Tag Archives: USS Wasp (CV-18)

Murderers’ Row

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80 years ago today, 2 December 1944, in an ode to the ’27 Yankees. Third Fleet fast carriers anchored in Ulithi Atoll, Carolines, in a brief lull before the start of the Mindoro landings in the Philippines.

NHHC Catalog #: 80-G-294150. Copyright Owner: National Archives

Ships are (L to R): USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), and USS Hancock (CV-19). A destroyer escort and LCI are passing by. Planes in the foreground on board USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) are F6F-5 Hellcats of VF-80 with a TBM-3 Avenger of VT-80 making a cameo on the far right.

One of Tico’s F6F-5P Photocats got a great profile shot of the group on 8 December, with a sixth sister, Lexington, joining the line-up. The much better known 80-G-294129:

"Murderers' Row" Third Fleet aircraft carriers at anchor in Ulithi Atoll, 8 December 1944, during a break from operations in the Philippines area. The carriers are (from front to back): USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), USS Hancock (CV-19) and USS Ticonderoga (CV-14). Wasp, Yorktown, and Ticonderoga are all painted in camouflage Measure 33, Design 10a. Photographed from a USS Ticonderoga plane. 80-G-294131

U.S. Third Fleet. Caption: Aircraft carriers and other ships at anchor at Ulithi Atoll, on 8 December 1944. Carriers in line are (from the front): USS Wasp (CV-18), USS Yorktown (CV-10), USS Hornet (CV-12), and USS Hancock (CV-19); USS Ticonderoga (CV-14); USS Lexington (CV-16) is in the left background. Note camouflage schemes used with Wasp, Yorktown, and Ticonderoga all clad in camouflage Measure 33, Design 10a. Photographed from a Ticonderoga plane. 80-G-294129

Of note, none of these six Essex class carriers were in commission during the Pearl Harbor attack just three years prior. Indeed, Hancock and Ticonderoga had only joined the fleet six months before these images were snapped.

It’s worth remembering that when Nagumo’s carriers closed in on Oahu on the early morning of 7 December 1941, the entire U.S. Pacific Fleet only had three carriers to its name.

A sleeping giant, indeed.

The Sting of Crossing the Line

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How about this great series of shots taken on the Essex-class fleet carrier USS Wasp (CV-18) as her crew passed the equator some 80 years ago today, 11 July 1944. All of these are official U.S. Navy photographs, via the Library of Congress (Lot-2263).

“Court’s in Order. The court of Neptunus Rex, Ruler of the Raging Main, convenes on the deck of the aircraft carrier as the ship nears the equator. While the court prepared to go into action to convert ‘pollywogs’ (men who have never crossed the line) into “shellbacks”, other members of the crew keep a sharp look-out for the enemy. Neptunus counts among his royal officers such followers as Davy Jones, a Chief Executioner, High Chief Justice, Royal Torturer, and a Royal Embalmer.”

“It looks as if the crewman is emerging as a ‘shellback’ after a rollicking initiation at the hands of the followers of Neptunus Rex. Even in wartime, with an adequate guard posted, Neptunus Rex occasionally finds time to hold his traditional court for the crossing of the equatorial line.”

“Those Clippers Full. Judging from the look of anguish on the face of the man in the stock, the clippers running up and down his scalp are none too gentle. For that matter, the man performing the operation looks as if he’s had going over himself. It was all part of the traditional crossing of the line initiation held by the court of Neptunus Rex.” Note the SBD dive bomber in the background. 

Her war diary for July 1944 actually notes her position on the 11th as being around 13 degrees North Latitude– about 700nm from the equator while steaming off Guam. With no air operations, her diary only lists her as refueling three escorting destroyers that day. She had just recovered from a raid on the Bonin Islands (30 June to 4 July) and was in a lull during air operations against the Japanese-held Marianas that would continue until the end of the month.

So why celebrate on 11 July? Well, it may have been because, on the day prior, her skipper, Capt. Clifton Albert Frederick “Ziggy” Sprague (USNA 1918), had just been frocked a rear admiral and a new admiral can do just about anything he wants.

Laid down at Fore River in Massachusetts, our subject carrier was commissioned on 24 November 1943. Originally named Oriskany, she entered service as the 9th USS Wasp after the 8th, CV-7, was sunk by Japanese submarine I-19 in September 1942.

Of course, this Wasp would prove much luckier than her immediate predecessor and, besides earning eight battle stars for her World War II service, held the line in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic during Korea, then, transforming to an ASW carrier (CVS), played a prominent role in the manned space program, serving as the recovery ship for five Project Gemini missions.

USS Wasp (CVS-18) In formation with destroyers and aircraft of Anti-submarine Task Group Bravo, in the Mediterranean Sea, 19 August 1961. All escorts are Gearing class DDEs. Planes overhead include ten S2F and two AD-5Ws. Two HSS-1 helicopters are flying just above the ships. Official U.S. Navy Photograph.
Catalog #: USN 1057640

She was retired in 1972, and sold for scrap in 1973.

While several of her Essex class sisters (Intrepid, Lexington, Yorktown) were retained as museums, you can’t save them all.

‘Home port Yokosuka’

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Caption: “Painting by Arthur Beaumont, 1961. USS Duncan (DD-874) leads USS Mansfield (DD-728) and other destroyers into the Yokosuka, Japan, naval base. In the background is the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CVS-18).”

Naval History and Heritage Command Catalog #: NH 73366-KN

If you aren’t aware of Mr. Beaumont’s work, the NHHC and Navy Museum have lots of it digitized, most suitable for framing. A true maritime artist, he could make even life on a weather-beaten icebreaker or a slow-poking minesweeper seem just as exotic and stirring as serving on a cruiser with a bone in her teeth– just add humble local sailing craft or penguins.

USS Glacier (AGB 4) passes Beaufort Island, Arthur Beaumont. U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. 428-GX-KN 1388

USS Prime (MSO 466), artwork by Arthur Beaumont. U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Photographed from small reference card. 428-GX-K-42971

NH 94735-KN (Color). USS Providence (CLG-6). Watercolor by Arthur Beaumont, 1965

Execute! 75 years ago today

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Ships of Task Force 38 of the victorious U.S. Third Fleet maneuvering off the coast of Japan on August 17, 1945, two days after Japan agreed to surrender. The force at the time was under the command of Mississippi-born ADM. John S. “Slew” McCain Sr., who himself was only three weeks away from heading to that great wardroom in the sky.

Official U.S. Navy photo 80-G-278815 from the Naval History and Heritage Command.

USS Wasp (CV-18) is the aircraft carrier in the lower right. Note that her forward hull number on the flight deck is painted to be readable for planes coming from the bow.

The other identifiable carrier is USS Shangri-La (CV-38) in the left-center. She is the only known carrier to have her air group identification letter (“Z”) painted in white on her flight deck, instead of her hull number.

There are four other Essex-class carriers, four Independence-class light carriers, at least three battleships (two Iowa class and one South Dakota-class), several cruisers, and multiple destroyers in the formation.