Search the Site with 
General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia History to end of page

USS Matanikau (CVE 101)

- formerly DOLOMI BAY -
- later CVHE 101, later AKV 36 -
- decommissioned -


Sorry,
no coat of arms
available.

USS MATANIKAU was the 47th CASABLANCA - class escort aircraft carrier and the first ship in the Navy to bear the name. Decommissioned on October 11, 1946, the MATANIKAU was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet, Tacoma. She was reclassified CVHE 101 on June 12, 1955, and AKV 36 on May 7, 1959. She was struck from the Navy list on April 1, 1960, and was sold to Jacq. Pierot, Jr. & Sons of New York, July 27, 1960.

General Characteristics:Awarded: 1942
Keel laid: March 10, 1944
Launched: May 22, 1944
Commissioned: June 24, 1944
Decommissioned: October 11, 1946
Builder: Kaiser Shipbuilding Co., Vancouver, Wash.
Propulsion system: four boilers
Propellers: two
Length: 512.5 feet (156.2 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 108 feet (32.9 meters)
Beam: 65 feet (19.9 meters)
Draft: 22.6 feet (6.9 meters)
Displacement: approx. 10,400 tons full load
Speed: 19 knots
Catapults: one
Aircraft: 28 planes
Armament: one 5-inch L/38 gun, 16 40mm guns, 20 20mm guns
Crew: 860


Back to topback to top  go to endgo to the end of the page



Back to topback to top  go to endgo to the end of the page

Crew List:

This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS MATANIKAU. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.


back to top  go to the end of the page



Back to topback to top  go to endgo to the end of the page

History of USS MATANIKAU:

MATANIKAU (CVE 101) was laid down as DOLOMI BAY under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co., Inc. Vancouver, Wash., 10 March 1944; renamed MATANIKAU 26 April 1944; launched 22 May 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Robert A. Grant, delivered to the Navy 24 June 1944, and commissioned at Astoria, Oreg., the same day, Capt. W. L. Erdmann in command.

Following the training in Puget Sound, MATANIKAU steamed to San Diego 25 July. After embarking 191 military passengers and loading 56 planes, she departed 1 August on an extended shakedown and ferrying run to the South Pacific. She touched at Espiritu Santo and Finschafen; reached Manus, Admiralties, 23 August; and, after discharging men and planes, she carried 112 sailors and 41 damaged aircraft back to the west coast, arriving San Diego 19 September.

MATANIKAU's run to the Admiralities and back marked her closest advance to the sea war in the Pacific. On 14 October, she embarked Composite Squadron 93 and began duty as qualification carrier for naval and marine aviators. Operating along the west coast out of San Diego, she played an important, if unspectacular, role while training hundreds of pilots during the closing months of World War II. For more than 8 months she conducted flight training and qualification landings. Between January and June 1945, she qualified 1,332 aviators, and during these 6 months, pilots completed 12,762 landings on her flight deck. On 25 May alone, fighter and torpedo planes of Marine Air Groups CVS-454 and CVS-321 made 602 daylight landings.

MATANIKAU departed San Diego 28 July and carried 65 planes and 158 troops to the Marshalls. Operating under Carrier Transport Squadron, Pacific Fleet, she reached Roi Island, Kwajalein, 10 August, then returned to Pearl Harbor the 16th. On 31 August, she sailed for the western Pacific to support occupation operations in Japan. As a unit of TF 4, she reached Ominato, Honshu, 11 September. During the next 2 weeks, she supported operations along the northern coast of Honshu, including landings by the 8th Army at Aomori 25 September. After steaming to Yokosuka, she departed Tokyo Bay 30 September, touched at Guam and Pearl Harbor, and arrived San Francisco 23 October.

Assigned to "Magic Carpet" duty, MATANIKAU, between 3 and 19 November, steamed to Saipan where she embarked more than 1,000 returning veterans. Departing for the west coast the 21st, she reached San Pedro 5 December. Six days later she again sailed for the Marianas. She arrived Guam 27 December, embarked 795 troops of the 3rd Marine Division, and departed the next day for China. Arriving Taku, 3 January 1946, MATANIKAU debarked the marines who were part of an American force supporting the Chinese Nationalists in their struggle against the Communists for control of China.

MATANIKAU sailed for the United States 9 January and entered San Diego harbor the 29th. Between 1 and 5 February, she steamed to Tacoma, Wash., where she remained during the next 8 months in an inactive status. She decommissioned 11 October 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet. While berthed at Tacoma, MATANIKAU was reclassified CVHE 101 on 15 June 1955, and again reclassified AKV 36 on 7 May 1959. Ordered disposed of in March 1960, MATANIKAU was struck from the Navy list 1 April 1960. She was sold to Jacq. Pierot, Jr. & Sons of New York, 27 July 1960.


Back to topback to top



Back to Escort Carrier List. Back to Ships List. Back to selection page. Back to 1st page.