USN · CVL
AfloatIndependence-class light carrier, begun as the cruiser Huntington. She ran with the fast carriers from Wake through the strikes on Japan. She was on the West Coast during the April landings on Okinawa. She was not sunk. She was the first light carrier into Tokyo Bay. At the end of January 1944 her planes pounded Kwajalein and Eniwetok, and she used Majuro as a base.
| Class | Independence class |
|---|---|
| Type | Light carrier (CVL) |
| Hull | CVL-25 |
| Builder | New York Shipbuilding, Camden |
| Launched | 1943-01-17 |
| Commissioned | 1943-05-28 |
| Fate | Afloat. Survived the war. Decommissioned 13 January 1947. Sold for scrap on 1 October 1960. |
| Armament (class) | Light carrier converted from a cruiser hull. Flight deck and an island. |
| Command |
|
Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.
The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.
The U.S. Navy light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25) at sea, 31 August 1944. She wears Camouflage Measure 33, Design 7A. USS Independence (CVL-22) is visible in the distance, wearing Measure 32, Design 8A. Public domain.
The pictures on this page are the originals.
No color version yet. Colored pictures and film will be added here.
Command
McConnell, Robert PercheCaptain from 28 May 1943Relieved on 18 May 1944HTTaylor, Herbert Watson Jr.Captain from 18 May 1944Relieved on 24 November 1944
DeBaun, George HarbordCaptain from 24 November 1944Relieved on 10 September 1945
Duckworth, Herbert SpencerCaptain from 10 September 1945Relieved on 13 December 1945
Johnson, Francis BenedictCaptain from 13 December 1945Relieved on 31 January 1946
Brush, Frederick JamesCommander in command from 31 January 1946Relieved on 22 August 1946
Wilson, Albert H. Jr.Commander in command from 22 August 1946Relieved on 13 January 1947Marshall Islands
1944-01-31 · planes on Kwajalein and Eniwetok at the end of January 1944; Majuro as a base
Operation Hailstone, the raid on Truk
1944-02-17 · TG 58.3 light carrier. Her Avengers of VT-25 were in the attack that sank Naka. Not sunk
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