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From the “Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships,”
(1963) Vol. 2, pp.186-187.
ACV-13
Displacement: 7,800 ton
Length: 495’8”
Beam: 69’6”
Extreme Width: 111’6”
Draft: 26’
Speed: 17 k.
Complement: 890
Armament: 2 5”
Class: BOGUE
CORE was originally classified AVG-13, but was
reclassified ACV-13, 20 August 1942; CVE-13, 15 July 1943;
CVHE-13, 12 June 1955; CVU-13, 1 July 1958; and AKV-13, 7
May 1959. She was launched 15 May 1942 by Seattle Tacoma
Shipbuilding Corp., Tacoma, Wash., under a Maritime
Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. B. B. Smith, wife of
Lieutenant Commander Smith; acquired by the Navy, 1 May
1942; and commissioned 10 December 1942, Captain M. R. Greer
in command.
Clearing Puget Sound 6 February 1943, CORE qualified
pilots in carrier operations off San Diego, then sailed on
to the east coast, arriving at Norfolk 11 April. She
continued to train pilots in Chesapeake Bay until 27 June
when she sortied as the nucleus of TG 21.12, a hunter-killer
group. Such groups, providing cover for the movement of
convoys, made a contribution of great significance to
winning the Battle of the Atlantic, and the innovation
represented by their formation was a marked advance in
antisubmarine warfare. Planes from CORE worked in
coordination with accompanying destroyers scoring a number
of successful attacks. Her planes sank U-487 on 13 July at
27d 15m N., 34d 18m W., and U-67 on 16 July at 30d 05m N.,
44d 17m W. One of her escorts, GEORGE E. BADGER (DD-196)
sank U-613 on 23 July at 35d 32m N., 28d 36m W. CORE
returned to Norfolk 31 July from a most successful first
patrol.
CORE's second hunter-killer patrol, from 16 August to 2
September 1943 netted her planes U-84 on 24 August at 27d
09m N., 37d 03m W., and U-185 the same day at 27d 00m N.,
37d 06m W. Putting to sea again 5 October in TG 21.15,
CORE's planes sank U-378 on 20 October at 47d 40m N., 28d
27m W. She returned to Norfolk 19 November.
Following another hunter-killer patrol from 6 December
1943 to 18 January 1944, CORE ferried 56 P-51s and other
cargo to Liverpool from 6 February to 9 March. From 3 April
to 29 May, she operated with TG 21.16 in the central and
North Atlantic, then sailed from New York 24 June to ferry
85 Army aircraft to Glasgow, Scotland, returning to Norfolk
20 July. Returning to antisubmarine operations 8 August as
CTG 22.4, CORE conducted training exercises against newly
revealed enemy submarine tactics off Bermuda until 8 October
when she returned to Norfolk for an overhaul. After a
period qualifying carrier pilots at Quonset Point, she
sailed from Norfolk 24 January 1945 to lead her group
against weather reporting submarines operating in the North
Atlantic, but fog and rough weather prevented successful
attacks. She sailed from Norfolk 3 April to join a large
antisubmarine unit at Guantanamo Bay 7 April. Operating in
the central and North Atlantic, the escorts of this group
combined to sink U-546 on 24 April at 43d 53m N. 40d 07m W.,
after the enemy submarine had torpedoed and sunk FREDERICK
C. DAVIS (DE-136). CORE returned to New York 11 May for
repairs and replenishment.
Clearing Norfolk 13 June 1945, CORE arrived at San
Diego 25 June. She carried aircraft and aviation personnel
to Pearl Harbor and to Samar, returning 30 August. Until 20
October, she sailed between Alameda and Seattle on transport
duty then sailed for Yokosuka, Japan, on "Magic Carpet"
duty, to return homeward-bound servicemen. She made two
such voyages from 20 October 1945 to 18 January 1946. CORE
was placed out of commission in reserve 4 October 1946 at
Port Angeles, Wash.
CORE received one battle star for World War II service. |
