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WORLD WAR II The first escort carrier was HMS ''Audacity'' which was converted from the captured German merchant ship MV ''Hannover'' and commissioned in July 1941. She was followed by ''Activity'' , ''Pretoria Castle'', etc. Subsequently, ''Audacity'' became the model for later U.S. built escort carriers, the first example of which was the USS ''Long Island'' (AVG-1). In US service, they were initially referred to as auxiliary aircraft escort vessels and then '''auxiliary aircraft carrier''' before the Navy settled on escort aircraft carrier. They were informally known as '''Jeep carriers''' and '''baby flat tops'''. Escort carriers were given the US Navy Hull Classification Symbol '''CVE''' — this was sarcastically said by their crews to stand for '''Combustible, Vulnerable, and Expendable'''. Escort carriers were typically around 500 ft (150 m) long, not much more than half the length of the almost 900 ft (300 m) fleet carriers of the same era, but actually less than one-third of the size: a typical escort carrier displaced about 8,000 tons, as compared to almost 30,000 tons for a full-size fleet carrier. They had a single Hydraulic Catapult instead of the 2 present on medium and large carriers, but the system of tail hook and arresting cable was the same. The aircraft Hangar ran only a third of the way under the flight deck and there was only one aircraft elevator. Procedures for launch and recovery were the same as on the big carriers. The islands of these ships were small and cramped, located well forward of the funnels (unlike on a normal-sized carrier where the funnels were integrated into the island). The crew size was less than a third of that of a large carrier, but this was still a bigger complement than most naval vessels. It was large enough to justify the existence of facilities such as a permanent canteen or snack bar, called a Gedunk Bar , in addition to the mess. The bar was open at longer hours than the mess and sold several flavors of Ice Cream , along with cigarettes and other consumables. There were also several Vending Machine s, which made a "gedunk" sound when operated. They were developed at the behest of the United Kingdom to operate as part of a North Atlantic Convoy escort rather than as part of a naval strike force. Many of the escort carriers produced were assigned to the Royal Navy for the duration of the war under the Lend-lease act. They supplemented and then replaced the converted Merchant Aircraft Carrier s which were put into service by the British and Dutch as an emergency measure until the escort carriers became available. They were used by the Royal Navy, to hunt submarines, for the interception of long range enemy aircraft, for patrols and scouting, and to ferry aircraft. The ships sent to the Royal Navy were slightly modified, partly to suit the traditions of that service. Among other things the ice cream making machines were removed, since they were considered unnecessary luxuries on ships which served Grog and other Alcoholic Beverages . The heavy duty Washing Machine s of the laundry room were also removed since "all a British sailor needs to keep clean is a Bucket and a bar of Soap " (quoted from Warrilow). Other modifications were due to the need for an enclosed hangar when operating in the North Atlantic and in support of the Arctic Convoys . Perhaps the finest moment for the escort carriers was the Battle Of Leyte Gulf 's Battle Off Samar , where three escort carrier groups fended off the Battleships of the Japanese Combined Fleet , allowing General Douglas MacArthur 's Army to complete the liberation of Leyte . The hero of the battle was Rear Admiral Clifton "Ziggy" Sprague . One of these escort carriers, the USS ''Guadalcanal'', was instrumental in the capture of the German submarine ( U-boat ) U-505 off North Africa in 1944. The Guadalcanal, and her task force, was commanded by Captain (later Admiral) Daniel V. Gallery . In 1955 the U-505 was moved to Chicago, restored, and made a permanent exhibit at the Chicago Museum Of Science And Industry . Over 100 escort carriers were launched or converted during the war. Of these, six ( HMS ''Nairana'' , HMS ''Campania'' , HMS ''Activity'' , HMS ''Pretoria Castle'' , HMS ''Vindex'' , and HMS ''Audacity'' ) were British conversions of merchant ships, the rest being new construction in the USA (the first US escort carriers were conversion of unfinished merchant vessels). For complete lists see:
ESCORT CARRIER TACTICS WHEN ESCORTING CONVOYS There are three basic Tactics for operating an escort carrier in defence of a Convoy :
HMS ''Audacity'' was sunk while operating in the second position which was later banned by the Admiralty as too risky. RELATIVE CARRIER SIZES IN WORLD WAR II
POST WORLD WAR II Following the war, this class of ship was retired, primarily because as the navies were reduced in size it was better to keep the larger and more useful fleet carriers in preference to them. Just about every important class of ship or patrol boat from World War II can be found in a museum or in a port, somewhere in the United States, except for the escort carrier and the light carrier. There are no survivors from either type of ship: all were destroyed during the war or broken up in the decades following it. The last escort carrier, USS ''Gilbert Islands'' (CVE-107) was broken up for scrap starting in 1976. SEE ALSO REFERENCES
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