USS Marcus Island

USS Marcus Island underway.
History
United States
Name	Kanalku Bay (1943) Marcus Island (1943–60)
Namesake	Kanalku Bay, Admiralty Island, Alexander Archipelago, Alaska 31 August 1943 raid over Minami-Tori-shima (Marcus Island)
Ordered	as a Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, MC hull 1114
Awarded	18 June 1942
Builder	Kaiser Shipyards
Laid down	15 September 1943
Launched	16 December 1943
Commissioned	26 January 1944
Decommissioned	12 December 1946
Stricken	1 September 1959
Identification	CVE-77 (1943–55) CVHE-77 (1955–59) AKV-27 (1959–60)
Honors and awards	4 Battle stars
Fate	Scrapped in 1960
General characteristics [1][2]
Class and type	Casablanca-class escort carrier
Displacement	8,188 long tons (8,319 t) (standard) 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) (full load)
Length	512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) (oa) 490 ft (150 m) (wl) 474 ft (144 m) (fd)
Beam	65 ft 2 in (19.86 m) 108 ft (33 m) (extreme width)
Draft	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) (max)
Installed power	4 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 9,000 shp (6,700 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines 2 × screws
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	10,240 nmi (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	Ship's Crew: 860 officers and men
Armament	As designed: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual-purpose gun 8 × 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 12 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons Varied, ultimate armament: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal gun 8 × twin 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 30 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Aircraft carried	27
Aviation facilities	1 × catapult 2 × elevators
Service record
Part of:	United States Pacific Fleet (1943–1946) Atlantic Reserve Fleet (1946–1960)
Operations:	Mariana and Palau Islands campaign Philippines campaign Battle of Leyte Battle off Samar Battle of Mindoro Invasion of Lingayen Gulf Battle of Okinawa Operation Magic Carpet

USS Marcus Island (CVE-77) was the twenty-third of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was named after an engagement on 31 August 1943 over Minami-Tori-shima, known on American maps as Marcus Island. She was launched in December 1943, commissioned in January 1944, and she served in the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, the Philippines campaign, as well as the Battle of Okinawa. She spent the majority of her World War II as a flagship for various escort carrier formations, serving as the headquarters for Rear Admiral William D. Sample and Felix Stump. During the Philippines campaign, she participated in the Battle off Samar, the largest naval engagement in history, and during the Battle of Mindoro, she had multiple near-brushes with Japanese kamikazes. Post-war, she participated in Operation Magic Carpet, repatriating U.S. servicemen from throughout the Pacific. She was decommissioned in December 1946, being mothballed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Ultimately, she was broken up in 1960.