The Casablanca-class escort carrier USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79) was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract as M.C. Hull 1116 on 6 October 1943 at Kaiser’s Vancouver yard, launched on 29 December 1943 and commissioned on 11 February 1944 (the day she was delivered).
In all, a total build-out of just 128 days.
USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79). NHHC Accession #: UA 467
Her naval career, rushed into the front lines of the push to Tokyo, would only span 334 days.
She was lost during the landings in the Lingayen Gulf on 4 January 1945 when a twin-engine Japanese suicide plane, just before dinner, “nicked her island then crashed her starboard side. Two bombs were released; one of them penetrated the flight deck and detonated below, setting off a series of explosions among the fully-gassed planes on the forward third of the hanger deck. The second bomb passed through the hanger deck, ruptured the fire main on the second deck, and exploded near the starboard side.”
This led to a fire main break and uncontrollable fires that forced the ship to be abandoned and her blazing hulk sent to the bottom by a torpedo from the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Burns (DD-588). In all, Ommaney Bay would lose 93 of her crew and air group while Burns, standing by close when her torpedos went off, would lose two of her own bluejackets as well.
USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79) burning in the Sulu Sea, off Luzon, on 4 January 1945, during the Lingayen Operation. She had been hit by a Kamikaze. A destroyer is standing by with fire hoses ready, likey USS Burns (DD-588). NH 89350
From her loss report in the National Archives:
Now, just past 78 years after her loss, the wreck of Ommaney Bay has been identified after a three-year effort.
NHHC’s Underwater Archaeology Branch used a combination of survey information provided by the Sea Scan Survey team and video footage provided by the DPT Scuba dive team, to confirm the identity of Ommaney Bay. This information correlated with location data for the wreck site provided to NHHC in 2019 by Vulcan, LLC (formerly Vulcan, Inc.).
“Ommaney Bay is the final resting place of American Sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country,” said NHHC Director Samuel J. Cox, U.S. Navy rear admiral (retired). “It is with sincere gratitude that I thank the Sea Scan Survey team; Mick Stefurak, Neil “Snake” Krumbeck and Joe Brothers for confirming the location of this wreck site. We would also like to thank the team of Australian divers from DPT Scuba; David Tipping, Chris McCran, Aimee McCran, Samir Alhafith, Heeman Lee and John Wooden for their deep diving expertise and assistance identifying the Ommaney Bay. This discovery allows the families of those lost some amount of closure and gives us all another chance to remember and honor their service to our nation.”