USS Nassau
The USS Nassau (404) CVE 16 was a Bogue-class aircraft carrier that was launched on April 4th, 1942 from the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation in Tacoma, Washington, later known as Todd Pacific Shipyard and was sponsored by a Mrs. G. H. Hasselman. The ship was commissioned on August 20th, 1942 under the command of Captain Austin K. Doyle. The Nassau was one of thirty-seven Tacoma built CVE’s of which twenty-six went to the Royal Navy and it was one of ten Bogue-class aircraft carriers built for the U. S. Navy. The Nassau arrived at the Naval Air Station in Alameda, California and four days later she set out towards the Pacific heading to Pearl Harbor where she conducted flight training operations.
On November 7th, 1943 she left Pearl Harbor and steamed towards the Gilbert Islands to join in operations along with Task Force 52. One of the Nassau’s missions was to transport the VF-1 to Tarawa and send it ashore as soon as facilities had become available. The invasion of Tarawa had begun on November 20th roughly two weeks after she after arrived and it had become a fierce area to occupy at the time. They were assigned combat air patrol and received orders to fly bombing and strafing runs from the carrier in support of the ground forces ashore. Her squadron had flown a total of 106 missions and had spent a total of 237 hours in flight throughout four days of operations with losing at single pilot or plane.
She returned to Pearl Harbor on December 5th following the Gilbert Islands operations only to set sail once again this time heading to the Marshall Islands to cooperate with Task Force 51.2 launching strikes against Taroa Field and Maloelap Atoll on January 29th, 1944 and the following day centering their actions around the Kwajalein, Wotje and Maloelap Atolls with the USS Nassau operating both anti-submarine and combat air patrols in the area. She participated in strikes again Palau as well as supported operations against the southern and central Philippines which were occupied by the Japanese Imperial Navy vessels. On May 13th, 1946 the Nassau left the Pacific heading back to the mainland and docked at Tacoma, Washington for the last time. On October 28th the USS Nassau CVE 16 was officially decommissioned. The ship received five battle stars for her service in World War II.
During her time with the US Navy, the USS Nassau CVE 16 carried thousands of soldiers across the seas. She also carried items that were made with asbestos. Asbestos is a dangerous material that can lead to respiratory diseases, most notably mesothelioma. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, so it can be easily inhaled where it can cause great harm and even death. The passengers and crew who spent time on the Nassau were put at risk of exposure to this toxic material. Any veteran sailor who has sailed on the Nassau and may be concerned should be evaluated by a physician for the possibility of an asbestos related illness, including mesothelioma, and should seek mesothelioma treatment if diagnosed.
Last modified: December 09 2009.
