World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseOriginally laid down under the name of Hancock, the hull was renamed Ticonderoga on 1 May 1943. She was commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia, United States with Captain Dixie Kiefer in command. Because she was the first of the long-hull sub-class of Essex-class, she was sometimes referred to as the first of the Ticonderoga-subclass aircraft carriers. She departed from Norfolk on 26 Jun 1943 for the British West Indies for training, returning on 22 Jul. On 30 Aug, she departed from Norfolk for San Diego, California, United States via the Panama Canal, arriving on 13 Sep. On 26 Sep, she arrived at Pearl Harbor, US Territory of Hawaii, where she conducted experiments in the underway transfer of aviation bombs from cargo ships to aircraft carriers, while her crew engaged in take-off, landing, and anti-aircraft exercises. On 18 Oct, she departed from Pearl Harbor for Ulithi Atoll, Caroline Islands, arriving on 29 Oct.

ww2dbaseOn 2 Nov 1944, USS Ticonderoga sailed with Task Force 38 to support the campaign for Leyte, Philippine Islands. She launched her first air strike on the morning of 5 Nov, attacking targets on Luzon, Philippine Islands, and her aircraft shared credit for the sinking of the Japanese heavy cruiser Nachi. In the afternoon of 5 Nov, her group was attacked by kamikaze attacks; she was not hit, and claimed two kills on Japanese aircraft. On 6 Nov, she launched two fighter sweeps and two bombing strikes against targets at Luzon; she claimed 35 aircraft kills and 6 ships sunk in Manila Bay. On 11 Nov, along with other aircraft from other aircraft carriers, her aircraft shared credit for the sinking of nearly an entire Japanese reinforcement convoy, destroying all transports and four of the seven escorting destroyers. Between 12 and 13 Nov, carrier aircraft from the group attacked targets near Manila, Luzon, Philippine Islands, destroying the light cruiser Kiso, four destroyers, and seven merchant ships. On 25 Nov, after some rest at Ulithi, her aircraft sank the heavy cruiser Kumano off Luzon and then destroyed cruiser Yasoshima, a merchant ship, and three landing ships in Dasol Bay, shot down 15 Japanese aircraft from the air, and finally destroyed 11 aircraft on the ground. Between 11 Dec and 16 Dec, her aircraft attacked Japanese airbases on Luzon.

ww2dbaseOn 18 Dec, Ticonderoga was hit by Typhoon Cobra off Luzon by surprise; she suffered no damage, but three destroyers from Task Force 38 were sunk. The group returned to Ulithi on 24 Dec for replenishment and repairs.

ww2dbaseTask Force 38 departed Ulithi Atoll on 30 Dec 1944 to support the landing on Luzon. On 3 and 4 Jan 1945, Ticonderoga's aircraft struck Taiwan, though bad weather limited the scope. On 6 Jan, they attacked airbases at Luzon, destroying 32 aircraft that day. On 7 Jan, the attacks on Luzon airbases continued. On 8 and 9 Jan, she was sent to attack Ryukyu Islands while the Americans landed at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon, but bad weather changed plans, and they attacked Taiwan instead. On the night of 9-10 Jan 1945, Task Force 38 sailed through the Luzon Strait and raided Japanese shipping in the South China Sea. On 12 Jan, the group's aircraft sank 44 ships totaling over 130,000 tons off Indochina. On 15 Jan, fighters of the Task Force strafed Japanese targets in China. In the morning of 16 Jan, some of the fighters strafed Japanese airbases in China while the remaining fighters and attack aircraft raided Japanese shipping.

ww2dbaseIn the morning of 21 Jan 1945, Ticonderoga's aircraft, along with others of Task Force 38, attacked airbases at Taiwan, Pescadores, and Sakishima Gunto. Meanwhile, the Japanese launched a kamikaze special attack on the group. Carrier Langley was hit by a bomb, and Ticonderoga received a kamikaze hit. The Japanese aircraft crashed through her flight deck by the No. 2 127-mm anti-aircraft gun, and the aircraft's bomb detonated just above her hangar deck. Captain Kiefer immediately changed course to prevent wind to feed more oxygen into the fire, and then gave the order the flood magazines to prevent further explosions. After correcting a 10-degree starboard list, Kiefer innovatively induced a 10-degree port list which helped the damage control party to dump burning aircraft wrecks into the ocean to prevent further damage. As the fire was just brought under control, another kamikaze aircraft crashed into the island, causing another 100 casualties, including Kiefer, who was wounded at the bridge. The fire caused by the second crash was brought under control at 1400.

ww2dbaseBetween 24 Jan and 18, Ticonderoga remained at Ulithi for temporary repairs and to disembarked the injured personnel to hospital ship Samaritan. She arrived at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on the west coast of continental United States on 15 Feb for permanent repairs that lasted until 20 Apr.

ww2dbaseAfter some training at Pearl Harbor, Ticonderoga returned to the war area in May 1945. En route to Ulithi, her aircraft struck Taroa in the Marshall Islands. On 2, 3, and 8 Jun, her fighter struck airfields on Kyushu, Japan. She rested at Leyte for the remainder of Jun 1945. In mid-Jul, a damaged reduction gear forced her to receive repairs at Apra Harbor, Guam, Mariana Islands. She re-joined Task Force 38 on 24 Jul, and her aircraft joined others in a strike against Nagoya, Osaka, and Miko in Japan. On 28 Jul, Ticonderoga's aircraft attacked Kure Naval Base and heavily damaged or destroyed an aircraft carrier, three cruisers, a destroyer, and a submarine. On 30 Jul, her aircraft bombed industrial areas in central Honshu, Japan. On 9 and 10 Aug, her aircraft bombed northern Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan. On 13, 14, and 16 Aug, her aircraft bombed Tokyo, Japan.

ww2dbaseAfter the Japanese surrender, USS Ticonderoga's aircraft conducted reconnaissance patrols over Japan in search for prisoners-of-war camps. On 6 Sep 1945, she entered Tokyo Bay to embark American personnel destined for home. She departed from Tokyo on 20 Sep for the first of several Operation Magic Carpet trips she would make. She was inactivated at Puget Sound Navy Yard in 1946, and was decommissioned in 1947.

ww2dbaseOn 13 Jan 1952, Ticonderoga was brought back into service. She was brought to the New York Navy Yard on 1 Apr 1952 for modernization which included steam catapults, a new nylon barricade, a new elevator, and the latest electronics and fire control equipment. On 11 Sep 1954, she was officially recommissioned with Captain William A. Schoech in command. In Jan 1955, she conducted qualification trials in Norfolk, Virginia and in early Feb she conducted a post-modernization shakedown cruise off Cuba. She served off the east coast of the United States until late 1955, and then served in the Mediterranean Sea until Aug 1956. On 2 Aug 1956, she returned to Norfolk to receive an angled flight deck and an enclosed hurricane bow. In Apr 1957, Ticonderoga sailed for her new home oprt, Alameda, California, arriving on 30 May. On 16 Sep, she departed from San Francisco Bay, California for Yokosuka, Japan, arriving on 15 Oct after a stop at Pearl Harbor. In the following six months, she cruised waters off Japan and Philippine Islands. She returned to Alameda, California on 25 Apr 1958, completing the first of her first few deployments to the Far East through 1963.

ww2dbaseIn Early 1964, Ticonderoga departed for her sixth cruise to the Far East. On 2 Aug, North Vietnamese Navy torpedo boats attacked American destroyer Maddox in the Gulf of Tonkin off Vietnam. Ticonderoga launched four F8E Crusader aircraft to attack the North Vietnamese craft with their 20-mm cannons and Zuni rockets. On 4 Aug, Ticonderoga launched aircraft to attack another reported North Vietnamese torpedo boat attack, possibly sinking two North Vietnamese boats and damaging another two. As the conflict in Vietnam escalated, aircraft from carriers Ticonderoga and Constellation launched 60 sorties against four North Vietnamese air and naval bases along with oil storage facilities on 5 Aug. She returned to the United States in Dec 1964, and entered a five-month overhaul at Hunter's Point Navy Yard through Jun 1965. She returned to Vietnam on 5 Nov and immediately continued combat air operations. In the following 6 months, she spent a total of 116 days in air operations off Vietnam, with her aircraft delivering over 8,000 tons of various bombs in more than 10,000 combat sorties. 16 aircraft and 5 pilots were lost during the winter of 1965-1966. After a stop at Sasebo, Japan, Ticonderoga returned to the United States on 13 May, arriving at San Diego.

ww2dbaseFollowing repairs, Ticonderoga departed from San Diego on 9 Jul for training exercises off the west coast of the United States. On 15 Oct, she departed from San Diego and reached Yokosuka, Japan on 30 Oct. On 13 Nov 1966, she returned to the Gulf of Tonkin and resumed combat duties. Through spring 1967, she launched 11,650 sorties. She returned to Yokosuka on 27 Apr 1967 and returned to San Diego for a month-long rest. Between Jul and Sep, she received reapris at Bremerton Navy Yard in Washington, United States. Upon completion, she performed training exercises off Southern California. On 28 Dec, she departed for Vietnam once again, arriving on 26 Jan 1968. Between Jan and Jul 1968, she served 120 days of combat duty, flying over 13,000 combat sorties against North Vietnam and Viet Cong forces.

ww2dbaseTiconderoga returned to the United States on 17 Aug 1968. On 22 Aug, she entered the Long Beach Navy Yard, California for repairs. She returned to duty in late Oct and conducted training operations in Southern California until Jan 1969.

ww2dbaseOn 1 Feb 1969, Ticonderoga departed from San Diego for another combat deployment to Southeast Asia. After stops at Pearl Harbor and Yokosuka, she arrived at Vietnam on 4 Mar. For the following four months, she attacked North Vietnamese bases and interdicted supply lines. On 16 Apr, after a North Korean aircraft shot down an US Navy reconnaissance aircraft in the Sea of Japan, Ticonderoga was ordered to sail to Japan to bolster US Navy's presence in Japan. She returned to Vietnam in mid-May. She returned to San Diego on 18 Sep. In mid-Oct, she entered Long Beach Navy Yard to be converted into an anti-submarine warfare carrier.

ww2dbaseOn 28 May 1970, USS Ticonderoga emerged as a new ship. She exercised out of Long Beach for most of Jun 1970. On 26 Jun, she entered her new home port, San Diego, and performed training exercises. In the early 1970s, she returned to Asia to train with Japanese and Thai navies. In Apr 1972, she participated in the recovery of the Apollo 16 moon mission capsule near American Samoa, followed by a similar mission for Apollo 17 in Dec 1972 also near American Samoa. On 22 Jun 1973, she recovered the Skylab 2 astronauts near San Diego, California.

ww2dbaseTiconderoga was decommissioned on 1 Sep 1973 after being found unfit for naval service. She was sold for scrap on 15 Aug 1974.

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1.  David Stubblebine says:
1 May 2008 05:48:00 PM

5 Battle Stars in WWII:
-Western Carolines - Oct 1944
-Leyte Operation - Nov-Dec 1944
-Luzon Operation - Jan 1945
-Okinawa Gunto - Jun 1945
-3rd Fleet ops against Japan - Jul 1945