USS Bunker

The USS Bunker CV was launched on December 7th, 1942 from the Bethlehem Steel Company, later known as the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts under the command Captain J.J. Ballentine. The ship was sponsored by a Mrs. Donald Boynton and was officially commissioned on May 24, 1943. This Essex-class aircraft carrier was nicknamed the "Holiday Express" due to her many missions she took part in during the holiday season. Shortly after her commission, the USS Bunker Hill CV was ordered to the Pacific.

The Bunker then returned to the U. S. on November 6, 1944 and began patrolling the Bremerton, Washington area and in January of 1945 she returned once again to Asia's waters. While mostly dormant through the rest of 1945 as World War II was coming to an end, the USS Bunker Hill CV participated in the assaults on Iwo Jima as well as the raids against the Honshu islands by the 5th Fleet and the invasion of Okinawa by the 5th and 3rd Fleets. During these battles the USS Bunker Hill CV gave fire support that sunk one cruiser, the battleship Yamato, and four destroyers.

A common and deadly threat to all Allied ships during World War II such as the USS Bunker Hill CV was the damage done by kamikazes which are Japanese suicide bomber aircraft. Two separate kamikazes attacked the Bunker on May 11, 1945. One of these attackers was equipped with a 250kg bomb that exploded through the middle of the ship and sent the plane crashing into the USS Bunker Hill CV's flight deck. The second suicide bomber came following directly after, while a huge fire was already raging as a result of the first kamikaze.

The tragedy from this attack is immeasurable to this day, on that day 346 men lost their lives while another 43 men remained missing and yet another 264 men were critically injured. The attack against the USS Bunker on this day is still remembered as the single most deadly kamikaze attack in history during World War II. Upon the conclusion of World War II, the USS Bunker Hill CV had joined the "Magic Carpet" operation which assisted in returning troops to the United States. The USS Bunker Hill was decommissioned on January 9th, 1947 and received the Presidential Unit Citation as well as being awarded eleven battle stars for her honorable service during World War II.

Throughout her history, the USS Bunker Hill provided valuable support and training for the Navy. Her crews served her well without being aware that they were facing danger from an invisible enemy. The Bunker was constructed with asbestos used as a common insulator of duct systems and pipes within the ship. Now we know that crewmen who worked in close proximity with asbestos are at risk for a variety of respiratory problems including mesothelioma, a deadly type of cancer that is often referred to as asbestos cancer. Any veterans of the USS Bunker who may be concerned that they’ve been exposed to asbestos should closely monitor their respiratory health and consult a medical physician immediately.

Last modified: December 09 2009.