USS Kitkun Bay

USS Kitkun Bay underway, 10 February 1944
History
United States
Name	Kitkun Bay
Namesake	Kitkun Bay, Prince of Wales Island
Ordered	as a Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, MCE Hull 1108
Awarded	18 June 1942
Builder	Kaiser Shipyards
Laid down	3 May 1943
Launched	8 November 1943
Commissioned	15 December 1943
Decommissioned	19 April 1946
Stricken	1 April 1960
Identification	Hull symbol: CVE-71
Honors and awards	6 Battle stars, a Presidential Unit Citation for conduct during the Battle off Samar
Fate	Sold for scrap, 18 November 1946
General characteristics
Class & type	Casablanca-class escort carrier
Displacement	8,188 long tons (8,319 t) (standard) 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) (full load)
Length	512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) (oa) 490 ft (150 m) (wl) 474 ft (144 m) (fd)
Beam	65 ft 2 in (19.86 m) 108 ft (33 m) (extreme width)
Draft	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) (max)
Installed power	4 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 9,000 shp (6,700 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines 2 × screws
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	10,240 nmi (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	Total: 910 – 916 officers and men Embarked squadron: 50 – 56 Ship's crew: 860
Armament	As designed: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual-purpose gun 4 × twin 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 12 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons Varied, ultimate armament: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual-purpose gun 8 × twin 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 20 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Aircraft carried	27
Aviation facilities	1 × catapult 2 × elevators
Service record
Part of	United States Pacific Fleet (1944–1946)
Operations	Mariana and Palau Islands campaign Battle of the Philippine Sea Philippines campaign Battle off Samar Invasion of Lingayen Gulf Operation Magic Carpet

USS Kitkun Bay (CVE-71) was the 17th of 50 Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was launched in November 1943 and transferred to the Navy and commissioned in December. She served in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, the Battle off Samar, in which she faced the first wave of organized kamikaze attacks, and the Invasion of Lingayen Gulf, during which she was damaged by another kamikaze and forced to withdraw. After the war, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from around the Pacific. She was decommissioned in April 1946 and sold for scrapping in November. Ultimately, she was broken up in early 1947.