USS St. Lo

USS St. Lo (CVE-63)
History
United States
Name	Chapin Bay (1942–1943) Midway (1943–1944) St. Lo (1944)
Namesake	Chapin Bay, Alaska Battle of Midway Battle of Saint-Lô
Ordered	as a Type S4-S2-BB3 hull, MCE hull 1100[1]
Awarded	18 June 1942
Builder	Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington
Cost	$6,033,429.05[2]
Yard number	309[1]
Way number	3[2]
Laid down	23 January 1943
Launched	17 August 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Howard Nixon Coulter
Commissioned	23 October 1943
Renamed	Midway, 3 April 1943 St. Lo, 10 October 1944
Stricken	27 November 1944
Identification	Hull symbol: AVG-63 ACV-63 CVE-63
Fate	Sunk by kamikaze aircraft, 25 October 1944
General characteristics [3]
Class and type	Casablanca-class escort carrier
Displacement	8,188 long tons (8,319 t) (standard) 10,902 long tons (11,077 t) (full load)
Length	512 ft 3 in (156.13 m) (oa) 490 ft (150 m) (wl) 474 ft (144 m) (fd)
Beam	65 ft 2 in (19.86 m) 108 ft (33 m) (extreme width)
Draft	20 ft 9 in (6.32 m) (max)
Installed power	4 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers 9,000 shp (6,700 kW)
Propulsion	2 × Skinner Unaflow reciprocating steam engines 2 × screws
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	10,240 nmi (18,960 km; 11,780 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	Total:910–916 officers and men Embarked Squadron:50–56 Ship's Crew:860
Armament	As designed: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual-purpose gun 8 × 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 12 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons Varied, ultimate armament: 1 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal gun 8 × twin 40 mm (1.57 in) Bofors anti-aircraft guns 30 × 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon anti-aircraft cannons
Aircraft carried	27 aircraft
Service record
Part of:	United States Pacific Fleet
Operations:	Battle of Saipan, Battle of Tinian, Battle of Morotai, Battle off Samar, Battle of Leyte Gulf
Awards:	Presidential Unit Citation, 4 Battle stars

USS St. Lo (AVG/ACV/CVE–63) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy during World War II. On 25 October 1944, St. Lo became the first major warship to sink as the result of a kamikaze attack. The attack occurred during the Battle off Samar, part of the larger Battle of Leyte Gulf.