USS Petrof Bay ( CVE - 80 ) USS " Petrof Bay " ( CVE – 80 ) was an " Casablanca " class escort carrier of the United States Navy . She was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company , Vancouver , Washington , 15 October 1943 ; launched 5 January 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . J . G . Atkins ; acquired 18 February 1944 and commissioned the same day at Astoria , Oregon , Captain Joseph L . " Paddy " Kane in command . Service history . " Petrof Bay " departed Naval Air Station , San Diego , California 29 March for the southwest Pacific ; unloaded passengers , aircraft and cargo upon arrival Espiritu Santo 14 April , and six days later sailed for Seeadler Harbor , Manus Island , arriving there 25 April . She transferred eight aircraft to other ships in the harbor . On the morning of 29 April , she made rendezvous with Task Force 58 ( TF 58 ) to furnish replacement aircraft , prior to its first strike against the then powerful Japanese stronghold of Truk . The ship then proceeded to Majuro , arriving 3 May , and rejoined TF 58 after its successful strike on Truk . There she unloaded all her aircraft and most aviation spares and materiel , and took on aircraft in need of major overhaul , and salvage equipment . With " Barnes " and three destroyers , the ship turned toward the States 7 May , arriving San Francisco Bay 20 May . At San Diego , she embarked Composite Squadron 76 ( VC - 76 ) , commanded by Lieutenant Commander James W . McCauley , for shakedown air operations . On 30 July the ship shoved off for Pearl Harbor , arriving 6 August . The extra aircraft were unloaded and all resemblance to a ferry transport disappeared . On 12 August she was underway in Task Group 32 . 4 . en route Guadalcanal . She anchored in Tulagi Harbor , Solomon Islands , the afternoon of 24 August . On 4 September , " Petrof Bay " , as a part of " Taffy 3 " in company with and , sortied with the Peleliu and Anguar Movement Group No . 2 . She launched her first strike against the enemy on 15 September . The Marines successfully landed on Peleliu Island and established a beachhead aided by her aircraft . From D - Day until 29 September , with the exception of one day when bombs and ammunition were replenished at Kossol Passage , her aircraft bombed and strafed the Japanese , and searched for enemy shipping , aircraft , and submarines . She encountered no air opposition during the operation . By 30 September , when the airstrip on Peleliu was operational " Petrof Bay " retired to Manus Island . Battle of Leyte Gulf . On 14 October she sortied from Seeadler Harbor , Admiralty Islands with " Saginaw Bay " en route to Leyte Gulf for the first step in the liberation of the Philippines . The two CVEs rendezvoused with " Taffy 2 " for " A - Day " operations , and made forty air sorties during the landing on this first day . That night after being detached from the task unit , the carrier joined " Taffy 1 " , which had been suffering air attacks . From 21 October through 24 October " Petrof Bay " launched Air Support Groups . On 24 October , contact reports accumulated describing major units of the Japanese fleet moving out to fight what was to be the Battle for Leyte Gulf . The CVEs were in three units : " Taffy 3 " ( Task Unit 77 . 4 . 3 ) , east of the southern portion of Samar ; " Taffy 2 " ( Task Unit 77 . 4 . 2 ) , just south of that position ; and " Taffy 1 " ( Task Unit 77 . 4 . 1 ) with " Petrof Bay " , south of " Taffy 2 " and east of Surigao Island . The Japanese Central Force , which had earlier been sighted and attacked by aircraft in the Sibuyan Sea , and which was thought to be withdrawing , had slipped through San Bernardino Strait under cover of darkness , and had steamed south toward the eastern entrance to Leyte Gulf . At 0647 , Taffy 3 reported that they were being attacked by heavy units of the Japanese fleet and land - based aircraft . Two special strikes from " Petrof Bay " joined in the air attack against these enemy ships . Four FM - 2 Wildcat s and six TBM Avenger s were launched at 0724 to join a 0552 launch of four fighters redirected to attack the Japanese surface ships . At 0729 , RADAR reported six Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zeros closing on the formation . The ship went to General Quarters and so remained for the next 108 hours . Anti - aircraft guns shot down two planes , but one of the survivors crashed into the flight deck of , another crashed into , and another narrowly missed . A Yokosuka D4Y " Judy " then strafed " Petrof Bay " and narrowly missed with a bomb that failed to explode . " Santee " was hit by a torpedo a few minutes later . Meanwhile , " Petrof Bay " s planes hit the enemy while Taffy 3 was actually under attack . The Wildcats made strafing attacks while the Avengers launched torpedoes . During the two strikes , her pilots claimed one probable hit on , two probable hits on , two on and one on an unidentified cruiser , plus strafing runs on " Yamato " , the cruisers , and destroyers . Wildcats without enough fuel to return to " Petrof Bay " landed at Tacloban airfield where they received some friendly fire . Surviving Avengers landed on of Taffy 3 and of Taffy 2 with less than ten gallons of fuel remaining . Only one torpedo plane and two fighters returned to " Petrof Bay " . " Petrof Bay " launched a final strike at 1530 to search for and attack the enemy then in retreat . After rendezvousing with other aircraft from the CVEs , the flight proceeded to San Bernardino Strait where it found and attacked a cruiser of the " Mogami " class , scoring two torpedo hits and one probable hit . These planes also landed at Tacloban Airfield when their fuel was inadequate to return to " Petrof Bay " . At 2232 , one of the destroyers in the screen had a sound contact . A 90 - degree emergency turn was made and almost immediately thereafter two torpedoes straddled " Petrof Bay " , one twenty yards on the port and the other passing under the overhang on the starboard side . attacked with depth charges and was believed successful in destroying the submarine . On 26 October , the only remaining Japanese force within range of the CVE ' s aircraft was one light cruiser and four destroyers sighted in the Visayan Sea . " Petrof Bay " launched its only two remaining torpedo - bombers to participate in a strike against the five ships . One plane scored a hit with a 500 pound semi - armor piercing bomb and a near miss on the cruiser and strafed a destroyer which caught on fire and blew up . " Suwanee " was crashed by another Zero at noon ; and four Japanese aircraft started suicide runs on " Petrof Bay " from astern . The first aircraft exploded in mid - air from a hit from the five - inch gun aided by gunfire from other ships . The second turned to starboard , smoking , and withdrew . The third aircraft looped into the clouds , came straight down , missed and hit the water twenty feet in front of the bridge . The aircraft exploded as it hit the water , drenching the ship with gas . The fourth Japanese aircraft dove straight for the flight deck , its tail and wing were shot off as it fell aft of the fantail . During the night of 28 October " Petrof Bay " retired to the fueling area . That night the ship returned to rendezvous with Taffy 2 , TG 77 . 2 and TG 77 . 3 , and , in company with them , triumphantly and proudly proceeded to Manus Island . All VC - 76 aircrew were recovered . The squadron logged 15 , 000 hours of flight time through eight months of combat without a single personnel loss , while pilots were awarded seventeen Navy Crosses . Captain Kane also received a Navy Cross . Next , " Petrof Bay " , as a part of Task Unit 77 . 4 . 5 , departed for the traffic lanes leading to Leyte 19 November arriving in the area 23 November . In mid - January 1945 , the ship was detached from Task Group 77 . 3 and ordered to report for duty to Task Group 77 . 4 , to prevent runs being made by the enemy from and into Manila . Direct support was furnished 29 January – 30 January for the landings in the San Narciso and San Antonio areas . Iwo Jima . With the reconquest of Luzon well underway , " Petrof Bay " departed for Ulithi . The fortress island of Iwo Jima stood in the path of the advancing Americans , and was needed as a base for fighter escorts for the B – 29 raids on Tokyo and the Japanese Empire . After being in port for only five days , " Petrof Bay " departed Ulithi , underway for Iwo Jima . On 15 February , she arrived at the objective area in company with Task Group 52 . 19 , the Advance Movement Group . As the battleships , cruisers and destroyers began shelling the island , aircraft from the CVEs began strafing and bombing attacks . The troop transports arrived 18 February , and the Marines established a beachhead the next day . Aircraft from " Petrof Bay " supported these landings and furnished the troops with air support during the operation , making 786 air sorties . By 7 March , the airstrip on Iwo Jima was fully operational and the ship was ordered to retire to Ulithi via Guam . Iwo Jima was the last operation for the ship ' s original squadron , VC – 76 , and at Guam they were disembarked and Composite Squadron 93 ( VC – 93 ) embarked 10 March . Okinawa . As a part of Task Unit 52 . 1 . 2 the ship departed 21 March , escorting TG 54 . 1 , Fire Support Group , to furnish air cover and air support in the invasion and capture of Okinawa . As Marines landed on Kerama Retto , " Petrof Bay " ' s new squadron got its first taste of combat during strikes supporting the operation . Anti - aircraft fire was exceptionally heavy and accurate . The day before the landings on Okinawa the escort carrier ' s aircraft supported landings on Kiese Shima . Thereafter , she launched daily strike groups , patrols and special missions . " L " Day was 1 April , Easter Sunday , and the landings on Okinawa were made at 0830 with slight opposition . Aircraft from " Petrof Bay " preceded the troops . The unit was ordered to attack and neutralize Sakishima Gunto 13 April , and the first strike was launched from 228 miles . Heavy anti - aircraft fire was encountered and two aircraft were shot down , but the pilots rescued . On 16 April the formation was back southeast of Okinawa . During the period from 9 May until 26 May , the ship furnished direct air support , on - target air and anti - submarine patrol . During the Okinawa operation " Petrof Bay " ' s combat air patrol shot down 17 enemy aircraft . On 26 May , " Petrof Bay " departed for Guam , where she arrived and entered Apra Harbor 30 May . VC - 93 was disembarked and Composite Squadron 90 ( VC - 90 ) embarked for transportation to Pearl Harbor . On 19 June , " Petrof Bay " moored at the Naval Operating Base , Terminal Island , San Pedro , Calif . , for a general overhaul . Postwar . " Petrof Bay " sailed for Pearl Harbor 13 August 1945 . Two days later Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration . The carrier arrived 20 August , took VC - 20 aboard for qualifying exercises in local seas , replaced VC - 20 with VC - 4 , and sailed for Tokyo Bay 29 August by way of Eniwetok and Saipan . Flight operations continued , consisting of scouting and antisubmarine patrols with the last flight , a TBM Avenger , landing at 1628 on 10 September off Saipan . She arrived at Saipan 11 September , did not continue to Tokyo Bay , and departed for Pearl Harbor 25 September with 104 members of VC - 7 and other military personnel aboard as passengers . All aircraft were unloaded at Pearl Harbor , ending " Petrof Bay " ' s career as a warship . The 123 men of VPB - 152 and others were boarded as passengers . She departed 5 October , arrived in San Francisco 11 October , disembarking hundreds of veteran passengers including her operational squadron , VC - 4 . On 18 October she made a round trip to Pearl Harbor to pick up more veterans , returning 31 October . Alterations were made at Hunters Point to accommodate more passengers and she departed 17 November for Eniwetok where she loaded 1 , 062 veterans , followed by 153 at Kwajalein . She arrived in San Francisco 6 December , departed for Guam 12 December , embarked 944 veterans , and arrived at San Pedro 18 January 1946 . Departing San Pedro 29 January 1946 , she touched at San Diego , transited the Panama Canal , and steamed up the eastern seaboard to Norfolk , arriving 15 February . From there she headed northward again , and made her final mooring under her own power at Boston , Mass . 23 February . She was decommissioned and placed in the Boston Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet 31 July 1955 , reclassified CVU – 80 12 June 1955 , struck from the Navy Vessel Register 27 June 1958 , sold to J . Berkurt 30 July 1959 , and subsequently scrapped . Awards . " Petrof Bay " received five battle star s and a Presidential Unit Citation for World War II service .