USS Marcus Island

The USS Marcus Island CVE 77 was a Casablanca-class escort carrier that was originally laid down as the Kazanluk Bay on September 15th, 1943 but was later renamed the Marcus Island on November 6th. The ship was officially launched from the Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard in Vancouver, Washington on December 16th 1943 and was sponsored by a Mrs. S. L. La Hache and was finally commissioned at Astoria, Oregon on January 26th, 1944 under the command of Captain Charles F. Greber. After a brief training period the USS Marcus Island embarked on a mission transporting aircraft between U. S. bases in the South Pacific from May 19th, until July 1st. As she arrived to the Solomon Islands to prepare for the operations on Palau, she was named the newly appointed flagship for Carrier Division 27 under the command of Rear Admiral W. D. Sample. She began final preparations before the invasion strikes on Peleliu and Angaur on September 12th.

The Marcus Island had provided air support for the assault forces landing on beaches from September 15th until October 2nd where she then launched her fighter pilots into battle to inflict an enormous amount of damage to enemy installations. Despite the extreme anti-aircraft fire, her fighter pilots were able to repeat many attack runs against battleships, cruisers and destroyers. The planes of the USS Makin Island then joined in with multiple strikes bombarding the retreating Japanese Imperial Fleet where they were able to take down five enemy fighter planes as well as scoring numerous hits on Japanese ships.

The Marcus Island finally departed the Philippines only to return two weeks later as a part of the escort for the Mindoro assault group. The USS Marcus Island began fire support and numerous strikes over the infamous Lingayen shoreline during her amphibious assault. At this juncture, they had successfully sunk multiple enemy ships along the northern coast of the Lingayen Gulf as well as at Luzon. She steamed once again towards Pearl Harbor and to Guam finally arriving at Okinawa. The ship then embarked on voyages returning Allied soldiers to San Francisco and by early January of 1946 she had completed additional “Magic Carpet” cruises to and from the Pacific islands and the mainland. The USS Marcus Island was awarded four battle stars for service during WWII.

The USS Marcus Island CVE 77 and her crew were honorable and brave throughout conflicts, but asbestos was used frequently for the insulation of piping systems and hull constructions. Therefore, it could be found nearly anywhere in ship constructions, particularly in naval vessel. Those who have worked around asbestos materials aboard naval ships may have been exposed to asbestos and could suffer the respiratory consequences of exposure. If you have worked aboard the USS Marcus Island CVE 77 and think you may have been exposed to asbestos, it is important that you consult with your doctor. Respiratory complications, including mesothelioma cancer, a rare but very serious form of lung cancer, have been conclusively and directly linked to asbestos exposure, and those who receive a diagnosis should begin mesothelioma treatment immediately.

Last modified: December 09 2009.