocating steam engines, which provided a force of , driving two shafts, enabling her to make . The ship had a cruising range of , assuming that she traveled at a constant speed of . Her compact size necessitated the installment of an aircraft catapult at her bow end, and there were two aircraft elevators to facilitate movement of aircraft between the flight and hangar deck: one on the fore, another on the aft.
One /38 caliber dual purpose gun was mounted on the stern, and she was equipped with 16 Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft (AA) guns in twin mounts, as well as 12 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons, which were used in an anti-aircraft capability. By the end of the war, Casablanca-class carriers had been modified to carry thirty 20 mm cannons, as a response to increasing casualties due to kamikaze attacks. Anti-aircraft guns were mounted around the perimeter of the deck. Casablanca-class escort carriers were designed to carry 27 aircraft, but she sometimes went over or under this number. For example, during the Philippines campaign, she carried 15 FM-2 fighters, 9 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, and a TBM-3P photo reconnaissance plane, for a total of 25 aircraft. However, during the Invasion of Iwo Jima, she carried 20 FM-2 fighters and 12 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, for a total of 32 aircraft. During the Battle of Okinawa, she carried 16 FM-2 fighters and 11 TBM-3 torpedo bombers, for a total of 27 aircraft.
Construction
The escort carrier was laid down on 12 January 1944 under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull 1130, by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington. She was launched on 5 April 1944; sponsored by Mrs. B. B. Nichol; transferred to the United States Navy and commissioned on 9 May 1944, Commodore William Baynard Whaley Jr. in command, and with a partial crew complement of 60 officers and 560 crewmen.
Service history
Following commissioning, she underwent outfitting at Astoria, Oregon. On 31 May, she left, bound for Puget Sound, where munitions were loaded, and tests were conducted. On 8 June, she departed, traveling down to Naval Base San Diego, stopping at Naval Air Station Alameda to load more munitions and to refuel. Upon arriving in San Diego, she underwent a brief shakedown cruise, engaging in exercises off of Baja California. On 19 June, she set off on a transport mission, ferrying 78 aircraft and 236 men to Hawaii. After unloading her cargo in Pearl Harbor, she took on 70 aircraft, along with a marine squadron (VMO-155). She then proceeded onwards to Majuro Atoll, where she unloaded her planes. After leaving, she made stops at Kwajalein Atoll and Roi-Namur, where she took on wounded from the ongoing Battle of Saipan. She then returned to Pearl Harbor, where she loaded onboard Air Group 16, which had been recently detached from . After returning her aircraft cargo to San Diego, she sailed to Long Beach Naval Shipyard, where she underwent overhaul.
After finishing overhaul, she took on her aircraft contingent (VC-84), and on 16 August, she began exercises along the California coast. Exercises concluded on 5 September, with minor repairs being conducted until 11 September, when she sortied again for more exercises. She was assigned as part of Carrier Division 29, along with , , and . The task group engaged in simulated amphibious landings on San Clemente Island. On 10 October, Rear Admiral Calvin T. Durgin took control over the escort carrier group, making Makin Island as his flagship. On 16 October, her task group finished exercises, and traveled to the Ulithi Atoll, making stops at Pearl Harbor and Enewetak Atoll.