USS Block Island
The USS Block Island CVE 21 was officially launched on June 6th, 1942 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Seattle, Washington, later renamed Todd Pacific Shipyard under a Maritime Commission contract. The ship was sponsored by a Mrs. H. B. Hutchinson who was the wife of Commander Hutchinson. The Block Island then transferred to the U. S. Navy on May 1st, 1942 and was placed into final commissioned status on March 8th, 1943 under the command of Captain L. C. Ramsey. The ship was originally classified as AVG-21 but she became ACV-21 on August 20th, 1942 and then CVE-21 on July 15th, 1943. After departing the San Diego Bay in May of 1943 the USS Block Island headed to Norfolk, Virginia in order to join her newly appointed Atlantic Fleet.
The USS Block Island’s planes sank two submarines during four separate anti-submarine cruises. She decidedly shared the credit with the Corry DD-463 in the sinking of the U-801 on March 17th, 1944 as well as with the Buckley DE-51 for sinking the U-66 on May 6th, 1944. All three of Block Island’s escorts who were the Thomas DE-102, Bostwick DE-103 and Bronstein were able to sink the U-709 on March 1st, 1943 and remarkably on the same day the Bronstein nailed the enemy submarine U-603. The USS Block Island was shockingly torpedoed off the coast of the Canary Islands on May 29th, 1944 due to the fact that a German U-boat had surprisingly been able to sneak through her screen somehow. The U boat was able to put three torpedoes into the side of the aircraft carrier just before being sunk herself by the Eugene E. Elmore DE-686 and Ahrens DE-575 of the screen. The Block Island CVE-21 was awarded two battle stars for service during wartime.
The USS Block Island CVE 106 was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier named in honor of the first one. She was officially launched on June 10th, 1944 as the Sunset Bay from the Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc. in Tacoma, Washington and was sponsored by a Mrs. E. J. Hallenbeck who was the mother of Major Gregory "Pappy" Boyington who was a Prisoner of War of the Japanese at the time. The ship was commissioned as Block Island on December 30th, 1944 under the command of Captain F. M. Hughes. The USS Block Island CVE 106 was stricken from the Navy Register on July 1st, 1959.
The USS Block Island CVE 21/106 and her crews battled dangers ranging from enemy attack to violent weather but those were not the only threats that were with them during their service. These men were exposed to harmful chemicals during their tours of duty, including asbestos. Asbestos was used extensively in ship construction and insulation material. It was widely found around piping and other fixtures which required insulation. Asbestos has been directly linked to the deadly cancer known as mesothelioma, also referred to as asbestos cancer, and any veterans who may have been exposed to airborne asbestos fibers should monitor their respiratory health and consult a medical physician for treatment.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
