USS Petrof Bay

The USS Petrof Bay (404) CVE 80 was a Casablanca-class escort carrier that was laid down under the Maritime Commission contract by the Kaiser Vancouver Shipyard in Vancouver, Washington on October 15th, 1943 and was officially launched on January 5th, 1944. The ship was sponsored by a Mrs. J. G. Atkins and was commissioned on the same day in Astoria, Oregon under the command of Captain Joseph L. Kane. The USS Petrof Bay finally departed the Naval Air Station from San Diego, California on March 29th heading for the southwest Pacific where she unloaded passengers, aircraft and cargo upon arrival at Espiritu Santo on April 14th. She also transferred eight aircraft to the other ships in the harbor.

On the morning of April 29th she set out to rendezvous with the fast carrier Task Force 58 in order to provide replacement aircraft before its first assault against the Japanese stronghold of Truk. The USS Petrof Bay then proceeded towards Majuro, arriving May 8th and then rejoined Task Force 58 following its successful strike on Truk. At that point, the ship unloaded all her aircraft and most aviation spares and material and let aboard numerous aircraft that were in need of major overhaul and repair.

While participating with the assault on Okinawa, the USS Petrof Bay's combat air patrol was able to shoot down 17 enemy aircraft and on May 17th the Petrof Bay finally departed and steamed for Guam where she had arrived and entered the Apra Harbor on May 30th. The Composite Squadron 93 had disembarked and the Composite Squadron 90 embarked heading to Pearl Harbor. They docked at San Pedro where the USS Petrof Bay began disembarking veterans while picking up a load of replacements and again setting out for Pearl Harbor. The Petro Bay set sail once again on October 31st where she arrived to her destination of San Francisco, only to stay for a short while before being called back to duty.

She arrived at Guam on December 13th where the ship loaded groups of veterans aboard her ship and sailed to San Pedro where she arrived on January 18th, 1946. She traveled through the Panama Canal steaming up the eastern coast towards Norfolk, Virginia. The USS Petrof Bay CVE 80 was officially decommissioned on July 31st, 1946 and was awarded five battle stars for her service in World War II.

The USS Petrof Bay CVE 80 has seen many threats and her crewmembers served her well without being aware that they were facing danger from an unknown and destructive force. The USS Petrof Bay was built during a time when asbestos was commonly used as an internal insulator of duct systems and piping. What we know now is that the crewmen who worked in contact with asbestos are at risk for a variety of respiratory problems including mesothelioma, a fatal type of cancer also referred to as asbestos cancer. If you think you may have been exposed to asbestos aboard the USS Petrof Bay CVE 80 you must consult a physician immediately.

Last modified: December 09 2009.