USS Card (CVE-11)

USS "Card" (AVG-11/ACV-11/CVE-11/CVHE-11/CVU-11/T-CVU-11/T-AKV-40) was a "Bogue"-class escort aircraft carrier. Her hull was laid down on 27 October 1941 as a C-3 cargo ship but it was acquired from the Maritime Commission while under construction and was converted into an escort carrier.

She was launched as AVG 11 (hull 178) on 27 February 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding, Tacoma, Washington, sponsored by Mrs. J. Perry. Reclassified ACV-11 on 20 August 1942 she was commissioned 8 November 1942 with Captain J. B. Sykes in command.

Departing San Diego 18 January 1943, "Card" arrived at Hampton Roads 1 February for training in Chesapeake Bay. She ferried aircraft and troops for the North African invasion from New York to Casablanca (14 May–1 June) returning to Norfolk 5 July. She was reclassified CVE-11 on 15 July 1943. "Card" steamed from Norfolk as flagship of TG 21.14, one of the hunter-killer groups formed for offensive operations against German submarines. Her first cruise from 27 July to 10 September 1943 was very successful. Her planes sank "U-117" on 7 August in coord|39|32|N|38|21|W|.; "U-664" on 9 August in coord|40|12|N|37|29|W|.; "U-525" on 11 August in coord|41|29|N|38|55|W|.; and "U-847" on 27 August in coord|28|19|N|37|58|W|.

Her second cruise from 25 September to 9 November provided even more lucrative hunting. Planes from "Card" spotted a nest of four submarines refueling 4 October and sank two of them: "U-460" in coord|43|13|N|28|58|W|., and "U-422" in coord|43|18|N|28|58|W|. Nine days later in coord|48|56|N|29|41|W|., "U-402" fell victim to aircraft from "Card". Her airplanes added another submarine to their score on 31 October when they sank "U-584", in coord|49|14|N|31|55|W|. The fifth and final kill of the cruise was made on 1 November by one of "Card"'s escorts. After a violent, close-range surface action, USS|Borie|DD-215|2 rammed and sank "U-405" in coord|50|12|N|30|48|W|. Too badly damaged to be saved, "Borie" had to be sunk by one of the other escorts. For her outstanding antisubmarine activities from 27 July to 25 October, "Card" and her task group were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.

"Card" began her third hunter-killer cruise 24 November heading for the North Atlantic. Late on 23 December the group ran into a wolf pack; "Card" had 12 contacts in 5 hours. USS|Schenck|DD-159|2 sank "U-645" in coord|45|20|N|21|40|W|., but one of the other escorts USS|Leary|DD-158|2 (DD 158) was sunk by the combined efforts of three submarines in coord|45|00|N|22|00|W|. "Card" dodged submarines all night with only USS|Decatur|DD-341|2 as screen, while "Schenck" rescued survivors from "Leary". The task group returned to Norfolk 2 January 1944.

From 18 March to 17 May "Card" operated on transport duty between Norfolk and Casablanca, then underwent overhaul until 4 June when she steamed for Quonset Point to hold pilot qualification exercises. She returned to Norfolk 21 June to serve as the nucleus of TG 22.10. The hunter-killer unit departed Norfolk 25 June and on 5 July two of her escorts, USS|Thomas|DE-102|2 and USS|Baker|DE-190|2, sank "U-233" in coord|42|16|N|59|49|W|. Thirty survivors including the fatally wounded commanding officer of the submarine were taken on board "Card" who put them ashore at Boston the next day.

Her next antisubmarine cruise was in the Caribbean and uneventful (10 July–23 August). She sortied 18 September as flagship of TG 22.2 for patrol off the Azores during which she cooperated with British Escort Group 9 to attack a submarine 12 October. After another patrol with TG 22.2 (1 December 1944 - 22 January 1945), "Card" entered Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for overhaul until 7 February, then transported Army aircraft and Army and Navy personnel to Liverpool, returning to Norfolk 12 March. From 21 March to 24 May, "Card" was based on Quonset Point, conducting carrier pilot qualifications. She ferried men and aircraft to Guantanamo Bay (June 21-24 June), then transited the Panama Canal to transport materiel to Pearl Harbor and Guam, returning to San Diego 14 August 1945. Assigned to "Magic Carpet" duty, she made two voyages to Pearl Harbor and one to the western Pacific from 21 August to 16 December 1945, returning servicemen to the west coast. "Card" departed Alameda 7 January 1946 for the east coast where she was placed out of commission in reserve at Norfolk 13 May 1946. She was reclassified as a helicopter escort carrier CVHE-11, 12 June 1955; a utility carrier CVU-11, 1 July 1958; and an aviation transport AKV-40, 7 May 1959.

On 2 May 1964, "Card" was mined and sunk dockside in Saigon. The ship was raised on 19 May and returned to service on 11 December.

Eventually placed out of service on 10 March 1970, "Card" was stricken for disposal on 15 September and sold for scrap in 1971.

In addition to her Presidential Unit Citation, "Card" received three battle stars for service in World War II.