.
CVE-21 USS Block Island .
CVE-21 USS Block Island

Class

Bogue Class

Builder

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp.

Tacoma Washington

Laid down

19 January 1942

Launched

1 May 1942

Commissioned

8. March 1943

Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign

NUYM

.
NS San Diego CA
.
July 1943 - 1943
Atlantic
VC-25 FM- , TBM- 0
last update 22 May 2020
.
December 1943 - February 1944
Atlantic
VC-58 F4F-4, TBM-1C 0
last update 22 May 2020
.
February 1944 - March 1944
Atlantic
VC-6 FM- , TBM- 0
last update 22 May 2020
.
April 1944 - May 1944
Atlantic
VC-58 F4F-4, TBM-1C 0
last update 22 May 2020
.
May 1944 - 29 May 1944
Atlantic
VC-55 F4F-4- , TBM- -
last update 22 May 2020
.

Decommissioned

29. May 1944 (sunk)

.

History (short)

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 Corry and destroyer escort Bronstein 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. Thomas, Bostwick, Borie 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 Eugene E. Elmore and Ahrens 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.

 

 


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