Photos and the story

Commencement Bay

Class	Commencement Bay class
Type	Escort carrier (CVE)
Hull	CVE-105
Builder	Seattle-Tacoma, Tacoma
Launched	1944-05-09
Commissioned	1944-11-27
Fate	Afloat. Commencement Bay-class escort carrier, the name ship. Commissioned 27 November 1944. Training ship in Puget Sound through the surrender. Out of commission, in reserve, at Tacoma on 30 November 1946. Redesignated CVHE-105 on 12 June 1955 and AKV-37 on 7 May 1959. Struck 1 April 1971. Sold 25 August 1972.
Command	Bowman, Roscoe Leroy Captain from 27 November 1944; Relieved on 28 April 1945 Vieweg, Walter Victor Rudolph Captain from 28 April 1945; Relieved on 10 February 1946 Head, Nelson Mead Commander in command from 10 February 1946; Relieved on 27 September 1946 McCracken, Reginald Rudolph Commander in command from 27 September 1946; Relieved on 30 November 1946

Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.

Commencement Bay is the reach of Puget Sound beside Tacoma. Seattle-Tacoma launched the name ship of the escort-carrier class on 9 May 1944. Mrs. F. Eves sponsored her. Captain R. L. Bowman commissioned her on 27 November 1944.

She reported at Seattle on 1 February 1945 and served as a training ship in Puget Sound until 2 October. In that time she trained 545 officers and 5,053 men of precommissioning crews for sister escort carriers, and she qualified 249 pilots of eight air groups in carrier takeoffs and landings.

She sailed from Bremerton on 21 October 1945 and reached Pearl Harbor on 4 November for training and carrier qualifications. On 27 November she sailed for Seattle and Tacoma. After visits to Los Angeles and San Pedro she returned to Tacoma on 28 January 1946 and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 30 November 1946. She was redesignated CVHE-105 on 12 June 1955 and AKV-37 on 7 May 1959. Her name was struck on 1 April 1971, and she was sold on 25 August 1972.

The pictures on this page are the originals.