USS Wasp (CV-7)

History of USS Wasp (CV-7)

USS Wasp (CV-7) was a conventional aircraft carrier that served with the United States Navy during World War II. Classified as a "light" fleet aircraft carrier, she is equipped with light armor protection, but can carry, launch and recover more than 70 aircraft of various types. She participated in Allied operations in the waters of the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Pacific Oceans, and was eventually encountered by the Imperial Japanese Navy in the fall of 1942. As a result, she served a brief tenure in the U.S.

Navy, but her contributions to the early stages of the American war were not recognized.

Washington Naval Treaty and Its Limitations

The Washington Naval Treaty was a global agreement signed by the world powers of the time - the United States, Great Britain, Imperial Japan, France and Italy - to avoid another armament that could trigger World War I Competition (1914-1918). The ball is already rolling on more powerful ships in the inventory of the US, UK and Japan, and another arms race appears to be underway. The idea was to limit the gross tonnage of warships, as well as their inherent armament. The treaty was signed in February 1922 and revised again in 1930 and 1936 as the London Naval Treaty.

The warships and aircraft carriers of the five participating nations were all assigned tonnage limitsthe U.S. and U.K. were each capped at 525,000 tons, while Japan received 315,000 tons. France and Italy each accepted a limit of 175,000 tonnes.

Germany, as the sole responsible party in World War I, was already burdened with the constraints of the Treaty of Versailles.

In any case, countries are working behind the scenes to build strong new-age navies. The Empire of Japan circumvented the restrictions of the naval treaty, ultimately excluding them from the treaty altogether. Likewise, the German navy was reborn when Adolf Hitler came to power, first the German chancellor, then the dictator.

Imperial Japan eventually deployed its mighty battleships IJN Yamato and Germany's KMS Bismarck - both of which were left to fend for themselves in the coming world war.

USS Wasp

As a result, the United States commissioned a new light Navy carrier that would be used for speed and light armor protection, but within the remaining tonnage limits set by the Washington Naval Treaty. The result was the 14,700-ton USS Wasp.

The USS Wasp was laid down on April 1, 1936, at the Fall River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on April 4, 1939, and officially commissioned on April 25, 1940, with Captain John Reeves at the helm.

Dimensions and Machines

When launched, the USS Wasp displaces over 14,900 tons, just within the limits allowed by the Washington Naval Treaty. She had a barrel length of 688 feet with a beam reaching 80 feet 9 inches. Her draft is 20 feet. Size-wise, the USS Wasp is one of the smaller U.S. Navy carriers.

Her machine consisted of 6 boilers, 2 Parsons steam turbines driving 2 propeller shafts rated at 70,000 hp. This gives a top speed of nearly 30 knots and a range of about 14,000 miles.

The ship was normally piloted by as many as 1,800 sailors and naval officers, but rose slightly to 2,100 during wartime.

USS Wasp Theme

From the looks of it, the design of the USS Wasp is very traditional in every way. The island structure is offset to starboard and centered amidships. A distinguishing feature of the island is its rather high smoke outlet.

All communications and primary defense weapons are concentrated on or near the superstructure to keep the flight deck as open as possible. The flight deck itself is a flat rectangle from bow to stern.

Offensive Arrangements

On the offensive end, USS Wasp manages 75 to 80 aircraft of various types, including fighter jets (30), dive bombers (36) and torpedo bombers (14). Each played a unique role in naval protection, reconnaissance, bomber escort, naval attack, and more.

Three powered lifts service the flight deck, and four hydraulic catapults help lift the aircraft to high altitude and resume approach flights. Aircraft can be launched from two catapults on the flight deck or two catapults mounted on the hangar deck.

Defense Weapons and Systems

On the defensive side, the USS Wasp is equipped with a CXAM-1 radar - the first serial surface radar of its kind installed on a US Navy ship. Defensive armament consists of 8 x 5 in (130 mm)/38 caliber main guns for use against enemy surface ships from up to 24 x .50 caliber (12.7 mm) heavy machine guns. In addition to fleet support ships and aircraft cover, these weapons are the carrier's crew's last line of defense against enemy torpedo aircraft and dive bombers.

The armor protection on her belt was 4 inches (102 mm), while the flight deck and lower deck received 1.5 inches (38 mm) armor plates. All in all, the USS Wasp has very little armor protection and less protection against underwater torpedo attacks.

The United States entered the war

The world was already a troubled place in the late 1930s. Imperial Japan attacked sovereign states and colonies to obtain needed natural resources and to expand its position and influence in the Pacific region. In Europe, both Germany and Italy took all their empirical attitudes and preceded the conquest of their African neighbors and territories.

After its bloody involvement in World War I, the U.S. had pursued a fairly strict policy of isolationism, but stood on the sidelines when Japan suddenly attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

USS Wasp Services

Since its commissioning in 1940, the aircraft carrier USS Wasp has conducted various operations in the Atlantic Ocean. She participated in the exercise upon request and was then used to enforce U.S. neutrality in international waters. German U-boats were active in the Atlantic, waging an open war against any ships trying to supply British soil. After December 1941, USS Wasp was deployed in North Atlantic waters in support of the British Home Fleet.

It also provided much-needed aircraft for the RAF based in Malta, including the delivery of the legendary Supermarine Spitfire fighter. Malta was a strategic location in the Mediterranean when German supplies were being shipped from Italy to North Africa to support the operations of the German Afrikaans there. Malta was heavily attacked by Axis bombers, undermining its use as an Allied base.

The island persevered, however, and Axis shipping suffered, eventually leading to a complete German withdrawal from North Africa.

It was not until June 1942 that USS Wasp was drafted into service in the Pacific Theater. Japan's progress in the region was strong, but was eventually thwarted in several key engagements, including the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway.

Wasp arrived shortly thereafter and was deployed to reinforce the U.S. fleet after the losses were calculated. Her vital air force is especially important in areas of the world where battles are mostly won or lost at sea. Wasp was sent to refuel and thus missed Allied action in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons.

She then refitted her new fighter jets at Noumea, French New Caledonia, for delivery to U.S. naval forces on Guadalcanal.

In August 1942, the aircraft carrier USS Wasp, now sailing near Pearl Harbor, was called up for the Allied amphibious landing on Guadalcanal as part of the Battle of the Solomon Islands. The fighting lasted from August 7 to February 9, 1943. A combined force of American, Australian, New Zealand, British, Tongan and Fiji troops took part in the bloody engagement, with 60,000 Allied troops fighting 36,200 staunch defenders. Only 1,000 enemies were captured in this battle. The Allies lost a total of 615 aircraft, while the Japanese lost more than 100.

Both sides lost dozens of ships in the process, but the battle was lost as an Allied victory in the wider war.

The sinking of the USS Wasp and its aftermath

Since then, the USS Wasp has been deployed as a permanent installation near Guadalcanal to support Allied forces in the area and prevent it from falling prey to a Japanese counter-invasion. In the early afternoon of September 15, 1942, the crew of a passing Japanese submarine spotted the USS Wasp. After delivering the plane from the deck, the Wasp headed south of Guadalcanal.

The captain of the IJN submarine I-19 took the opportunity to fire six torpedoes at the Wasp. Two of the torpedoes hit the Wasp low on the port side, dangerously close to the stockpiles of aviation fuel.

A third managed to forcibly rise toward the waterline close to the ship's refueling system, causing widespread damage.

This direct impact immediately caused jet fuel to ignite, resulting in an uncontrollable fire on her lower deck. As the fire raged and the damage was deemed irreversible, the captain of the USS Wasp ordered the crew to formally abandon the ship. Survivors were picked up by other ships, and the destroyer USS Lansdowne was called in to sink the Wasp once and for alla practice the Navy adopted to avoid their ship falling in or being sunk by the enemy.

About 193 American personnel were killed in the submarine attack. USS Wasp was officially dropped from the Navy Register on September 15, 1942, ending her promising tenure as a Navy carrier.

The sinking of the USS Wasp provided important lessons for the US Navy. Her damage control personnel were not yet experienced enough to deal with such a shipboard disaster, and what really caused her to sink was the last direct torpedo hit.

She retained several flaws in her inherent design, which were painfully exposed on September nights - she was ill-prepared and poorly armored to survive such an attack.

USS Wasp was awarded two Battle Stars for his service in World War II, and received the following awards: U.S. Defense Service Medal, U.S. Campaign Medal, Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal, Asia-Pacific Campaign Medal and Victory Second World War Medal. The USS Wasp CV-7 is the eighth U.S.

Navy ship to be named Wasp.

Interestingly, the USS Wasp was the only one in her class.

Specification

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Wing