USS Kasaan Bay ( CVE - 69 ) USS " Kasaan Bay " ( CVE - 69 ) was a " Casablanca " class escort carrier of the United States Navy . She was classified ACV - 69 on 20 August 1942 , launched as CVE - 69 on 24 October 1943 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company in Vancouver , Washington , under a Maritime Commission contract ; sponsored by Mrs . R . W . Morse ; and acquired and commissioned by the Navy on 4 December 1943 , Captain B . E . Grow in command . Service history . World War II . " Kasaan Bay " was laid down initially as an S4 - S2 - BB3 oiler , in May 1943 . She was completed as CVE - 69 in October 1943 and was commissioned in December 1943 . Following a short shakedown KasaanBay as assigned to Pacific Fleet aircraft and personnel ferry and replenishment duty , commencing in January 1944 . On 8 January 1944 , the carrier departed San Francisco with a cargo of planes and passengers for Pearl Harbor . Upon returning to San Diego she sailed for Norfolk , arriving on 28 February for overhaul and operations along the East Coast . On 28 May , she departed New York in company of and with a cargo of planes for Casablanca , returning to New York on 17 June with 342 survivors of , which was torpedoed on 29 May . The escort carrier departed Quonset Point , Rhode Island on 30 June and arrived Oran on 10 July . Throughout July , she engaged in ASW patrol and flight operations in the Mediterranean before rehearsing for the assault on Southern France . " Kasaan Bay " departed Malta on 12 August , and 3 days later arrived in the invasion area off the French Riviera . In one of the few instances in which F6Fs operated in combat from a CVE , F6F - 5s and - 5Ns assigned to the 24 - plane squadrons VF - 74 aboard " Kasaan Bay " and VOF - 1 aboard " Tulagi " carried out a variety of missions in support of the landings and fighting inland . The CVEs conducted operations in concert with British escort carriers . Limited opportunities for air - to - air combat presented themselves but " Kasaan Bay " pilots shot down two German aircraft . She completed her assignment on 30 August and departed Oran , Algeria on 6 September , arriving Norfolk 12 days later . Following a cruise carrying planes to Casablanca in late October , " Kasaan Bay " was assigned to the Pacific Fleet and arrived San Diego on 2 January 1945 . During January she sailed to Pearl Harbor , Guam , and Ulithi with planes and replacements for other ships of the Fast Carrier Task Force . The escort carrier returned Pearl Harbor on 14 February and immediately commenced training operations for air groups and replacement pilots . " Kasaan Bay " continued this duty until early June when she was assigned ASW patrols in the shipping lanes between the Marshall and Mariana Islands protecting the fleet ' s supply line during its final assault on Japan ' s defenses . Air Groups . The following squadrons operated from " Kasaan Bay " during her career : Post - War . When hostilities ended 14 August , " Kasaan Bay " returned to Guam where she was assigned " Magic - Carpet " duty . She departed Saipan on 13 September with her first group of returning veterans arriving San Diego 30 September . For the next 3 months , she made three cruises to Hawaii and the Philippines to transport homeward bound troops to the United States . The escort carrier returned to San Francisco on 28 December and sailed for the East Coast on 29 January 1946 , arriving Boston on 22 February . She decommissioned on 6 July 1946 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . While in reserve , " Kasaan Bay " was reclassified CVHE - 69 on 12 June 1955 . She was sold for scrap on 2 February 1960 . Awards . " Kasaan Bay " received one battle star for her World War II service .