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Shipley Bay moved down
the coast and operated in the San Diego-San Pedro area until 3 May
when the carrier began her maiden voyage to Pearl Harbor and the
South Pacific ferrying planes and pilots to advance bases. She
shuttled between the west coast, Pearl Harbor, Majuro Atoll,
Guadalcanal, and Tulagi until October. During this period, the
carrier transported 496 aircraft.
Shipley Bay's next assignment was that of replenishment carrier,
delivering pilots, aircraft, and ammunition to the fast carriers
operating with Task Force (TF) 38. She rendezvoused with TF 38 for
three resupply missions, delivering 100 planes. The first rendezvous
was made from 17 October to 29 October, 150 miles east of Samar, P.I.;
the second took place 450 miles east of Luzon from 10 December to 24
December; and the last, from 26 December 1944 to 12 January 1945,
occurred 350 miles northeast of Luzon. Shipley Bay returned to Pearl
Harbor and operated as a training carrier for the next three months.
On 22 April, Shipley Bay stood out of Pearl Harbor en route to
Okinawa, via Guam, for her first combat operations. From 7 May to 16
May, planes from the carrier attacked enemy gun emplacements, supply
dumps, radar installations, and caves, flying 352 missions. On the
16th, while taking on gasoline from Cache (AO-67), the aviation
gasoline tanks were damaged, and she was forced to return to Guam
for repairs.
Shipley Bay was back in action off Okinawa on 9 June with five other
escort carriers. From 14 June to 16 June, strikes were launched
against Miyako-jima and Ishigaki-jima to neutralize the airfields on
those islands. Aircraft from Shipley Bay returned to pound the
airfields again from 18 June to 22 June. On that day, the carrier
departed the operating area. She was at the repair base in San Diego
undergoing overhaul when the war ended.
On 26 September 1945, Shipley Bay sailed out of San Diego to
participate in "Operation Magic Carpet", the return of American
forces from overseas. The carrier shuttled from San Francisco to
Pearl Harbor, Okinawa, and Kwajalein, returning several thousand
troops to the United States.
Shipley Bay sailed to Boston in February 1946 for deactivation and
lay-up, arriving there on 9 March. On 28 June, the carrier was
placed "out of commission, in reserve," with the Atlantic Reserve
Fleet. Shipley Bay was struck from the Navy list on 1 March 1959 and
sold for scrap on 2 October of that year. |
