Chenango on the Seas, Part IV: The USS Chenango, her final days

Proceeding in time after she was overhauled again, the Chenango sailed west and arrived once more on March 4, 1945 at Tulagi in the Solomon Islands. After conducting training, again, she proceeded to said from Ulithi on March 27 to participate in the invasion of Okinawa. First giving ground cover in the feint landings on the island, she was later assigned to participate in the neutralization of the kamikaze bases in Sakashima Gunto. April 9 was a fateful day in the history of the Chenango as a crash-landing fighter started a raging fire among the strike-loaded aircraft on Chenango’s deck. Through the skillful work by the crew of the ship, she was saved from serious damage and remained in action off Okinawa until June 11. Having escorted a tanker convoy to San Pedro Bay, she then set sail July 26 to join the logistics forced of the 3rd Fleet, which by that time was engaged in the final offensive against Japan.

With the cease fire the Chenango continued her part in the war by supporting the occupation forces and the evacuation of some 1,900 Allied prisoners of war and 1,500 civilians from slave labor camps. On Oct. 25, 1945 she cleared Tokyo Bay and sailed for San Diego for once again a brief overhaul. Later she returned to “Magic Carpet” duty in transporting veterans from both Okinawa and Pearl Harbor to the West Coast. Sailing from San Pedro on February 5, 1946 for Boston, the Chenango was de-commissioned in reserve on August 14. There she was reclassified again as CVHE-28 and on June 12, 1955 the Chenango was struck from the Navy Vessel Register. On March 1, 1959 she was sold and removed from naval custody February 12, 1960. Finally in 1962, the USS Chenango was scrapped.

Having served this country so proudly under the command of the officers and the more than 2,000 seamen aboard her she received 11 battle stars from the Navy Unit Commendation for A tribute to The USS Chenango, is timely so that certain career statistics are given below as a reminder of the efforts of the thousands of servicemen, officers, and all military from all the armed forces that were a part of the World War II so that we, as a nation, would remain free.

• The USS Chenango was acquired May 31, 1941

• Commissioned June 20, 1941 as AO-31

• Decommissioned March 16, 1942

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• Recommissioned September 19, 1942 as ACV-28

• Decommissioned again August 13, 1946

• Reclassified CVE-28 -July 15,1943

• And CVEHE-28 June 12, 1955,

• Struck March 1, 1959

• And sold February 12, 1960.