USS KWAJALEIN

USS Kwajalein (CVE-98)

USS Kwajalein, formerly known was the Bwcareli Bay, was acquired in June of 1944 by the Navy and then commissioned and launched for Espiritu Santo to carry passengers, fuel, and planes to the area. Then, in August, the ship sailed from there to Guam with aircraft and picked up Japanese equipment that was salvaged so that it could be studied back in the U.S.

Upon returning to the U.S., Kwajalein underwent repairs and was sent as a replenishment carrier in October of 1944, taking aircraft from Manus to Eniwetok to help prepare for the raids on the Visayas and Manila.

Kwajalein continued her efforts as a replenishment vessel, providing replacement aircraft from Ulithi to the large carriers who were attempting to overtake the Philippines. The vessel was used for launching aircraft for attacks during January of 1945, and was then sent back to San Diego to undergo major changes.

In March of 1945, the carrier cruised from Pearl Harbor to the western Pacific, making three similar cruises through August. Then she became a transport vessel, bringing veterans back to the U.S. In August of 1946, Kwajalein was decommissioned and put into the Pacific Reserve Fleet. In 1960, she was struck from the Navy list and then sent to Japan for scrapping in 1961.