World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseUSS Shamrock Bay was commissioned into service in Mar 1944, and until Jun 1944 she remained off the west coast of the United States qualifying pilots for carrier landings. In mid-1944, she conducted several aircraft and personnel ferrying missions across the Atlantic Ocean. In Dec 1944, she joined the US Navy 7th Fleet in the Pacific Ocean. With 12 TBM Avenger and 20 FM-2 Wildcat aircraft on board, she contributed to the air cover over Task Groups 79.1 and 79.2 and the invasion beach between 31 Dec 1944 and 17 Jan 1945 in Ligayen Gulf in the Philippine Islands. On 8 Jan, a Japanese special attack Ki-43 aircraft dove at her; the aircraft was successfully driven off, but that Japanese aircraft would ultimately be successful in crashing into USS Kitkun Bay. USS Shamrock Bay would serve as the temporary home for the aircraft from USS Kitkun Bay. In 1945, she played similar roles during the actions at the Japanese islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa; during the latter action, she would launch over 1,200 sorties. Her WW2 combat service ended in Jul 1945 when she arrived at San Diego, California, United States and disembarked US Navy squadron VC-96. After the war, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet which brought US servicemen back to the United States from the Pacific bases. After inactivation work in early 1946, she was decommissioned in Jul of that year. She remained in the Reserve Fleet until 1958 when she was sold to the firm Hyman-Michaels Company of Chicago, Illinois, United States for scrapping.

Escort Carrier Shamrock Bay (CVE-84) Interactive Map

Photographs

Shamrock Bay Operational Timeline