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Santee 1942

Ships

No	Name	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comm	Fate
ACV26, 7.1943- CVE26	Sangamon (ex-AO28, ex-Esso Trenton)	153	Federal, Kearny // Newport News	13.3.1939	4.11.1939	1940 // 25.8.1942	damaged 4.5.1945, never repaired
ACV27, 7.1943- CVE27, 6.1955- CVHE27	Suwanee (ex-AO33, ex-Markay)	151	Federal, Kearny // Newport News	3.6.1939	4.4.1940	1940 // 24.9.1942	helicopter escort carrier 6.1955, stricken 3.1959
ACV28, 7.1943- CVE28, 6.1955- CVHE28	Chenango (ex-AO31, ex-Esso New Orleans)	174	Sun SB, Chester // Bethlehem, Staten Is	10.7.1938	1.4.1939	1939 // 19.9.1942	helicopter escort carrier 6.1955, stricken 3.1959
ACV29, 7.1943- CVE29, 6.1955- CVHE29	Santee (ex-AO29, ex-Seakay)	173	Sun SB, Chester // Norfolk N Yd	31.5.1938	4.3.1939	1939 // 24.8.1942	helicopter escort carrier 6.1955, stricken 3.1959

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	10494
Displacement full, t	23875
Length, m	160.0 wl 168.6 oa
Breadth, m	22.9 wl 32.1 oa
Draught, m	9.32 full load
No of shafts	2
Machinery	2 sets General Electric geared steam turbines, 4 Babcock & Wilcox boilers
Power, h. p.	13500
Max speed, kts	18
Fuel, t	oil 4780
Endurance, nm(kts)	23900 (15)
Armament	ACV26, 29: 2 x 1 - 127/51 Mk 15, 4 x 2 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 12 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4, 31 aircraft (F4F Wildcat fighters, SBD Dauntless dive bombers, TBD Devastator, TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, SOC Seagull, F4F-P Wildcat reconnaissance planes) ACV27, 28: 2 x 1 - 127/51 Mk 15, 4 x 2 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 12 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4, 31 aircraft (F4F Wildcat fighters, SBD Dauntless dive bombers, TBF/TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, SOC Seagull, F4F-P Wildcat reconnaissance planes)
Electronic equipment	SC, SG radars
Complement	1080 (1945)

Air group

Year	Fighters	dive bombers	torpedo bombers
11/1942 Sangamon	12 F4F-4	9 SBD-3	9 TBF-1
7.1943 Santee	12 F4F-4	9 SBD-5	13 TBF-1
11.1943 Sangamon	12 F6F-3	9 SBD-5	9 TBF-1
10.1944 Chenango	24 F6F-3	---	9 TBM-1
4.1945 Santee	18 F6F-5	---	12 TBM-1

Standard scale images

Graphics

Aircraft facilities

(fd - 3,963 m², ha - 1,268 m² / 6,761 m³): Flight deck: 153.0 x 25.9 m. Hangar: 60.4 x 21.0 x 5.33 m. There were 2 elevators in the center line (6.3 t, 10.4 x 12.8 m). There was 1 H 2 catapult. Aircraft fuel stowage: 674 100 l. 

Project history

These carriers were laid down as Т-3 type oil tankers Esso Trenton, Markay, Esso New Orleans and Seakay. Later they were purchased by Navy and commissioned as AO28, 29, 31 and 33. Early 1942 the decision to rebuild them to escort aircraft carriers was accepted, and on February, 14th they were re-classified to AVG (subsequently an index was replaced by CVE). Works were conducted from February till August, 1942. Sangamons were significantly larger than the ships converted from С-3 type vessels. Cargo tanks were extant: ship could carry 12876t of oil fuel, but in practice this possibility did not been used. By the end of war a part of cargo tanks began  be used to store ship fuel oil: that has raised the general fuel stowage to 4780t; the endurance has accordingly increased to 23900(15)nm. In comparison with escort carriers rebuilt from dry cargo ships, Sangamon possessed better damage tolerance (for the account of better compartments arrangement), a huge endurance and, thanks to the bigger sizes of flight deck, could carry heavier aircrafts. However planned in 1942 conversion of the same type tankers to aircraft carriers had refused because of crisis of the tanker tonnage, preference was given to cheaper ships of Casablanca class in dry cargo vessel hulls.

Modernizations

1943, all: - 2 x 1 - 127/51; + 2 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 12

1944, all: - SC radar; + 1 H 2 catapult (2nd), SC-2 radar

To 1945, Sangamon, Suwanee, Chenango: + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 6 x 2 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 9 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4

To 1945, Santee: + 2 x 4 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 6 x 2 - 40/56 Mk 1.2, 7 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 4

1/1946, Suwanee, Chenango: 2 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 30, 2 x 4 - 40/60 Mk 2, 10 x 2 - 40/60 Mk 1, 21 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 10, 2 catapults, 31 aircraft, SC-2, SG radars

1/1946, Santee: 2 x 1 - 127/38 Mk 30, 2 x 4 - 40/60 Mk 2, 10 x 2 - 40/60 Mk 1, 19 x 1 - 20/70 Mk 10, 2 catapults, 31 aircraft, SC-2, SG radars

1950s, all: + SLR-2 ECM suite

Naval service

: Esso Trenton (Sangamon) and Seakay (Santee) were bought by USN 22.10.1940, Esso New Orleans (Chenango) 31.5.1941 and Markay (Suwanee) 26.6.1941. They were commissioned as fleet tankers in summer 1941.

Sangamon 4.5.1945 was badly damaged by kamikaze hit and never repaired. Suwannee 25.10.1944 was damaged by kamikaze hit, next day she received air bomb hit and returned to service in February, 1945; 24.5.1945 she was damaged by internal explosion and was under repair about one month. Santee 25.10.1944 was damaged by kamikaze and a hit of torpedo from Japanese submarine I56, she was badly damaged and returned to service in March, 1945.