USS Commencement Bay

USS Commencement Bay (hull number: CVE-105), originally named St. Joseph Bay, was the lead ship of her class of escort carriers of the United States Navy. The Commencement Bay class were built during World War II, and were an improvement over the earlier Sangamon class, which were converted from oil tankers. They were capable of carrying an air group of 33 planes and were armed with an anti-aircraft battery of 5 in (127 mm), 40 mm (1.6 in), and 20 mm (0.8 in) guns. The ships were capable of a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), and due to their origin as tankers, had extensive fuel storage. Commencement Bay was employed as a training ship during the war, training new crews for the other members of her class as they were completed. She saw no active service after the war ended in 1945, instead being assigned to the Pacific Reserve Fleet, and was eventually sold for scrap in 1972.