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USS ''Card'' (AVG/ ACV/ CVE/ CVHE/ CVU/T-CVU-11/ T-AKV-40) was an American that saw service in World War II. She was named for
Card Sound Card or The Card may refer to: * Various types of plastic cards: **By type ***Magnetic stripe card ***Chip card ***Digital card **By function ***Payment card ****Credit card ****Debit card ****EC-card ****Identity card ****European Health Insurance ...
, a continuation of Biscayne Bay, south of Miami, Florida. She was the
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
of Task Group 21.14 (TG 21.14), a hunter-killer group formed to destroy German
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
s in the
North 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 and ...
. In 1964, while operating as an aircraft ferry, ''Card'' was sunk with explosives planted by two Viet Cong commandos in the Harbor of Saigon, South Vietnam. She was refloated 17 days later and returned to service after extensive repairs.


Construction and commissioning

''Card''s hull was laid down on 27 October 1941, under a Maritime Commission contract, MC hull #178, at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding in Tacoma, Washington, as a Type C3-class ship (cargo type C3-S-A1) and was launched as Hull 178 on 27 February 1942, sponsored by Mrs J. Perry. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy on 1 May 1942 and redesignated AVG-11 (Aircraft Escort Vessel #11), later reclassified as ACV-11 (Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier 11) on the 20 August 1942 and converted into an escort carrier. She was commissioned on 8 November 1942.


Aircraft carried

''Card'' had capacity for up to 24 fighter and
anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...
aircraft, normally a mixture of Grumman
Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...
and
Avengers Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to: Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe * Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes **Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
, with composition dependent upon mission. The squadron had the callsign VC-1 USN (Composite Squadron One).


Service history


World War II

Departing San Diego, California on 18 January 1943, ''Card'' arrived at
Hampton Roads Hampton Roads is the name of both a body of water in the United States that serves as a wide channel for the James River, James, Nansemond River, Nansemond and Elizabeth River (Virginia), Elizabeth rivers between Old Point Comfort and Sewell's ...
, Virginia on for training in the Chesapeake Bay.
Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
Arnold J. Isbell Captain Arnold J. Isbell, USN (September 22, 1899 – March 19, 1945) was a United States Navy officer and Naval Aviator who was killed near the end of World War II. Early life and career Isbell was born September 22, 1899, in Oto, Iowa. Raised ...
assumed command of the ''Card'' on April 17, 1943. Her initial mission began in May 1943 as she escorted slow convoy of troopships and supply vessels to Casablanca in French Morocco. This convoy shipped six months after the
Allied invasion of North Africa Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – 16 November 1942) was an Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of securing victory in North Africa while all ...
and was assembled in preparation for the subsequent invasion of Sicily. With 129 merchant ships and 19 escorts, it was the largest convoy of the war to date. During this crossing, ''Card'' and her escorting destroyers provided daily anti-submarine patrols against U-boats by air and by sea while remaining close to the convoy. When escorting the return convoy GUS-8 back to Norfolk, however, ''Card's'' orders permitted her to operate more freely against reported concentrations of U-boats as long as she could get back to the convoy in time to protect it. Thus began the evolution toward totally independent Hunter-killer Group (HKG) operations. On 15 July ''Card'' was reclassified from an Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier (ACV) to an Escort Carrier (CVE). She became one of the first of fourteen US CVEs around which US anti-submarine HKGs would be based. These groups became feasible as increasing numbers of CVEs became available, along with more and better escort ships and aircraft. They became increasingly effective with the development of improved anti-submarine weapons including Mark 24 (FIDO) homing torpedoes and Hedgehog forward-throwing depth charges. Like other US HKGs, those based on ''Card'' operated independently of convoys but, unlike UK HKGs, she operated without centralized control. These groups used Ultra intelligence from Enigma signals to locate and destroy U-boats and their replenishment vessels. These intercepts were involved in sinking all 11 submarines sunk by ''Cards HKGs and all but one of the U-boats sunk in the
Battle of the Atlantic The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
by US HKGs during the war. ''Card'' steamed from Norfolk on 27 July as
flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...
for TG 21.14, an HKG formed for offensive operations against German submarines. This deployment lasted until 10 September. On 7 August her Avenger aircraft attacked while refueling ''U-66'' at . The Avengers dropped depth charges and an acoustic homing torpedo (codenamed "FIDO") near ''U-117'' and ''U-66''. Two more Avengers and two Wildcats arrived later and forced ''U-117'' to dive before dropping more depth charges and another FIDO. ''U-117'' was hit by one of two acoustic torpedoes and sank with the loss of all hands. ''U-66'' escaped and returned to the boat's homeport, Lorient. On 8 August 1943 fired three torpedoes at the escort carrier but all missed. The following day Aircraft from ''Card'' sank ''U-664'' in position , west-southwest of Corvo Island, with depth charges from Avengers. Seven crew members were killed and 44 rescued by . On 11 August her aircraft sank at north-west of the Azores with all hands. On 27 August her aircraft sank in the
Sargasso Sea The Sargasso Sea () is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four currents forming an ocean gyre. Unlike all other regions called seas, it has no land boundaries. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its charac ...
at , with FIDO torpedoes, all 63 hands were lost. Her second deployment was from 25 September to 9 November 1943. Lt. (j.g.) Robert. L. Sterns spotted three submarines, , , and , refueling from the Type XIV supply and replenishment ("''Milchkuh''") , on 4 October, north of the Azores. Coming under heavy anti-aircraft fire from the three U-boats, Lt. Sterns radioed for reinforcements and three more TBM Avengers joined the battle. Sterns dropped a "Fido" acoustic torpedo that sunk ''U-460'' with 62 crew lost and two rescued, and ''U-422'' was sunk at with all hands. On 13 October, Avenger and Wildcat aircraft sank at , with an acoustic FIDO torpedo. On 31 October, three of her Avenger aircraft sank , at , north of Flores Island, with FIDOs and attacked , at the same location, but this boat escaped undamaged. The fifth and final sinking of the deployment was on 1 November, by one of ''Card''s escorts. After a violent, close-range surface action, rammed and sank in , north of the Azores. Too badly damaged to be saved, ''Borie'' had to be sunk by a bomb dropped by one of ''Card''s Avengers at , east of Cape Race,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. For her antisubmarine activities from 27 July to 25 October, as part of TG21.14, ''Card'' and her task group were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. ''Card'' became the first escort carrier to receive such an award for combating German submarines. ''Card'' began her third hunter-killer deployment 24 November 1943 in the North Atlantic. Late on 23 December, the group ran into wolfpack "Borkum"; ''Card'' had 12 contacts in 5 hours. ''Card'' and her escort were attacked by and one of her Wildcats spotted the
blockade runner A blockade runner is a merchant vessel used for evading a naval blockade of a port or strait. It is usually light and fast, using stealth and speed rather than confronting the blockaders in order to break the blockade. Blockade runners usuall ...
''Osorno'' steaming for the
Gironde estuary The Gironde estuary ( , US usually ; french: estuaire de la Gironde, ; oc, estuari de aGironda, ) is a navigable estuary (though often referred to as a river) in southwest France and is formed from the meeting of the rivers Dordogne and Gar ...
. One of ''Cards'' escorts, sank at on 24 December. The escort , was sunk by the combined efforts of and at , west northwest of
Cape Finisterre Cape Finisterre (, also ; gl, Cabo Fisterra, italic=no ; es, Cabo Finisterre, italic=no ) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain. In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like ...
, Spain. ''Card'' dodged submarines all night with only ''Decatur'' as screen, while ''Schenck'' rescued survivors from ''Leary''. The task group returned to Norfolk base on 2 January 1944. From 18 March to 17 May 1944, ''Card'' operated on transport duty between Norfolk and Casablanca. She then underwent overhaul until 4 June, when she steamed for
Quonset Point Quonset Point (), also known simply as Quonset, is a small peninsula in Narragansett Bay in the town of North Kingstown, Rhode Island. Its name is widely known from the Quonset hut, which was first manufactured there. ''Quonset'' is an Algonqu ...
, to hold pilot qualification exercises. She returned to Norfolk, 21 June, to serve as the nucleus of TG 22.10. The hunter-killer unit departed Norfolk, 25 June, and on 5 July, two of her escorts, and , sank at . Thirty survivors, including the mortally wounded commanding officer of the submarine, were taken on board ''Card'' and put ashore at Boston, Massachusetts, the next day. Her next anti-submarine cruise was in the Caribbean, and uneventful, 10 July – 23 August 1944. She sortied 18 September as the flagship of TG 22.2 for patrol off the Azores, during which she cooperated with British Escort Group 9 to attack a submarine on 12 October. After another patrol with TG 22.2, 1 December 1944 – 22 January 1945, ''Card'' entered
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...
for overhaul until 7 February. She then transported Army aircraft and Army and Navy personnel to Liverpool, returning to Norfolk 12 March. From 21 March to 24 May, ''Card'' was based on Quonset Point, conducting carrier pilot qualifications. She ferried men and aircraft to Guantanamo Bay, 21–24 June, then transited the Panama Canal, to transport materiel to Pearl Harbor and Guam, returning to San Diego, 14 August. By the end of World War II, ''Card's'' aircraft and escorts destroyed a total of 11 German submarines, making her, along with ''
USS Bogue USS ''Bogue'' (AVG/ACV/CVE/CVHE-9) was the lead ship in the of escort carriers in the United States Navy during World War II. The ship was named for Bogue Sound in North Carolina. Originally classified AVG-9, this was changed to ACV-9 on 20 Au ...
'' with 9 German and 2 Japanese submarines, the most successful ships of her class. Assigned to " Magic Carpet" duty, she made two voyages to Pearl Harbor, and one to the western Pacific, from 21 August to 16 December, returning servicemen to the west coast. ''Card'' departed Alameda, California, 7 January 1946, for the east coast where she was placed out of commission in reserve at Norfolk, 13 May. She was reclassified as a helicopter escort carrier CVHE-11, 12 June 1955; a utility carrier CVU-11, 1 July 1958; and an aviation transport AKV-40, 7 May 1959.


Awards

In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation, ''Card'' received three battle stars for service in World War II.


Vietnam War

The ship was reactivated on 16 May 1958, as USNS ''Card'' and operated with a civilian crew under Military Sea Transportation Service (MSTS) control as an aircraft transport. On 15 December 1961, ''Card'' left Quonset Point Naval Air Station in Rhode Island, with a cargo of
H-21 Shawnee The Piasecki H-21 Workhorse/Shawnee is an American helicopter, the fourth of a line of tandem rotor helicopters designed and built by Piasecki Helicopter (later Boeing Vertol). Commonly called "the flying banana", it was a multi-mission helicop ...
helicopters and soldiers from Fort Devens, bound for Vietnam. At Subic Bay, in the Philippines, the cargo and troops were transferred to the helicopter carrier , which arrived and unloaded off the coast of
Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
, on 25 January 1962.BATTALION HISTORY, 93rd Trans / 121st AHC, Early History, Web 4 Jan 2013.
/ref> On 2 May 1964, while ''Card'' was moored dockside in
Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...
, a Viet Cong frogman planted an explosive charge that blew a hole in the hull, killing five crewmen. ''Card'' settled in of water. She was patched, pumped out, and raised on 19 May, before being towed to Subic Bay, and then Yokosuka for repairs. ''Card'' returned to service on 11 December. The attack has parallels to the
suicide bombing A suicide attack is any violent attack, usually entailing the attacker detonating an explosive, where the attacker has accepted their own death as a direct result of the attacking method used. Suicide attacks have occurred throughout histor ...
of , in terms of being an example of "cost-effective" asymmetric warfare. During the latter part of 1967, and early part of 1968, ''Card'' brought US military helicopters to the Republic of South Vietnam. These helicopters were assembled on board the ship by members of the 388th Transportation Company, 765th Transportation Battalion, and then flown to the US Army airfield at Vũng Tàu. From there the helicopters were assigned to aviation units.


Fate

''Card'' entered the
Pacific Reserve Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and ...
, at
Olympia The name Olympia may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Olympia'' (1938 film), by Leni Riefenstahl, documenting the Berlin-hosted Olympic Games * ''Olympia'' (1998 film), about a Mexican soap opera star who pursues a career as an athlet ...
, Washington, on 10 March 1970, was sold for scrapping to
Zidell Explorations, Inc The Zidell Companies are a group of family-owned companies based in Portland, Oregon. They include Zidell Marine, a ship construction company which, from 1961 until 2017, specialized in the building of barges, and Tube Forgings of America Inc. ...
for $93,899.99, on 14 May 1971 and withdrawn from the fleet on 9 June 1971.


Awards

* Presidential Unit Citation * American Campaign Medal with one battle star * European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with two battle stars * World War II Victory Medal * Navy Occupation Medal with "ASIA" clasp * National Defense Service Medal * Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal * Vietnam Service Medal with one campaign star * Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * *


External links


USS ''Card'' at NHHC/DANFS

USS ''Card'' at World War II Database



USS ''Card'' Association




{{DEFAULTSORT:Card (Cve-11) 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 Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States Vietnam War auxiliary ships of the United States Maritime incidents in 1964