From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Vol. III, 1968, Navy 
Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History 
Division, Washington, D.C.

GUADALCANAL (CVE-60)

dp. 7,800;
l. 512';
b. 65';
ew. 108' 1";
dr. 2' 6";
s. 19 k.;
cpl. 860;
a. 1 5", 16 40-mm., 20 20-mm., 28 ac.;
cl. CASABLANCA

The first GUADALCANAL (CVE-60) an escort aircraft carrier, was converted 
from a Maritime Commission hull by Kaiser Co., Inc., of Vancouver, Wash. 
Originally ATROLABE BAY (AVG 60), she was reclassified ACV-60, 20 August 
1942 and launched as GUADALCANAL (ACV-60) 5 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. 
Alvin I. Malstrom. She was reclassified CVE 60 on 15 July 1943; and 
commissioned at Astoria, Oreg., 25 September 1943, Captain D. V. Gallery 
in command.

After shakedown training, GUADALCANAL performed pilot qualifications out 
of San Diego, Calif., and then departed 15 November 1943, via the Panama 
Canal, for Norfolk, Va., arriving 3 December. There she became flagship 
of antisubmarine task group 21.12, and with her escort destroyers set 
out from Norfolk 5 January 1944 in search of enemy submarines in the 
North Atlantic. On 16 January aircraft from GUADALCANAL sighted three 
submarines fueling on the surface and in a rocket and bombing attack 
succeeded in sinking German submarine U-544. Re-

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plenishing at Casablanca, the task group headed back for Norfolk and 
repairs, arriving 16 February.

Departing again with her escorts 7 March, GUADALCANAL sailed without 
incident to Casablanca and got underway from that port 30 March with a 
convoy bound for the United States. Scouring the waters around the 
convoy 8 April northwest of Madeira, the task group discovered German 
submarine U-515 and closed in for the kill. GUADALCANAL aircraft and 
destroyers CHATELAIN, FLAHERTY, PILLSBURY, and POPE made several well 
coordinated attacks on the intruder with rockets and depth charges 
throughout the night. Losing depth control on the afternoon of 9 April, 
the submarine was forced to surface amid the waiting ships, and was 
immediately devastated by point blank rocket and gunfire. As Wildcat 
fighters from GUADALCANAL strafed the submarine, her captain, German ace 
Kapitanleutenant Werner Henke, ordered abandon ship and she went to the 
bottom.

Again on the night of 10 April the task group caught German submarine U-
68 on the surface in broad moonlight 300 miles south of the Azores and 
sank her with depth charges and rocket fire. The convoy arrived safely 
at Norfolk 26 April 1944.

After voyage repairs at Norfolk, GUADALCANAL and her escorts departed 
Hampton Roads for sea again 15 May 1944. Two weeks of cruising brought 
no contacts, and the task force decided to head for the coast of Africa 
to refuel. Ten minutes after reversing course, however, CHATELAIN 
detected a submarine, U-505. The destroyer loosed one depth charge 
attack and, guided in for a more accurate drop by circling Avenger 
aircraft from GUADALCANAL, soon made a second. This pattern blasted a 
hole in the outer hull of the submarine, and rolled the U-boat on its 
beam ends. Shouts of panic from the conning tower led her inexperienced 
captain to believe his boat was doomed, so he blew his tanks and 
surfaced, barely 700 yards from CHATELAIN. The destroyer fired a 
torpedo, which missed, and the surfaced submarine then came under the 
combined fire of the escorts and aircraft, forcing her crew to abandon 
ship.

Captain Gallery had been waiting and planning for such an opportunity, 
and having already trained and equipped his boarding parties, ordered 
PILLSBURY's boat to make for the German sub and board her. Under the 
command of Lt. (jg) A. L. David, the party leaped onto the slowly 
circling submarine and found it abandoned. Braving unknown dangers 
below, David and his men quickly captured all important papers and books 
while closing valves and stopping leaks. As Pillsbury attempted to get a 
tow-line on her, like a cowboy roping a steer, the party managed to stop 
her engines. By this time a larger salvage group from GUADALCANAL 
arrived, and began the work of preparing U-505 to be towed. After 
securing the tow-line and picking up the German survivors from the sea, 
GUADALCANAL started for Bermuda with her priceless prize in tow. Fleet 
tug ABNAKI rendezvoused with the task group and took over towing duties, 
the group arriving in Bermuda 19 June.

For their daring and skillful teamwork in this remarkable capture, 
GUADALCANAL and her escorts shared in a Presidential Unit Citation. The 
captured submarine proved to be of inestimable value to American 
intelligence, and its true fate was kept secret from the Germans until 
the end of the war.

(U-505 is now on display at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, 
Illinois, USA. LWJ)

Arriving in Norfolk 22 June 1944, GUADALCANAL spent only a short time in 
port before setting out again on patrol. She departed Norfolk 15 July 
and between then and 1 December made three anti-submarine cruises in the 
Western Atlantic. She sailed 1 December for a training period in waters 
off Bermuda and Cuba that included refresher landings for pilots of her 
new squadron, gunnery practice, and anti-submarine warfare drills with 
Italian submarine R-9. GUADALCANAL arrived Mayport, Fla., for carrier 
qualifications 15 December and subsequently engaged in further training 
in Cuban water until 13 February 1946 when she arrived back in Norfolk. 
After another short training cruise to the Caribbean, she steamed into 
Mayport 15 March for a tour of duty as carrier qualification ship, later 
moving to Pensacola for similar operations. After qualifying nearly 
4,000 pilots, GUADALCANAL returned to Norfolk, Va., and decommissioned 
there 15 July 1946.

GUADALCANAL entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Nor folk and was 
redesignated CVU-60 on 15 July 1955, while still in reserve. Her name 
was finally stricken from the Navy List 27 May 1958 and she was sold for 
scrap to the Hugo Neu Corp. of New York 30 April 1959.

GUADALCANAL was awarded three battle stars and a Presidential Unit 
Citation for service in World War II.

EXCERPT FROM AFTER-ACTION REPORT:

...The sub at this point was running in a tight circle to the right, 
fully surfaced and it was known that most of her crew had abandoned her.

PART III THE CAPTURE

At 1135 ComCortDiv 4 ordered the JENKS and CHATELAIN to pick up 
survivors and sent away the PILLSBURY's boarding party.

At 1203 the carrier headed back toward the scene of action to get her 
boarding parties aboard, having in the meantime recovered the fighter 
planes which had assisted the CHATELAIN. Carrier's boarding parties were 
called away at 1230.

After lowering her boat the PILLSBURY pursued the sub around the circle 
trying to get lines aboard. From the carrier's bridge it looked for all 
the world like rodeo with a cowboy trying to rope a wild horse. The 
PILLSBURY did rope the sub, several times. The first time she got a line 
aboard, CTG 22.3 broadcast by TBS:

"Bluejay to Dagwood-Ridem Cowboy. Out"

But in the struggle alongside the runaway sub the PILLSBURY was holed by 
the bow planes of the sub, and one engine room was flooded to the water 
line, forcing her to haul clear and stop.

Meantime the PILLSBURY's boarding party, commanded by Lieut. (j.g.) A. 
L. David, had gotten alongside and leaped from the whaleboat to the deck 
of the circling sub. There was only one dead man on deck, but the 
boarders did not know how many men might be below. The sub was still 
running at about 7 knots and it seemed highly probable that part of the 
crew was still below setting demolition charges and scuttling. Without 
hesitation this party took their lives in their hands and plunged down 
the conning tower hatch to capture and save the boat. They found no none 
below and immediately went to work closing valves, 6" in diameter, was 
pouring into the boat. Then, not knowing at what moment the boat might 
either blow up or sink, they turned to, seizing all the important 
looking papers they could find and passing them up on deck.

...

CONCLUSION

From the time that we sailed from Norfolk the whole task group was 
determined that we would come back dragging a sub behind us ... and they 
had what it took to do it.  When remarkable luck was required, we had 
it. When perfect cooperation between aircraft and surface vessels was 
required it was there. When a clean cut knock out punch was needed, the 
CHATELAIN produced it. When outstanding heroism was required, it was 
commonplace among the boarding parties.

I believe every man in the task group would have volunteered for the 
boarding parties, and those who could not go were very envious of those 
who did.

It is a great pleasure to report that all hands in the task group did 
their duty in an exemplary manner in keeping with the highest traditions 
of the U. S. Navy.

D. V. Gallery

EOF