USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)

E282375

USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) was a U.S. Navy Casablanca-class escort carrier famed for her outgunned but heroic stand against a superior Japanese force during the Battle off Samar in World War II, where she became the only American aircraft carrier sunk by naval gunfire.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73) canonical 4

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Casablanca-class escort carrier
United States Navy ship
World War II escort carrier
airGroupSize about 28 aircraft
armament 1 × 5 in/38 caliber dual-purpose gun
12 × 20 mm Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
16 × 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft guns
attackedBy Center Force (Imperial Japanese Navy)
surface form: Japanese Center Force under Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita
awards Presidential Unit Citation (United States)
surface form: Presidential Unit Citation (for Taffy 3)
beam 65 ft 2 in
builder Kaiser Shipyards, Vancouver, Washington
surface form: Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington

Kaiser Richmond Shipyards
surface form: Kaiser Shipyards
commissioned 28 December 1943
conflict World War II
country United States of America
crewComplement about 860 officers and enlisted
decommissioned 25 October 1944
displacementFullLoad about 10,400 long tons
displacementStandard about 7,800 long tons
draft 22 ft 6 in
fate Sunk in action at the Battle off Samar
hitBy gunfire from Japanese heavy cruisers and battleships
hullNumber CVE-73
laidDown 10 July 1943
launched 22 November 1943
length 512 ft 3 in
maximumSpeed 19 knots
namedAfter Gambier Bay, Alaska
notableFor heroic defense against superior Japanese surface force at Battle off Samar
only American aircraft carrier sunk solely by naval gunfire
operator United States Navy
partOf Battle of Leyte Gulf
power 9,000 shp
primaryMission air support for amphibious operations
propulsion 2 Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines
2 shafts
4 boilers
role escort carrier
shipClass Casablanca class
sinkingLocation off Samar, Philippines
sponsor Mrs. Clark Wallace Thompson
sunkIn Battle off Samar
sunkOnDate 25 October 1944
taskGroup Task Unit 77.4.3
taskUnit Taffy 3
theater Pacific Theater of Operations

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle off Samar notableU.S.Ship USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)
Action off Samar notableShip USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)
Taffy 3 hasPart USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)
Taffy 3 sufferedLoss USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)