USS San Jacinto (CVL-30)
History of the USS San Jacinto Aircraft Carrier
The USS San Jacinto (CVL-30) was originally planned as the light cruiser USS Newark (CL-100) then as the USS Reprisal (CV-30). She was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey on October 26, 1942. She was launched on September 26, 1943 and commissioned on November 15, 1943 under the command of Captain Harold
M. Martin.
USS San Jacinto joined the World War II combat zone at Majuro as part of Fast Carrier Task Force 58. She embarked Air Group 51, who would provide search patrols protecting other carriers at Wake Island and Marcus Island. On June 5, 1944, she launched air strikes against the Mariana Islands in preparation for the invasion of Saipan. The aircraft carrier became involved in the Battle of the Philippine Sea, where her planes helped down over 300 Japanese aircraft in what was later called the Marianas Turkey Shoot.
From there, the USS San Jacinto moved on to launch strikes against Rota and Guam. She also supplied combat air patrol and antisubmarine patrol for her Task Group. One of her pilots was shot down over Guam; he was in a lift raft trying to attract attention for 17 days, hiding on the island at night.
The USS San Jacinto struck at the Palaus in July 1944 before moving on to Chichi Jima, Haha Jima and Iwo Jima in August. Her aircraft provided combat air patrol and antisubmarine patrol for other carriers as they launched their own strikes at Yap, Ulithi, Anguar, Babelthuap and the Palaus through mid-September. Future President George H.W. Bush was shot down over enemy territory on September 2, but he parachuted into the sea and was rescued by a U.S. Navy submarine. His crewmates died, but he was awarded with the Distinguished Flying Cross for delivering the payload before he bailed out.
USS San Jacinto took part in the strikes on Okinawa, providing photographic reconnaissance to aid future invasion plans. In mid-October 1944, she provided air protection during the strikes on Formosa, Luzon and Manila Bay. On October 17, the hard landing of a fighter plane caused it to inadvertently fire into the island structure, killing two men and injuring 24 others. Though there was damage to her radar, she remained battleworthy.
On October 20, 1944, the USS San Jacinto provided close air support for the troop landings on Leyte. Four days later, she became involved in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. The carrier was providing air protection over Leyte on October 30 when she shot down two kamikazes before they could hit her.
The USS San Jacinto was damaged during a typhoon in December 1944. She headed to Ulithi for repairs before sailing to the South China Sea to conduct air strikes against targets in Formosa, Cam Ranh Bay, French Indochina, Hong Kong and the Ryukyu Islands.
At the beginning of 1945, she took part in the first carrier strikes on the Japanese home islands. She helped cover the invasion of Iwo Jima and provided air support for the landing troops before striking at Tokyo and Okinawa. The carrier was operating off Kyushu when the USS Franklin caught fire, and she was nearly destroyed herself by a kamikaze on March 19.
USS San Jacinto supported the invasion of Okinawa in April 1945. On April 5, invasion forces were attacked by over 500 enemy planes, most of which were kamikazes. She fought off kamikazes for several days, striking at kamikaze airfields later in the month. The carrier continued to support operations on Okinawa, weathering a typhoon on June 5. Her planes launched strikes against Hokkaido, Honshu and the coast of Japan until the surrender on August 15. She then flew food and medical supplies to the POW camps before returning to California on September 14, 1945.
The USS San Jacinto was decommissioned on March 1, 1947. She was reclassified as an aircraft transport, AVT-5, on May 15, 1959. The ship was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on June 1, 1970, and she was sold for scrap on December 15, 1971. The aircraft carrier was awarded five battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation for her service in World War II.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma .
Sources include:
John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed, "Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences," Ulster Med. J. 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008) Naval Historical Center, Dictionary of American Fighting Ships—USS San Jacinto
