USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17

During World War II and the decades following, a number of ships were built for the United States Navy and other branches of the United States military. One of these ships, named after the famous American Revolutionary battle, was the USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17.

The USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17 was commissioned on May 24, 1943. This Essex-class aircraft carrier was nicknamed the "Holiday Express" because of the many missions it completed around the holiday season. The USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17 was built in Quincy, Massachusetts.

After launch and a shakedown cruise, the USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17 reported to the Pacific, participating in the Rabaul strike on November 11, 1943. Around this time, the ship also carried out a number of other missions, including the Gilberts Islands operation.

Later on, the Bunker Hill Hill was also involved in the Kavieng strikes during the Bismarck Archipelago operation, the Marshall Islands operation, and the strikes against Truk. The Truk raid took place in February 1944 and the USS Bunker Hill Hill was directly responsible for the support of sinking eight Japanese combatant vessels.

After the strikes on Truk, the USS Bunker Hill Hill participated in the Marianas raid; the Palau, Yap, Ulithi and Woleai raids; the Truk, Satawan, and Ponape raids; the Hollandia operation; and the summer Marianas operation, which included the Battle of the Philippine Sea. During this battle, the USS Bunker Hill Hill was damaged by a missile that nearly sunk it. Although damaged, the vessel continued fighting and was directly responsible for sinking a Japanese carrier.

After repairs, the Bunker Hill Hill ran missions in the Caroline Islands, launching strikes against Okinawa, Luzon and Formosa during the fall of 1944. On November 6, 1944, the ship returned to the United States and patrolled the Bremerton, Washington area, and in January 1945, the ship once again returned to the Asia's waters.

During the rest of 1945 as World War II came to an end, the USS Bunker Hill Hill participated in the launches against Iwo Jima, the raids against Honshu by the 5th Fleet, the raids against Okinawa by the 5th and 3rd Fleets, and the East China Sea fast carrier Task Force attack on the Japanese Navy. During this battle, the Bunker Hill Hill supported the sinking of one cruise, the battleship Yamato and four destroyers.

Like many ships during World War II, the USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17 was damaged by kamikazes - Japanese suicide bombers. Two kamikazes attacked the vessel on May 11, 1945, with a 250-kg bomb exploding through the ship and the plane crashing into Bunker Hill Hill's flight deck. The result was a huge fire, followed by a second suicide bomber.

During this tragedy, there were 346 men killed, 43 men missing, and another 264 men wounded. This attack goes down in history as the single most deadly kamikaze attack during World War II against the United States. The USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17, though badly damaged, managed to make it back to the United States.

After World War II, the Bunker Hill Hill joined the "Magic Carpet" operation and helped return troops to the United States. In January 1946, the USS Bunker Hill Hill was placed in reserves and docked at the Navy's base in Bremerton, Washington. She was reclassified three times while in the reserve fleet, first as a CVA-17 in 1952, then later as a CVS-17 in 1953 and an AVT-9 in 1959.

The USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17 was removed from the Navy's reserve list in 1966 and became a stationary electronics test location in San Diego, California for the net few decades. In 1973, the ship was finally sold for scrap.

Although this ship was not one of the most widely used, she was instrumental in the United States' victories in the Pacific during the 1940s. However, it is important to keep in mind that this ship was built during a time period when products containing asbestos were used. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Bunker Hill Hill CV-17 or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, fill out the request for on this page to receive a free informational packet.

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