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USS Bairoko CVE-115 (K)

The USS Portage Bay was renamed the USS Bairoko in 1945. She was named after Bairoko, which is an area in the Solomon Islands that the United States military occupied during World War II. Bairoko is the name for a small inlet off the coast of New Georgia in the Solomans. The USS Bairoko was assembled in Washington and spent her entire career as a member of the Pacific Fleet. The USS Bairoko was an escort carrier craft, and one of the line of Commencement Bay carriers commissioned by the Navy.

The Commencement Bay crafts were built from the hull up to be aircraft carriers. Earlier aircraft carriers commissioned by the Navy had received extensive remodeling and overhaul work to be converted to aircraft carriers. The Commencement Bay ships were commissioned before anyone knew how long the second world war would last, and their construction was completed toward the end of the war.

By the time that the USS Bairoko was commissioned, World War II had ended. This left the Bairoko participating in training cruises and exercises for four years. During this time she did visit the Far East, and she participated in the Eniwetok atomic test. She was placed out of commission in 1950.

At the beginning of the Korean War, the USS Bairoko was recommissioned and prepared for battle. She was updated and overhauled before joining her division. She was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, where she made several trips to the Far East. Her duties included supporting the United Nations and engaging in air strikes with the North Korea and Chinese Volunteer armies. She also acted as a base for the Marines who launched aircraft from her deck. Her planes were anti-submarine planes and they were used to patrol the waters off the coast of Korea, looking for signs of intervention from the Soviet Union. It was feared that the Soviet Union would join with the North Koreans, as the Chinese had. In 1951, disaster struck as the USS Bairoko lost five of her men and thirteen others were injured when an explosion occurred aboard the ship. Damage to the ship was not extensive and she was able to remain in position.

In 1953, the USS Bairoko returned to the United States. She rejoined the Pacific Fleet on the west coast, until early 1954 when she again headed to Eniwetok. Her return to Eniwetock was in support of the hydrogen bomb testing which was underway. During one test in 1954, sixteen of her crew were burned by radiation.

Eniwetock is made up of a group of islets in the Marshall Islands. This area became the area designated for atomic and nuclear testing after the United States gained control of the area during the second World War. Initally there was little strategic interest in the islands, but that changed when the Japanese constructed an airfield on one of the islands that they used as a staging area. When the United States gained control of the Marshall Islands, they also took over control of Eniwetock. After the war, the islands were cleared of residents and the United States used it as a part of the US Pacific Proving Grounds. During the time that Eniwetock was used for atomic and hydrogen bomb testing, which included two missions by the USS Bairoko, forty three nuclear tests and the first test of the hygrogen bomb were conducted there. These tests were "atmospheric" as opposed to underwater, and the aircraft carrier was onsite to observe as military craft flew through the cloud of radiation to conduct air testing and watched as the island of Elugelab was vaporized.

Testing completed, the USS Bairoko returned to Naval Base San Diego. Back in port, she participated in training exercises until she was sent to Long Beach Naval Shipyard. At the naval yard she was placed out of commission in 1955. She was recommissioned four years later. In 1959 she was given duties as an aircraft transport. Although she was officially reclassified, she was never put into action as an aircraft transport vehicle. She was sold for scrap in 1960. Due to her service in the Korean War, the USS Bairoko was awarded three battle stars.

The men aboard the USS Bairoko fought with valor in the Korean War and participated in the experimental testing of atomic and hydrogen bombs that strengthened the United States military. Those that returned home safely still faced a hidden danger. Because of the use of asbestos in aircraft carriers and battleships, the men who spent time on these ships may have suffered from asbestos exposure. Employees of the naval yards that spent their careers overhauling and modernizing these grand ships are also at risk of developing asbestos related illnesses.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Bairoko CVE-115 (K), or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

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