Ships
- USS Takanis Bay (CVE-89) Captain from 3 June 1945 · Relieved on 21 September 1945
Courtney Shands was born on 1 December 1905. His birthplace is given as Ferguson, Missouri. He graduated from the Naval Academy with the Class of 1927 and became a fighter pilot.
On 7 August 1942, the day the Marines landed on Guadalcanal, Lieutenant Commander Shands led Fighting Squadron 71 from Wasp in the opening air assault on the Japanese positions in the Solomons. His flight destroyed seven enemy fighters and fifteen patrol planes, eliminating local air opposition, and Shands himself shot down four fighters and two patrol planes. He received the Navy Cross and finished the war an ace with six victories.
He later commanded the escort carrier Takanis Bay. In the Korean War he commanded the carrier Oriskany from 1 November 1952 to 21 April 1953 and won the Legion of Merit with Combat "V". He retired as a rear admiral in 1961 and died on 21 November 1968 in Alexandria, Virginia.