World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseEssex was the lead ship of her class of aircraft carriers. After her shakedown cruise, she joined the Pacific Fleet in May 1943. She launched her aircraft against Japanese positions on Marcus Island on 31 Aug 1943, Wake Island on 5-6 Oct 1943, Tarawa on 18-23 Nov 1943, Kwajalein on 4 Dec 1943, and various targets in the Marshall Islands between 29 Jan and 2 Feb 1944. On 17-18 Feb 1944, she participated in the great carrier raid against Truk, then she proceeded to the Marianas Islands to raid Japanese positions there a few days later. After spending some time in San Francisco for overhaul, she struck Marcus Island on 19-20 May 1944 and Wake Island on 23 May. Between 12 Jun and 10 Aug, she served in the Mariana Islands region in support of the landing and occupation operations. Between 6 and 10 Sep, she launched sorties against Palau Islands, Mindanao of the Philippine Islands, and Japanese shipping in the region. Between 10 and 14 Oct 1944, she struck Okinawa and Taiwan in support of the American invasion of the Philippine Islands; she remained in the area to supply direct support for the Philippines campaign. On 25 Nov 1944, she received battle damage for the first time when a special attack D4Y dive bomber piloted by Lt. Yoshinori Yamaguchi crashed into the port edge of her flight deck, killing 15 and wounding 44. Although the damage caused by the kamikaze attack was serious, she was able to make temporary repairs and remain on the front lines. In Dec 1944, Essex's aircraft supported the Lingayen Gulf landing operations both directly at Luzon and indirectly by striking Taiwan, Sakishima, and Okinawa, which were among the islands she would continue to attack until Feb 1945. During the final few months of the war she launched air strikes against Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Japanese home islands. She was decommissioned from WW2 service on 9 Jan 1947.

ww2dbaseOn 16 Jan 1951, after modernization, she was recommissioned and served in the Korean War and the Cold War. Her final decommission took place in 1969, and was sold for scrap on 1 Jun 1975.

Aircraft Carrier Essex (CV-9) Interactive Map

Photographs

Essex Operational Timeline

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39.  David Stubblebine says:
13 Dec 2017 06:42:21 PM

To Charles Dobbs (above):
According to the Essex Muster Rolls, GM2c Everett Kidd, service number 634 09 11, enlisted 6 Jan 1942, he was received aboard on 3 Jun 1944 from the receiving station at Pearl Harbor, and the was transferred off the ship on 19 Nov 1945 to the receiving station at Seattle, Washington. The best source of information about his service would be a copy of his service record. See http://ww2db.com/faq/#3 for more on how to do that.

42.  David Stubblebine says:
24 May 2018 10:55:32 AM

Robin Welch (above):
USS Essex Muster Rolls list at least 15 entries for Kenneth Lee Welch dating from 15 Sep 1943 through 2 May 1946 and perhaps beyond. The Muster Rolls indicate he enlisted on 15 Jun 1943 at Huntington WVa and had a service number of 828 25 77. He was received aboard Essex on 15 Sep 1943 from the Pleasanton Distribution Center in Pleasanton, California with a rating of Fireman 3rd-class (remembering that “Fireman” did not mean firefighter but one who tended the boiler fires). He appears regularly in the Essex Muster Rolls, rising to the rating of Water Tender 3rd-class (also a boiler room job) and apparently left the ship 2 May 1946 in Bremerton, Washington.

To learn even more about his service, I cannot recommend highly enough the value of requesting a copy of his service record. See https://ww2db.com/faq/#3.