Sangamon class escort carrier
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| Sangamon class |  |
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| General characteristics {after conversion} | |
| Type: | Escort aircraft carriers |
| Displacement: | 11,400 tons (standard) 24,275 tons (full) |
| Length: | 553 ft (169 m) |
| Beam: | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Extreme width: | 114 ft (35 m) |
| Draught: | 32 ft (10 m) |
| Propulsion: | 4 boilers 2 steam turbines driving 2 shafts 13500 shp |
| Speed: | 18 knots (33 km/h) |
| Complement: | 830 - 1080 |
| Armament: | 2 × 5 inch[1] (2 × 1) 8 × Bofors 40 mm guns (4 × 2) 12 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (12 × 1) - additional 20 & 40 mm guns later added |
| Aircraft: | 25 - 32 |
The Sangamon class were a group of four escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy that served during World War II. They were originally Cimarron class oilers, launched in 1939 for civilian use. They were acquired by the U.S. Navy in 1940-41 and in early 1942 were decommissioned to be converted to escort carriers. The conversion took around six months, and from late 1942 until the end of the war the ships saw active duty in the Mediterranean, Atlantic and Pacific Campaigns. Three of the class were damaged by Japanese kamikaze attacks at the Battle of Leyte Gulf, but all survived the war. They were excellent examples of the type, roomy and tough with a large flight deck and good stability on even high seas.
The ships were withdrawn from active service shortly after the end of the war. Some of them were kept in reserve and reclassified as helicopter escort carriers (CVHE). All had been sold or scrapped by the early 1960s.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Friedman 1983 p. 407
[edit] References
- Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers. Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-739-9.
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