Colonel Paul’s Corner – Boatswain McGee and The USS Bismarck Sea

During WWII the United States possessed a fleet of 151 aircraft carriers. We lost 11 aircraft carriers due to enemy action. Nineteen of our carriers were referred to as “fleet carriers”. The fleet carriers had flight decks around 900 feet long and carried as many as 100 aircraft. They were capable of 33 Knots and were accompanied by a task force of supply and support ships as well as cruisers, destroyers and submarines to protect them against enemy attack. Five WWII fleet carriers are museums today; the Hornet (CV-12) in Alameda, CA, the Yorktown (CV-10) in Charleston, SC, the Midway (CV- 41) in San Diego, CA, the Intrepid (CV-11) in New York City, NY, and the Lexington (CV-16) in Corpus Christi, TX. Another class of US aircraft carriers was far more numerous and widely used. They fell under the heading of “escort carrier”. They were specifically designed to escort supply convoys. The escort carriers were quickly and cheaply built. More than 100 were constructed. Often they were constructed quickly using hulls already under construction for commercial ships. They lacked the thick hulls, armament, and speed of fleet carriers. They carried an average of 27 aircraft, and because of their short flight decks, less than 500 feet, they required a catapult system to launch aircraft. On a good day, they were capable of 19 Knots. More than sufficient to escort slow-moving supply ships. Escort carriers are credited with sinking 53 German U-boats. In addition to sinking Nazi attack submarines, escort carriers sank a number of German “milk cow” supply submarines. The milk cows were very large German submarines pre-positioned at various locations in the Atlantic. They were without deck guns or torpedo tubes. Each carried 613 tons of fuel and motor oil, four torpedoes, and refrigerated food. The milk cows re-supplied Nazi attack submarines, allowing them to stay on station in the Atlantic without the long trip back to Germany for resupply. The USS Bismarck Sea was an escort carrier. She was one of 50 Casablanca-class ships built by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company in less than two years. Crew members jokingly referred to those 50 ships as “Kaiser Coffins” due to their less-than-robust construction. The USS Bismarck Sea was commissioned on 20 May, 1944 and sunk by a Japanese Kamikaze attack less than a year later on 21 February, 1945. She remains the last US aircraft carrier to be sunk in combat. Boatswain (pronounced “bosun”) McGee was the most popular member of the Bismarck Sea’s crew. He could be found anywhere on the ship. His favorite place was the mess hall, where it was rumored he could eat his own weight in Navy chow. After a big meal, he might weigh eight pounds. He was a frisky little Terrier loved by one and all. No sin could not be forgiven. When the Bismarck Sea went to the bottom of the ocean off the coast of Iwo Jima in 1945, Bosun McGee accompanied 318 of his shipmates to a watery grave. No escort carriers remain today. Those surviving the war were scrapped soon after. “Happiness is a warm puppy” - Charles M. Schulz, 1922-2000 By Paul Warrick: October 27, 2025 - Great Falls, Mt

Colonel Paul’s Corner – Boatswain McGee and The USS Bismarck Sea

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