USS VELLA GULF

(CVE-111) Motto: The Three Aces
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USS Vella Gulf was commissioned in April of 1945 and involved in local operations off Puget Sound for her first month. She then headed to San Diego and was involved in transport and replenishment missions across the Pacific. She eventually was sent to Pearl Harbor, where she underwent 11 days of training and then headed out to help with the South Pacific efforts.

She was sent to Guam and then on to the Marianas Islands, where she conducted strikes against the islands of Rota and Pagan. She then headed back to Guam for a brief rest before getting sent to Okinawa to help with the Japanese attacks, but was only there for one night because surrender negotiations had succeeded.

On August 15, 1945, Vella Gulf was back in Guam and heard that Japan had, in fact, surrendered. At this time, she was involved in occupation efforts in the Japanese home islands. Vella Gulf was then used to transport servicemen home to the United States from Okinawa.

After this, she was sent to Tacoma to be decommissioned in August 1946. She was put in reserve, reclassified, and was stricken from the Navy list without return to duty in 1960. She was sold for scrap in 1971. Vella Gulf earned one battle star for WWII efforts.

CVE-111 Deployments - Major Events

Month Year to Month Year Deployment / Event
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CVE-111 Crew

Year Rank/Rate Last Name First Name Hometown Home State Remembered by
1944 BM Banzy Edward (died Feb 15, 2004) Boston MA Email
1944 CPTN Dearborn John Deerfield NH
1944 EM Mccullough Bill Wolfdale PA Email
1944 MM Breuninger George East Keansburg NJ Email
1944 RM Finnie Bill (Died 7/8/2000) IA
1944 SF Shackelford Donald Waldron MO Email
1944 SM Lemos Raymond J Lemos Fairhaven MA
1944 SM Lemos Ray New Bedford MA Email
1944 WT Morey Hal Fort Wayne IN
1945 MM Francis Gage Cape Coral FL
1945 RM Price Harold Atlanta GA