USN · CV
AfloatEssex-class carrier, CV-18. Laid down as Oriskany and renamed after CV-7 was lost. She fought in the Marianas, Philippine Sea and Leyte, and a bomb hit her on 19 March 1945 off Japan. Not sunk.
| Class | Essex class |
|---|---|
| Type | Aircraft carrier (CV) |
| Hull | CV-18 |
| Builder | Bethlehem Steel, Quincy |
| Launched | 1943-08-17 |
| Commissioned | 1943-11-24 |
| Fate | Afloat. Survived a 500-pound bomb that killed about 100 of her crew on 19 March 1945. Eight battle stars. Decommissioned in 1947, recommissioned in the 1950s and sold for scrap in 1973. This is CV-18, not the Wasp (CV-7) sunk by I-19 in 1942. |
| Armament (class) | Fleet carrier. Flight deck, with the island set aft of amidships. |
| Command |
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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.
USS Wasp (CV-18) at sea in the western Pacific on 6 August 1945. This is CV-18, not the earlier Wasp (CV-7). U.S. Navy photograph 80-G-261904. Wikimedia Commons File:USS Wasp (CV-18) at sea in the Western Pacific on 6 August 1945 (80-G-261904).jpg. Public domain.
The pictures on this page are the originals.
No color version yet. Colored pictures and film will be added here.
Command
Sprague, CliftonCommanding officer from 24 November 1943Relieved on 22 July 1944OWWeller, Oscar A.Commanding officer from 22 July 1944Relieved on 7 June 1945WSSwitzer, Wendell GrayCommanding officer from 7 June 1945Relieved on 4 March 1946
Clifton, Joseph ClintonCommander in command from 4 March 1946Relieved on 5 June 1946
Counihan, John Lawrence Jr.Commander in command from 5 June 1946Relieved on 17 September 1946
Freedman, LewisCommander in command from 17 September 1946Relieved on 17 February 1947Battle of the Philippine Sea
1944-06-19 · Task Group 58.2; strikes on the Marianas and the long-range strike of 20 June 1944; not sunk
Battle off Samar
1944-10-25 · Task Group 38.1; launched strikes at Kurita's ships at about 1030 on 25 October 1944, then about 330 miles away; not sunk
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