USS Bunker Hill (CV-17)
Essex-class aircraft carrier
USS Bunker Hill (CV/CVA/CVS-17, AVT-9) was one of 24 Essex Aircraft Carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship was named for the Battle of Bunker Hill in the American Revolutionary War and was commissioned in May 1943.
![]() USS Bunker Hill (CV-17) at sea in 1945
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History | |
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Name | Bunker Hill |
Namesake | Battle of Bunker Hill |
Builder | Fore River Shipyard |
Laid down | 15 September 1941 |
Launched | 7 December 1942 |
Commissioned | 25 May 1943 |
Decommissioned | 9 January 1947 |
Reclassified |
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Stricken | 2 November 1966 |
Motto | Never Surrender, Never Sink |
Nickname(s) | Holiday Express |
Honors and awards |
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Fate | Sold for scrap in 1973 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Essex-class aircraft carrier |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam |
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Draft |
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Installed power |
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Propulsion | 4 × shafts; 4 × geared steam turbines |
Speed | 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph) |
Range | 14,100 nmi (26,100 km; 16,200 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
Complement | 2,600 |
Armament |
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Armor |
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Aircraft carried | 90–100 |
While covering the invasion of Okinawa, Bunker Hill was struck by two kamikazes in quick succession, setting the vessel on fire. Casualties exceeded 600, including 346 confirmed dead and an additional 43 missing,[1]
References
change- ↑ President on Tour, 1945/06/25. Universal Newsreels. 1945. Retrieved 20 February 2012.