USS ''Breton'' (CVE-23) (previously AVG-23 then ACV-23) was a of the

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 ...

. ''Breton'' was in service as an escort carrier from 1943 to 1946 and as an aircraft transport from 1958 to 1970. ''Breton'' launched on 27 June 1942 by

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation (also operating as Todd Pacific) was an American corporation which built escort carriers, destroyers, cargo ships and auxiliaries for the United States Navy and United States Merchant Marine, merchant ...

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

under a

Maritime Commission The United States Maritime Commission (MARCOM) was an independent executive agency of the U.S. federal government that was created by the Merchant Marine Act of 1936, which was passed by Congress on June 29, 1936, and was abolished on May 24, 195 ...

contract; sponsored by Mrs. A. H. Rooks, widow of Captain Albert Harold Rooks a posthumous Navy Medal of Honor recipient in World War II ; and commissioned on April 12, 1943.

Service history

Throughout her

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 opposing ...

service, ''Breton'' operated with the Carrier Transport Squadron, Pacific Fleet. Her sailings carried her throughout the Pacific supplying men, materiel, and aircraft to units of the fleet engaged in making strikes on the enemy. While engaged in these duties, ''Breton'' took part in the capture and occupation of Saipan (11 June–10 August 1944); the

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19–20, 1944) was a major naval battle of World War II that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invas ...

(19–20 June); the 2nd Bonins raid (24 June); and the assault and occupation of

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 ...

(6–7 April 1945). Upon her return to the west coast in January 1946 after serving as a unit of the Far Eastern occupation forces, ''Breton'' prepared for inactivation at Tacoma, and went out of commission in reserve there on 30 August 1946. She was reclassified CVHE-23 on 12 June 1955. On 1 July 1958, she was redesignated as a utility carrier, CVU-23, and then again on 7 May 1959 as an aviation transport, T-AKV-42. ''Breton'' was put out of service in 1971 and stricken for disposal on 6 August 1972, where she was subsequently sold for scrap.

Awards

''Breton'' received two

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...

s for her World War II service.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Breton (Cve-23) Bogue-class escort carriers of the United States Navy Ships built in Tacoma, Washington 1942 ships World War II escort aircraft carriers of the United States