Quote:
Originally Posted by Rain Man
Anzio** Casablanca-class Escort Carrier**
I'm really curious why these are called "Casablanca-class". Why was the first ship named after Casablanca?
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My initial thought was that they were developed in '43 and named after the Casablanca Conference. Nope, they were developed starting in late '42, and the first ship was named the Casablanca after a sea battle there. Specifically, the naval battle clearing the way for American amphibious landings in North Africa.
During that battle, our Navy proudly sunk one Nazi sub and nine FRENCH ships and damaged many others. This was Vichy France, of course, and the very complicated relationship between the French Navy, the British Navy, and the Germans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Battle_of_Casablanca
The class itself was a boxy, ugly escort carrier, nicknamed "Kaiser's Coffins", after the name of the shipyard that made them off -- Kaiser Shipyards -- specifically their shipyard in Vancouver, Washington.
Casablanca Class Pics:
USS Sargent Bay:
The hideous thing you have ordered me to report to, USS Anzio:
USS Kasaan Bay:
The Casablanca class was the most numerous of the escort carriers. The US built 151 carriers during the war, and 1/3rd of them were of the Casablanca class. Of the 50 built, 5 were lost during the war to enemy action.
The ship was hideously slow. 20 knots being its best speed. This was due in large part to its uniflow engine, necessitated by gear shortages in the United States due to wartime constraints. This pathetic speed limited its post-war usefulness, and most ships were scrapped for salvage at some point after the war.
That covers the class. Next post will be my ship, the USS Anzio (nee Coral Sea).