CASU52Camp AdministrationIwoJimabase1945

US Navy K-class blimp Carrier Aircraft Service Units (CASU) were

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

units formed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for the

Pacific War The Pacific War, sometimes called the Asia–Pacific War, was the theater of World War II that was fought in Asia, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and Oceania. It was geographically the largest theater of the war, including the vast ...

to support naval aircraft operations. From 1942 to 1946, 69 Carrier Aircraft Service Units were formed to

repair The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure, and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...

and maintain

aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...

. The first unit was deployed to

Naval Station Pearl Harbor Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, along with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base, the facility was merged to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is ...

. The CASU-11, was deployed on January 22, 1943 at

Naval Air Station San Diego Naval Air Station North Island or NAS North Island , at the north end of the Coronado peninsula on San Diego Bay in San Diego, California, is part of the largest aerospace-industrial complex in the United States Navy – Naval Base Coronado (NBC ...

. During the war the Navy lacked enough

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s to complete all the operational requirements.

History

In 1942, Ewa Field at

Naval Base Hawaii file:Hawaii map new.png, Map of the List of counties in Hawaii, five counties of the Hawaii, state of Hawaii Naval Base Hawaii was a number of United States Navy bases in the Territory of Hawaii during World War II. At the start of the war ...

became a major

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and US Navy aviation training facility for Carrier Aircraft Service Units (CASU). Flight crews and air mechanics trained at Ewa Field for the upcoming Pacific War, including Battles at Wake Island, Guadalcanal, and Midway. Aircraft mechanics of Carrier Aircraft Service Units traveled with the

island hopping Leapfrogging, also known as island hopping, was a military strategy employed by the Allies in the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan during World War II. The key idea is to bypass heavily fortified enemy islands instead of trying to captu ...

troops as new

airfield An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

s were built across the

Western Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

. The many

fighting and patrolling the South West Pacific theatre of war needed ongoing maintenance. CASU-11 was deployed for three years and nine months. CASU-11 decommissioned on November 1, 1946 at Naval Air Facility Yonabaru Okinawa with the war over. In that time CASU-11 traveled over 1,700 troops worked in CASU-11 and the unit traveled over 27,000 miles. CASU-11 worked on Naval planes at Naval Air Stations from

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. Carrier Aircraft Service Units worked on

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

fighter planes Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air supremacy, air superiority of the battlespace. Domination o ...

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...

torpedo planes A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

dive bomber A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact througho ...

s, and later

night fighter A night fighter (also known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor for a period of time after the Second World War) is a fighter aircraft adapted for use at night or in other times of bad visibility. Night fighters began to be used i ...

s. Out of necessity Carrier Aircraft Service Units sometimes worked on marine craft,

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

and other allied aircraft. Carrier Aircraft Service Units worked on

planes and land-based planes. Some Carrier Aircraft Service Units worked in United States on training aircraft and other planes. If needed a Carrier Aircraft Service Unit could be redesignated into a Combat Aircraft Service Unit, Scout Observation Service unit or Patrol Service units. *

Carrier aircraft used during World War II Over 700 different aircraft models were used during World War II. At least 135 of these models were developed for naval use, including about 50 fighters and 38 bombers. Only about 25 carrier-launched aircraft models were used extensively for c ...

by US Navy: (years used) (number built) *

Douglas TBD Devastator The Douglas TBD Devastator was an American torpedo bomber of the United States Navy. Ordered in 1934, it first flew in 1935 and entered service in 1937. At that point, it was the most advanced aircraft flying for the Navy and possibly for any na ...

torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

(1937-1944) (130) *

Grumman F4F Wildcat The Grumman F4F Wildcat is an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that entered service in 1940 with the United States Navy, and the British Royal Navy where it was initially known as the Martlet. First used by the British in the North Atlan ...

- torpedo bomber (1941-1945) (7,885) *

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval av ...

- torpedo bomber (1941-1948) (9,839) *

Grumman F6F Hellcat The Grumman F6F Hellcat is an American Carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft of World War II. Designed to replace the earlier Grumman F4F Wildcat, F4F Wildcat and to counter the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero, it was the United St ...

fighter-bomber A fighter-bomber is a fighter aircraft that has been modified, or used primarily, as a light bomber or attack aircraft. It differs from bomber and attack aircraft primarily in its origins, as a fighter that has been adapted into other roles, wh ...

(1942-1947) (12,275) *

Curtiss SB2C Helldiver The Curtiss SB2C Helldiver is a dive bomber developed by Curtiss-Wright during World War II. As a carrier-based bomber with the United States Navy (USN), in Pacific theaters, it supplemented and replaced the Douglas SBD Dauntless. A few survi ...

(1943-1953) (7,140) *

Vought F4U Corsair The Vought F4U Corsair is an American fighter aircraft which saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Designed and initially manufactured by Chance Vought, the Corsair was soon in great demand; additional production contracts ...

- fighter-bomber (1943-1953) (12,571)

Combat Aircraft Service Units

Combat Aircraft Service Unit, CASU (F), units operated out of US Naval Forward Advance Bases and were noted as CASU (F), indicated Forward operations.

Scout Observation Service units

Scout Observation Service units, (SOSU) were like Carrier Aircraft Service Units but specialized on scout observation planes. Scout observation planes operated

capital ship The capital ships of a navy are its most important warships; they are generally the larger ships when compared to other warships in their respective fleet. A capital ship is generally a leading or a primary ship in a naval fleet. Strategic im ...

s not in aircraft carrier task groups, like from

battleship A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of large caliber guns. It dominated naval warfare in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The term ''battleship'' came into use in the late 1880s to describe a type of ...

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

s and a few

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

Patrol Service units

Patrol Service units, (PatSU) were like Carrier Aircraft Service Units but specialized on maintaining patrol aircraft. These units specialized on the Navy's land-based

PB4Y-1 Liberator The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...

patrol bomber A maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), also known as a patrol aircraft, maritime reconnaissance aircraft, or by the older American term patrol bomber, is a fixed-wing aircraft designed to operate for long durations over water in maritime patrol rol ...

and later the

Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer The Consolidated PB4Y-2 Privateer is an American World War II and Korean War era Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber of the United States Navy derived from the Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The Navy had been using B-24s with only minor modif ...

aircraft.

Blimp HedRon

Blimp HedRon, Blimp Headquarters Squadron, were Navy units that did maintenance on US Navy

blimp A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is an airship (dirigible) without an internal structural framework or a keel. Unlike semi-rigid and rigid airships (e.g. Zeppelins), blimps rely on the pressure of the lifting gas (usually helium, rather than hydr ...

s in the Lighter-than‑air (LTA) service. Blimp HedRon operated like Carrier Aircraft Service Units but specialized in fabric damage and

helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic table. ...

handling. Blimp HedRon did regular checks and minor repairs. Lighter-than‑air service mostly operated in the

South Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

and

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

areas, like from

Naval Base Trinidad Naval Base Trinidad, also called NAS Trinidad, NAS Port-of-Spain, was a large United States Navy Naval base built during World War II to support the many naval ships fighting and patrolling the Battle of the Atlantic. The fighting in the area bec ...

bases. In good weather blimp could stay in the air for a longer time than planes, looking for

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...

K-class blimp The ''K''-class blimp was a class of blimps (non-rigid airship) built by the Goodyear Aircraft Company of Akron, Ohio for the United States Navy. These blimps were powered by two Pratt & Whitney ''Wasp'' nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engine ...

was the most common claas of blimp used by the Navy. USS Chloris (ARVE-4)

Aircraft repair ships

Some cargo ships were converted into Aircraft repair ships to aid in the repair needs of the island hopping campaign. The two

Aventinus-class aircraft repair ship The ''Aventinus''-class aircraft repair ship was a class of repair ships that were operated by the United States Navy during World War II. Design ''Aventinus''-class was a ship class consisting of two modified ''LST-542''-class tank landing ...

, USS ''Aventinus'' and USS ''Chloris'', were one type of Aircraft repair ship. The

Chourre-class aircraft repair ship The ''Chourre''-class aircraft repair ship was a class of repair ships that were operated by the United States Navy during World War II. Design ''Chourre''-class was the first ship class to be designated as aircraft repair ships in the Navy. ...

was another type of repair ships. Two Chourre-class ships were built the: USS ''Chourre'' (ARV-1) and USS ''Webster'' (ARV-2).

Seaplane Tender

The US Navy operated a fleet of

Seaplane tender A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...

used to maintain the many US navy

Seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tec ...

s. Some Seaplane tenders were cargo ships converted into Seaplane tenders. The USS ''Curtiss'' (AV-4) was the first ship built to be a Seaplane tender. Seaplane tender serviced and repaired seaplanes used in forward bases used for long-range patrol. Seaplane Tenders were able to do repair and maintenance and had all the supplies needed to operate in remote forward bases for months. Once and if a land-based forward base was built the Seaplane tender could move on to a more forward base. Seaplane tenders acted as barracks, supply depots, workshops, air

mechanic A mechanic is an artisan, skilled tradesperson, or technician who uses tools to build, maintain, or repair machinery, especially cars. Duties Most mechanics specialize in a particular field, such as auto body mechanics, air conditioning and r ...

and control towers for the planes.

Parts

The key to the Service Units was the supply of parts, keeping supply depots stocked with the needed parts. Both the UN Navy and the

World War II United States Merchant Navy World War II United States Merchant Navy was the largest civilian Navy in the world, which operated during World War II. With the United States fighting a world war in all the world oceans, the demand for cargo and fuel was very high. Cargo and ...

kept parts from the states flowing to the Advance Bases where they were needed.Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil, The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II, by Rear Adm. Worrall Reed Carter USN (Retired)
/ref>

Gallery

USNavymaintenancecrewsVB-106Momote Airstrip.jpg, US Navy maintenance crews VB-106 clean engine parts under an airplane wing while raining at Momote Airfiled in March 1944 at Manus Naval Base Aviation machinists mates at Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois. Students working on a complex aircraft engine. - NARA - 520923.jpg, Aviation machinists mates working on a aircraft engine USS Curtiss (AV-4) in 1940 (NH 55535).jpg, USS ''Curtiss'' (AV-4) F6F-5 Hellcat maintenance on USS Essex (CV-9) in July 1944.jpg,

maintenance on

USS Essex (CV-9) USS ''Essex'' (CV/CVA/CVS-9) was an aircraft carrier and the lead ship of the 24-ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in December 1942, ''Essex'' partic ...

in July 1944 PB4Y-1 VPB-110 on patrol over Atlantic September 1944.jpg, US Navy

on patrol with

VPB-110 VPB-110 was a Patrol Bombing Squadron of the U.S. Navy. The squadron was established as Bombing Squadron 110 (VB-110) on 18 July 1943, redesignated Patrol Bombing Squadron 110 (VPB-110) on 1 October 1944 and disestablished on 1 September 1945. Op ...

unit File:PBY 5A Catalina.jpg,

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

PBY-5A VP-61 Aleutians Mar 1943.jpg, PBY-5A with VP-61 unit over the Aleutians in 1943 SOC scoutplane is hoisted on board, during recovery by USS Philadelphia (CL-41).jpg, Scoutplane being hoisted on board File:PBM Marimer VP-47 on hoist.jpg,

Martin PBM Mariner The Martin PBM Mariner was an American Maritime patrol aircraft, patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War era. It was designed to complement the Consolidated PBY Catalina and Consolidated PB2Y Coronado, PB2Y Coronado in s ...

with the

VP-47 Patrol Squadron 47 (VP-47), also known as "The Golden Swordsmen", is a maritime patrol squadron of the United States Navy based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Washington (USA), attached to Patrol and Reconnaissance Wing 10. The squadron curr ...

unit on hoist Hellcats F6F-3, May 1943.jpg, US Navy

in 1943 USS Timbalier (AVP-54).jpg, USS ''Timbalier'' (AVP-54) with two

flying boat A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...

s USS Pine Island AV-12.jpg, USS ''Pine Island'' (AV-12) a Seaplane Tender TBM3 Avenger - Chino Airshow 2014 (14344070442).jpg, US Navy

F4U Corsair.jpg,

Curtiss SB2C-5 Helldiver warbird in flight.jpg,

warbird in flight

External links

United States Navy K-Type Airships Pilot’s Manualyoutube, Gerald Edward Houppert, Aviation Machinist's Mate Second Class, US Navy, World War Two youtube, Tustin Hangars - "Titans of History" Documentaryyoutube, Wwii Blimp / Airship Operations Aboard Escort Carrier Uss Mindoroyoutube, America's WW2 Flying Boat That Came With A Kitchen, Martin PBM Mariner

References

{{authority control United States Navy Military engineering of the United States Military units and formations established in 1942