USS Casablanca (CVE-55)

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Career

Laid down:	3 November 1942
Launched:	5 April 1943
Commissioned:	8 July 1943
Decommissioned:	10 June 1946
Fate:	sold for scrap
General characteristics
Displacement:	7,800 tons
Length:	512.3 ft (156 m) overall
Beam:	65.2 ft (19.9 m)
Extreme Width:	108.1 ft (33 m)
Draft:	22.5 ft (6.9 m)
Speed:	20 knots
Complement:	860 officers and men
Armament:	1 × 5 inch gun
Aircraft:	28

The USS Casablanca (CVE-55) (also ACV-55) was a United States Navy escort aircraft carrier, lead ship of her class, named after the city of Casablanca, Morocco.

Casablanca has borne three names and three type designators. Originally assigned the name Ameer and the designator AVG, she became ACV-55 on 20 August 1942, and was renamed Alazon Bay on 23 January 1943. She became Casablanca 3 April 1943, and CVE-55 on 15 July 1943. Casablanca was launched 5 April 1943 by Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington, under a Maritime Commission contract, sponsored by Eleanor Roosevelt, acquired by the Navy 8 July 1943, and commissioned the same day, Commander W. W. Gallaway in command. She then reported to the Pacific Fleet.

Casablanca operated in the Straits of Juan de Fuca as a training ship for escort carrier crews from the time of her commissioning through August 1944. On 24 August, she cleared San Francisco carrying men, airplanes, and aviation gasoline to Manus, a major base for western Pacific operations. Returning to Seattle 8 October, she resumed her training operations in Puget Sound until 22 January 1945, when she began a repair period at San Diego.

Putting to sea 13 March, Casablanca called at Pearl Harbor, then delivered passengers and aircraft brought from the West Coast at Guam. Acting as transport for passengers, aircraft, and aviation gasoline, she operated between Samar, Manus, and Palau until 12 May, when she put back for a West Coast overhaul. She returned with passengers to Pearl Harbor 24 June, and through the summer transported sailors from the West Coast to Pearl Harbor and Guam. After brief employment in carrier qualification training off Saipan in August, she carried homeward bound servicemen to San Francisco, arriving 24 September. Continuing to aid in the redeployment of Pacific forces, Casablanca carried passengers on a voyage from the West Coast to Pearl Harbor in September and October, and in November, made a passage to Pearl Harbor, Espiritu Santo, and Nouméa to embark more passengers. Her last voyage on this duty, from 8 December to 16 January 1946, was from San Francisco to Yokohama. Casablanca cleared San Francisco 23 January for Norfolk, Virginia, arriving 10 February. There she was decommissioned 10 June 1946, and sold 23 April 1947.