USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)

USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy. Named for Mission Bay, California, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.

Originally scheduled to be built as AVG-59, USS Mission Bay (CVE-59), it was redesignated ACV-59 on August 20, 1942; laid down by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Washington on December 28, 1942; launched on May 26, 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James McDonald; redesignated CVE-59 on July 15, 1943; acquired by the Navy from the Maritime Commission on September 13, 1943; and commissioned at Astoria, Oregon the same day, with Captain William L. Rees in command.

Service history
After shakedown off California, Mission Bay departed San Diego on 15 November for the east coast via the Panama Canal, arriving Portsmouth, Virginia on 5 December. Assigned to convoy and antisubmarine duty, she got underway for Europe the 26th, arriving Casablanca, French Morocco (now Morocco), 14 January 1944. Two days later the escort aircraft carrier sailed for the east coast, reaching Portsmouth 8 February.

On 20 February, Mission Bay steamed from New York with a load of Army planes and personnel for India, stopping at Recife, Brazil, and Cape Town, Union of South Africa, before arriving at Karachi on 29 March. By 12 May, she was back at Portsmouth. On the 28th, the carrier departed New York again on another trip to North Africa. Mission Bay arrived Casablanca on 6 June to steam for home 2 days later, entering the New York channel on the 17th. That same day she collided with a dredge and had to continue on to Portsmouth for repairs, mooring on 22 June. On 8 September, Mission Bay steamed from Portsmouth for the South Atlantic. After refueling at Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal) on 20 September, she conducted antisubmarine operations into November ending at Portsmouth on the 25th. Her next cruise from Portsmouth on 21 December took her to the Caribbean for exercises between Mayport, Florida and Guantánamo Bay, Cuba into March 1945. In February, Mission Bay was ordered to sail in the direction of Gibraltar to meet USS Quincy (CA-71) on the 23rd, and escort the heavy cruiser returning in convoy from the Yalta Conference from 4–11 February, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt and party embarked. Mission Bay left the convoy en route to Newport News, Virginia, mooring at Bermuda, British West Indies on the 27th before continuing on to Portsmouth to arrive 9 March.

After antisubmarine duty in the North Atlantic from March 29 to May 14 during Operation Teardrop, Mission Bay cruised off the east coast, training pilots, until she sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 19 July. The escort carrier returned to Quonset Point, R.I. on August 2 to continue training operations off the east coast through the Japanese surrender on August 15 into December. On Navy Day, October 27, 1945, she was part of the celebration at Wilmington Del. that hosted Adm Bill Halsey. On December 19, Mission Bay was assigned to the 16th Fleet, with Norfolk as her home yard, to serve in an incommission, in reserve status the next year. Placed in service in reserve on February 21, 1947, she entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk to remain there until she joined the New York Group on November 30, 1949. On June 12, 1955, she was redesignated CVU-59. The utility aircraft carrier was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on September 1, 1958, and sold to Hugo Neu Corp of New York City on April 30, 1959, where she was subsequently scrapped.