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USS Bairoko (CVE-115)
Encyclopedia
USS Bairoko (CVE-115) (ex-Portage Bay) was a United States Navy
. She was named after the Battle of Bairoko
, a battle over Bairoko Harbor
-- a small inlet on the north coast of New Georgia
, Solomon Islands
-- which took place on 20 July 1943 between American and Japanese forces. Bairoko eventually was occupied by American forces on 26 August 1943.
Initially Portage Bay, CVE-115 was renamed Bairoko 6 June 1944; launched 25 January 1945 by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, Washington
; sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Ballentine, wife of Rear Admiral John J. Ballentine; and commissioned 16 July 1945, Captain H. B. Temple in command.
Commissioned too late to take an active part in World War II
, Bairoko engaged in peacetime fleet cruises, maneuvers, and exercises until December 1949. During the period she made two cruises to the Far East (18 October 1946-25 January 1947 and 18 February–30 May 1947), and participated in the atomic bomb test at Eniwetok Atoll. On 16 December 1949 she reported to San Francisco for pre-inactivation overhaul and went out of commission in reserve 14 April 1950.
When the Korean War
broke out Bairoko was immediately readied for active duty. She was recommissioned 12 September 1950 and reported to the Pacific Fleet. Between November 1950 and August 1953 she made three extended cruises to the Far East (14 November 1950-15 August 1951, 1 December 1951-9 June 1952 and February–August 1953), acting in support of the United Nations Forces in Korea. Her planes flew hundreds of strikes against North Korea
n and "Chinese Volunteer
" troops, installations, transportation facilities, and naval units. On 9 May 1951 she had five men killed and 13 injured by an explosion
and flash fire
in Japan
ese waters.
Returning to the west coast late in August 1953, Bairoko remained there until January 1954 when she departed to assist in the hydrogen bomb tests in the Eniwetok Bikini
area. During the Castle Bravo
test on 1 March 1954, sixteen crew members received beta radiation burns. From May through June 1954 she operated out of San Diego on training exercises. In July 1954 she reported to Long Beach Naval Shipyard
to commence pre-inactivation overhaul and went out of commission in reserve at San Francisco 18 February 1955.
Bairoko received three battle stars for her Korean service.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was named after the Battle of Bairoko
Battle of Bairoko
The Battle of Bairoko was a battle between American and Imperial Japanese Army and Navy forces on 20 July 1943 during the New Georgia Campaign in the Solomon Islands during the Pacific War. In the battle, U.S. Marine Raiders—supported by two U.S. Army infantry battalions—attacked a Japanese...
, a battle over Bairoko Harbor
Bairoko Harbor
Bairoko Harbor is situated along the northwestern shore of the island of New Georgia in the Solomon Islands.During World War II Japan used Bairoko Harbor to resupply its forces at Munda Point, an airstrip situated along the south coast of New Georgia...
-- a small inlet on the north coast of New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
-- which took place on 20 July 1943 between American and Japanese forces. Bairoko eventually was occupied by American forces on 26 August 1943.
Initially Portage Bay, CVE-115 was renamed Bairoko 6 June 1944; launched 25 January 1945 by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
; sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Ballentine, wife of Rear Admiral John J. Ballentine; and commissioned 16 July 1945, Captain H. B. Temple in command.
Commissioned too late to take an active part in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bairoko engaged in peacetime fleet cruises, maneuvers, and exercises until December 1949. During the period she made two cruises to the Far East (18 October 1946-25 January 1947 and 18 February–30 May 1947), and participated in the atomic bomb test at Eniwetok Atoll. On 16 December 1949 she reported to San Francisco for pre-inactivation overhaul and went out of commission in reserve 14 April 1950.
When the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
broke out Bairoko was immediately readied for active duty. She was recommissioned 12 September 1950 and reported to the Pacific Fleet. Between November 1950 and August 1953 she made three extended cruises to the Far East (14 November 1950-15 August 1951, 1 December 1951-9 June 1952 and February–August 1953), acting in support of the United Nations Forces in Korea. Her planes flew hundreds of strikes against North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n and "Chinese Volunteer
People's Volunteer Army
The Chinese People's Volunteer Army was the armed forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army belonged to the People's Liberation Army , the People's Volunteer Army was separately constituted in order to...
" troops, installations, transportation facilities, and naval units. On 9 May 1951 she had five men killed and 13 injured by an explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
and flash fire
Flash fire
A flash fire is a sudden, intense fire caused by ignition of a mixture of air and a dispersed flammable substance such as a solid , flammable or combustible liquid , or a flammable gas...
in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese waters.
Returning to the west coast late in August 1953, Bairoko remained there until January 1954 when she departed to assist in the hydrogen bomb tests in the Eniwetok Bikini
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
area. During the Castle Bravo
Castle Bravo
Castle Bravo was the code name given to the first U.S. test of a dry fuel thermonuclear hydrogen bomb device, detonated on March 1, 1954 at Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, as the first test of Operation Castle. Castle Bravo was the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the United States ,...
test on 1 March 1954, sixteen crew members received beta radiation burns. From May through June 1954 she operated out of San Diego on training exercises. In July 1954 she reported to Long Beach Naval Shipyard
Long Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
to commence pre-inactivation overhaul and went out of commission in reserve at San Francisco 18 February 1955.
Bairoko received three battle stars for her Korean service.