USS Bunker Hill was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers (short-hull) built during World War II for the United States Navy. The ship, the second US Navy ship to bear the name, was named for the Battle of Bunker Hill. Bunker Hill was commissioned in May 1943, and served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning eleven battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation. She was badly damaged in May 1945 by Japanese kamikaze attacks, with the loss of hundreds of her crew, becoming one of the most heavily damaged carriers to survive the war. Bunker Hill was laid down on 15 September 1941 at the Bethlehem Steel Company, Quincy, Massachusetts, and launched on 7 December 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Donald Boynton. She was commissioned on 24 May 1943, with Captain J. J. Ballentine in command.
Fate: scrapped in 1973
Bibliography:
- US Carrier War: Design, Development and Operations – Kev Darling 2011
- US Carrier Aircraft of World War 2 – Aeroplane Aviation Archive
- Aircraft Carriers of the United States Navy: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives – Michael Green, 2015
- The US Navy in World War II – Mark Henry, Osprey 2002
- Flight Deck: US Navy Carrier Operation 1940-1945 – Al Adcock, Squadron/Signal Publications Inc. 2002
- Air Power at Sea – A Century of U.S. Naval Aviation 1911-2011
- Flat Tops and Fledglings: A History of American Aircraft Carriers – Castle Books 1971
- Essex Class Carriers in action – Michael C. Smith, Squadron/Signal Publications Warships Number 10
- Essex Class Aircraft Carriers of the Second World War – Steve Backer, Shipcraft 12
- US Navy Aircraft Carriers, 1942-45: WWII-built ships – Osprey New Vanguard 130