SUWANNEE. Hull 5); launched on 4 March 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Howard L. Vickery; delivered to the Keystone Tankship Corp. and operated by that company until acquired by the Navy on 26 June 1941. I really hope some other people can find this service and get in touch with people like I did. "At 1042, Thursday 24 May 1945 TBM-3 [Avenger] Bureau Number 68368 San Francisco followed suit and withdrew eastward along the north coast of Guadalcanal. (NARA) photo, # 80-G-270615. At 0151, she trained her guns on a small cruiser or large destroyer 3,300 yards off her starboard bow. A deadly crossfire immediately engulfed Sterett. Steering and engine control were temporarily lost, then regained. Archives and Records Administration (NARA), photo # 80-G-39317. USS Suwannee (CVE-27), was built as the civilian oiler Markay, in 1939, before being acquired by the US Navy, in 1941, and renamed Suwannee (AO-33), after the tradition of naming fleet oilers after rivers. A Sea2c, however, who embarked on the 26th with orders to report to the light cruiser Savannah (CL-43), deserted before the oiler cleared San Pedro for the Canal Zone on the 28th. Photographed by USS Suwannee (CVE-27) aircraft. David Edward Anderson With a battleship on her stern, a second on her port beam, and two destroyers on her port bow, Laffey fought the Japanese ships with the three remaining main battery guns in a no-quarter duel at point blank range. Benham and Preston followed. 1 206 Report an offensive or inappropriate entry. The carrier reentered San Pedro Bay, on 6 July, and spent the next month there. At 0148, San Francisco opened fire on an enemy cruiser 3,700 yards off her starboard beam. USS Suwanee (1864), a double-ended side-wheel gunboat commissioned in February 1865, sent in pursuit of Confederate States Navy commerce raiders until the end of the American Civil War, and wrecked in 1868 USS Suwanee (1897), the United States Lighthouse Service lighthouse tender USLHT Mayflower, which served the U.S . Artwork details the dangers Delbert S. Cornwell 8 December 1944, Capt. A direct hit on the navigation bridge killed or badly wounded all officers except the communications officer. The ship reached Saipan around 15:00, on 28 October, and stayed just long enough, 15 hours, to load stores and 400 troops. SUWANNEE (CVHE-27) U.S.S. The auxiliary carrier transited the Panama Canal, on 1112 December, and arrived at New Caledonia, on 4 January 1943. They hit the enemy; but he rolled over, dove at Suwannee, and crashed her about 40 feet forward of the after elevator, opening a 10-foot hole in her flight deck. Nonetheless, the decks and bulkheads were still blistering hot and ammunition in the small arms locker on the deck below was popping from the heat like strings of firecrackers. Consequently, while she herself did not participate in the running surface battle off Samar, her air group TBMs and F6Fs carried out persistent attacks on Japanese capital ships. The plane bears traces of the yellow Operation Torch 346477 entries available online. The person's rank/rate ? Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, 40mm (1.57in)/56 caliber Bofors 40 guns, "All Hands Naval Bulletin - Dec 1945 | PDF | Pacific War | United States Navy", Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Account of kamikaze attack by Lieutenant Walter B. Burwell, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Suwannee_(CVE-27)&oldid=1152603787, Aircraft Escort Vessel (AVG), 14 February 1942, Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier (ACV), 20 August 1943, Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier (CVHE), 12 June 1955, This page was last edited on 1 May 2023, at 06:52. Following two voyages from Espritu Santo, one to Tulagi and the other to Kwajalein, Suwannee arrived off Saipan in mid-June 1944. battle. After eight days in the water survivors were spotted and rescue effected. USS Suwannee (CVE-27), was built as the civilian oiler Markay, in 1939, before being acquired by the US Navy, in 1941, and renamed Suwannee (AO-33), after the tradition of naming fleet oilers after rivers. An enemy battleship was then sighted and taken under fire, initial range 2,200 yards. Thomas, of the crew. Register and add yourself to the Crew List of the USS Santee (AO 29). Her gunners soon scratched a 2nd enemy plane, then engaged a 3rd attacking aircraft, circling in the clouds at 8,000 feet, which in its final dive, crashed into the flight deck of Suwannee 40 feet forward of the after elevator, opening a 10-foot hole in her flight deck. Less than a month after commissioning, Suwannee was underway from Hampton Roads, for the invasion of North Africa. Many of the crew on the forecastle and the catwalks above it had been blown over the side by the explosions. U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives Refine Search. At the same time, she became the target of a cruiser off her starboard bow and a destroyer which had crossed her bow and was passing down her port side. BRACEY, George Steward Third Class. This trip was to be a non-stop return to Okinawa, to pick up 1,500 troops on an overnight stop, and then return to Seattle. After 30 years and learning the computer and finding VetFriends, I went to my first reunion of the USS Navasota AO-106. Pilots waiting for summons, (left At 2336, she was ordered abandoned. She departed Hawaii, on 22 January 1944, and headed for the Marshalls. Just before 0700 on the 25th, one of Kadashan Bays (CVE-76) planes reported a Japanese force of four battleships, eight cruisers, and numerous destroyers. It was commissioned on July 16, 1941, under Commander Joseph R. Lannom's command and served in the US Navy for 6 years until it was struck from the Navy List on March 1, 1959. There are 3 crew members registered for the USS Santee (AO 29). She was launched on 12 August 1995 by ships sponsor, Kelly Sullivan Loughren. For crew lists, and reunions see the Veterans Info Page. Keystone Tankship Corp., in turn delivered the vessel at Baltimore, Maryland. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National USS Suwannee CVE 27 WWII USS Takanis Bay CVE 89 WWII USS Tarawa CV 40 1946 USS Tarawa CV 40 1948-49 USS Tarawa CV 40 1951-52 USS Tarawa CVA 40 1953 . William D. Johnson. The escort carriers put into Kossol Roads in the Palaus on 28 October, then headed for Manus for upkeep on 1 November. Before the Japanese destroyer could fire a single shot at Sterett, she was lifted from the water by exploding torpedoes and rapidly sank. (CVE-27). On 28 October, the carrier was placed in a reserve status with the 16th Fleet, at Boston, and just over two months later, on 8 January 1947, she was placed out of commission. Suwanee's planes did not actually become engaged in the famous battle of naval aircraft, because they remained with the invasion forces in the Marianas providing ASW and combat air patrols (CAPs). While the Japanese Mobile Force sailed from Japan and drew the bulk of Admiral Halsey's 3d Fleet to the north, the Japanese 2d Striking Force, attempted to force the Surigao Strait from the south. Suwannee has too long gone untold. But others trapped below and aft of the forecastle area found themselves under a curtain of fire from aviation gasoline pouring down from burning planes on the flight deck above. (NARA), # 80-G-349434. Survivors whoo had previously abandoned ship reboarded the hulk and rescued eight men still aboard and alive, five of whom lived after reaching land. BRANN, Richard Paul Engineman Second Class. Just before 0700 on the 25th, the Japanese force of four battleships, eight cruisers, and numerous destroyers were detected by the northernmost group of escort carriers, Taffy 3, and the surface battle off Samar ensued. The second USS THE SULLIVANS (DDG 68)was laid down on 14 June 1993 at BathMaine, by Bath Iron Works Company. With cruiser Brooklyn (CL-40 . choose to come to an honorable understanding with us will find that we treat them as human beings, Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-349248. About this time Suwannee received orders detaching them from the fleet and assigned them to Operation Magic Carpet. The escort carrier stopped at Pearl Harbor, from 1623 February, at Tulagi, from 414 March, and at Ulithi, from 2127 March, before arriving off Okinawa, on 1 April. Suwannees group fought off two more air attacks before 1300; then steamed in a northeasterly direction to join Taffy 3 and launch futile searches for Kuritas rapidly retiring force. It seemed to me that we would have to try to get through to them. While moored between two buoys with two .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}1+14 inches (32mm) steel cables and an 8 inches (20cm) hawser both bow and stern, she lost all contact with the stern buoy and moved dangerously close to shore. Earl E. Hartman, USNR. They then spent a few days in the port of Kure, just south of Hiroshima, and then they returned near Wakayama, on 10 October, for "typhoon anchorage" as another storm, typhoon Louise, was approaching. Photographed by USS Suwannee (CVE-27) aircraft. The Japanese text reads in part: "Before you reach this miserable state, which Steering and engine control were lost and shifted to Battle Two. after 2 years and 10 months of service, having steamed 128,417 miles (last ship's muster is dated 01 July 1946) Navy Unit Records Research. Reclassified as an "Escort Carrier" and redesignated CVE-27, 15 July 1943. With Admiral Oldendorf's old battleships fighting in Surigao Strait and Halsey's 3rd Fleet scurrying north, Suwannee, with the other 15 escort carriers and 22 destroyers and destroyer escorts, formed the only Allied naval force operating off Leyte Gulf when Vice Admiral Takeo Kurita's 1st Striking Force sneaked through the unguarded San Bernardino Strait into the Philippine Sea. Flight deck poster made by an AMM, B.L. That stop was aborted because of a minefield on the path there, so they returned south to Wakayama on 27 September. Her keel was laid down on June 3, 1938; she was launched March 4, 1939. The new passengers destinations ranged from new construction like the carrier Hornet (CV-8), the destroyer Hambleton (DD-455), and the submarine Finback (SS-230), to the gunboat Erie (PG-50). For the major portion of the next 77 days, her planes continued to deny the enemy the use of those facilities. Crew members of Suwannee were given shore leave during their stay and observed the devastation of ground zero first hand. Chenango left Nagasaki, on the morning of 15 September, with war prisoners. In part because of the extent of damage suffered during the first kamikaze attacks of the war, much of the information about the Suwannee, and of what her crew and air groups endured, was classified for several decades. Juneau is hit by a torpedo in her port side near forward fire room. Renamed Suwannee (AO-33), the ship was commissioned "in ordinary", an inactive status, on 9 July 1941, then placed in commission, on 16 July 1941. However, by dawn, she was back in formation on the starboard quarter of USS San Francisco. The first one crashed into Santee; and, 30 seconds later, Suwannee splashed a kamikaze during his run on Petrof Bay. After transiting the Panama Canal (31 August1 September 1941), Suwannee proceeded directly to San Pedro, Calif., (911 September), whence she sailed on the 11th for Oahu, Territory of Hawaii. flight deck air traffic controller, Albert L. Tomsic, (Serial Number 618 10 62), to remember the horrible Home Join Now About Hullnumber Before You Register Tell A Shipmate FAQs Related Links Contact Us. The escort carriers put into Kossol Roads, in the Palaus, on 28 October, then headed for Manus, for upkeep, on 1 November. On 20 August, she was redesignated an "Auxiliary Carrier", ACV-27, and was recommissioned as such on 24 September 1942, Captain Joseph J. Clark in command. National Archives & Records Administration photo, # 19-N-2429?. Two previous ships had been named Suwanee, an alternate spelling: (Map NS0302736 by Karl Musser, courtesy of Wikipedia. At the bottom of every email sent by HullNumber is an UNSUBSCRIBE link. On 13 November, she departed to participate in the Gilbert Islands operation. http://navylog.navymemorial.org/Portals/0/images/ships-tribute/NBD94211133.jpg San Francisco CA 38 11 13 1942 1942-11-13 00:00:00.000 Naval Battle of Guadalcanal The San Francisco, in company with one heavy cruiser, three light cruisers, and eight destroyers, entered Lengo Channel. Early in the morning of 8 November, she arrived off the coast of Morocco and, for the next few days, her Wildcat fighters maintained combat and antisubmarine air patrols, while her Avengers joined Rangers in bombing missions. SUWANNEE CVE 27 NEWSLETTER NEWSLETTER 2010 #1 Editor's Note Association Officers President Charles Casello Vice-President Bill Hunter Secretary/Treasurer Norm Jennewein President's Message I want to take a moment for a personal note. Joseph R. Lannom 16 July 1941, Capt. Name of the crew member ? Suwannee has too long gone untold. 0 users currently logged in and 86 visitors active. The USS Suwannee (CVE-27) was a Sangamon-class escort carrier laid down on June 3, 1938, and launched on March 4, the following year. The USS Suwannee also created their own chapter ! Additional Information Page. ):553' x 114' 3" / 168.6 x 34.8 meters Armor:None Power plant:4 boilers (450 psi); 2 steam turbines; 2 shafts; 13,500 shp (design) Speed:18+ knots Endurance:23,920 nm @ 15 knots (with 4,780 tons of oil fuel) The leaflets were dropped on the Japanese installations located on the Visayas Strange USN (Ret.) At 0125 on the 13th, the enemy force was discovered about 27,000 yards to the northwest and the US task group maneuvered to intercept. Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Reaching San Pedro on 26 September 1941, Suwannee embarked east coast-bound travelers on that day and the next, disembarking the three USMC passengers who had ridden the ship from Hawaiian waters. Photograph: 7 April 1943. the flight deck during launchings. She remained on the west coast for two weeks into the New Year 1944, then set a course for Lahaina Roads in the Hawaiian Islands. Of the 115 crewmembers that survived the explosion on the ship and made it into the water, only 10 men were ultimately rescued. Her problems, however, soon came from another quarter. Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-349243. She departed Hawaii on 22 January 1944 and headed for the Marshalls. Search crew members| For ship's logs and personnel records, see the Reference Page. 16 November 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. Richard S. Bull, Sr., mother of Lt. Bull 26 February 1944: Commissioned, Lcdr. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National She was re-designatedfor the final timeto an escort aircraft carrier (helicopter) CVHE-27, on 12 June 1955. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval The two planes erupted into flame along with nine other planes on the flight deck. On 24 and 25 October 1944, the Japanese launched a major surface offensive from three directions to contest the Leyte Gulf landings. Disembarking her passengers on 14 January, she provided fueling services there before returning to Hampton Roads, where, upon completion of unloading, she began preparations to undergo conversion. Suwannee remained in North African waters until mid-November 1942, then sailed, via Bermuda, for Norfolk. suicide plane streaks out of clouds in an 80-degree dive. The resulting fire burned for several hours, but was finally brought under control. U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives HullNumber.com does not retain your payment information if you make a purchase. All Rights Reserved. After a stop in Hawaii, Suwannee was sent to Long Beach, and had a short dry-dock period. She returned to the United States at San Diego, California, in October, and by 5 November, was back at Espiritu Santo. National Archives and Records Administration After daybreak Monssen was still a floating incinerator. Carrier plane strike causes huge oil tank fires on flight deck during flight operations. Aboard USS Suwannee (CVE-27), Lieutenant Edward P. Looney, a Catholic Chaplain, Archives and Records Administration (NARA), photo # 80-G-39315. With each salvo of popping, two or three more panicky crew men would leap over the side, and we found that our most urgent task was to persuade those poised on the rail not to jump by a combination of physical restraint and reassurance that fires were being controlled and that more help was on the way. Registration and communicating with shipmates at Hullnumber.com is FREE FOREVER. The Japanese force had been dispersed and within minutes of the battleship-cruiser encounter, enemy destroyers, edging along the southern shore of Savo, entered the fray. Ensuing magazine explosion blows Juneau in half, killing most of the crew. After operating for six months as an oiler with the Atlantic Fleet, Suwannee was designated an "Aircraft Escort Vessel", AVG-27, on 14 February 1942, and decommissioned, on 21 February, at Newport News, Virginia, for conversion to a Sangamon-class escort carrier. Sangamon Class Escort Carrier Keel Laid 3 June 1938 as civilian tanker "SS MARKAY" Launched 4 March 1939 - Acquired by US Navy 26 June 1941 Designated and Renamed 26 June 1941 USS SUWANNEE AO-33 Commissioned 16 July 1941 Thanks VetFriends. They hit the enemy, but he rolled over, dove at Suwannee and crashed into her at 08:04 about 40ft (12m) forward of the after elevator, opening a 10ft (3.0m) hole in her flight deck. If you also served aboard and you remember one of the people below you can click on the name to send an email to the respective sailor. Suwannee CVE-27 during World War II. ):553' x 114' 3" / 168.6 x 34.8 meters Armor:None Power plant:4 boilers (450 psi); 2 steam turbines; 2 shafts; 13,500 shp (design) Speed:18+ knots Endurance:23,920 nm @ 15 knots (with 4,780 tons of oil fuel) Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Suwannee cleared Norfolk on 11 January 1942 for Bermuda with passengers that included six bound for the carrier Ranger (CV-4), five for Savannah, and two for the destroyer Rhind (DD-404). She steamed to Pearl Harbor, T.H., where she disembarked Lt.(j.g.) On the 24th, she headed east again and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 2 March for a two-week stay. For the next seven months (during which time she was re-designated to an escort aircraft carrier, CVE-27, effective 15 July 1943), she provided air escort for transports and supply ships replenishing and bolstering the marines on Guadalcanal, as well as for the forces occupying other islands in the Solomons group. She arrived back at Hampton Roads, on 24 November, and stayed until 5 December, when she got underway for the South Pacific. Back to 1st page. Monteau, USNR; Lieutenant Junior Grade Joseph Coleman, USNR; Ensign Raymond L.J. The vessel decommissioned shortly thereafter in Newport News to be converted to an escort carrier. Laffey lashed out at the enemy with gunfire and torpedoes. She floated for another 10 minutes, bow in the air; then sank, taking 116 of her crew with her. the Distinguished Flying Cross with two stars and Air Medal with seven stars. Just after noon on 26 October, another group of kamikazes jumped Taffy 1. A week later, she put into Espiritu Santo, for four days. Battle Two was out of commission by a direct hit from the port side. On 13 November, she departed to participate in the Gilbert Islands operation. The Modern Military Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001, has custody of deck logs from 1941 to 1983, as well as muster rolls created. Suwannee paused briefly at the Canal Zone (69 October 1941), disembarking four passengers during her time therea PhM2c to the U.S. Along part of the way, we were joined by a sailor manning a seawater fire hose with fairly good pressure, and though the seawater would only scatter the gasoline fires away from us, by using the water and foam alternatively as we advanced, we managed to work our way up several decks, through passageways along the wrecked and burning combat information center and decoding area, through officers' country, and finally out on the forecastle. I had a great time and intend to go again next year. She returned to Manus on 5 May. Markay was laid down on 3 June 1938, at Kearney, New Jersey, by the Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., under a Maritime Commission contract (MC Hull 5); launched on 4 March 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Marguerite Vickery (ne Blanchard), wife of Howard L. Vickery; delivered to the Keystone Tankship Corporation, and operated by that company until acquired by the Navy, on 26 June 1941. and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-349414. Strange USN (Ret.) Placed in a reserve status with the 16th Fleet at Boston, 28 October 1946. Seattle Branch of the National Archives photo. (NARA), photo # 80-G-270618. Port quarter aerial view of USS Suwannee (CVE-27) underway, March 1943. The USS Suwannee was a member of the Sangamon class of escort aircraft carriers. Within two hours, her flight deck was sufficiently repaired to enable the escort carrier to resume air operations. National Archives and Records Administration (ACV-27), circa late 1942 or early 1943. The ship had taken 45 hits. Seconds later she rolled on her side. All Rights Reserved. Comments, Suggestions or Image submissions, E-mail Carrier Information Problems and site related matters, E-mail Webmaster, This page was created by Paul Yarnall and is maintained by Fabio Pea, National Archives & Records Administration, National Archives and Records Administration, National She remained on the west coast for two weeks, into the new year, then set a course for Lahaina Roads in the Hawaiian Islands. Strange USN (Ret.) Her hulk was sold to the Isbrantsen Steamship Co., of New York City on 30 November 1959 for conversion to merchant service, but after the cancellation of the project, in May 1961 her hulk was resold to the J. C. Berkwit Co., also of New York City. Originally classified as an "Aircraft Escort Vessel", AVG-27, on 14 February 1942, she was reclassified an "Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier", ACV-27, 20 August 1942, before finally being classified as an "Escort Carrier", CVE-27, 15 July 1943. Branch. For two weeks, she supported the Hollandia landings by shuttling replacement aircraft to the larger fleet carriers actually engaged in air support of the landings. The list is in chronological order. His bomb compounded the fracture when it exploded between the flight and hangar decks, tearing a 25-foot gash in the latter and causing a number of casualties. Photographed Official U.S. The story of the U.S.S. After five days in Seeadler Harbor, Suwannee got underway to return to the west coast for major repairs. Flight deck poster made by an AMM, B.L. The National Archives and Records Administration On 20 August 1942, Suwannee was re-designated again, to an auxiliary aircraft carrier, ACV-27. USS Ashtabula (AO-51) USS Aucilla (AO-56) USS Cacapon (AO-52) USS Caliente (AO-53) USS Caloosahatchee (AO-98) USS Canisteo (AO-99) USS Chemung (AO-30) USS Chenango (CVE-28) USS Chicopee (AO-34) USS Chikaskia (AO-54) USS Chipola (AO-63) USS Chiwawa (AO-68) USS Chukawan (AO-100) USS Elokomin (AO-55) USS Enoree (AO-69) USS Escalante (AO-70) Left to right: Lieutenant Commander James C. Longino, Jr., USNR; Lieutenant Junior Grade Levi With the old battleships fighting in Surigao Strait and Halsey's 3d Fleet scurrying north, Suwannee, with the other 15 escort carriers and 22 destroyers and destroyer escorts, formed the only Allied naval force operating off Leyte Gulf when the Japanese 1st Striking Force transited the unguarded San Bernadino Strait into the Philippine Sea. Looking for US Navy memorabilia? CVE-27 ALL HANDS Articles. She arrived back at Hampton Roads on 24 November and stayed until 5 December when she got underway for the South Pacific. William H. Abrams, USMCR, Ret., the district legal officer at the Marine Barracks, Balboa) and an OS3c to the Submarine Base, Coco Solo, C.Z., on the 8th; then continued on for Galveston, Texas. Air Raids in the Pacific, 1 July 1945. Periodically, she put into the anchorage at Kerama Retto to rearm and replenish, but she spent the bulk of her time in air operations at sea. Naval Academy, The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members, Historic Former U.S. Navy Bases and Stations, The African American Experience in the U.S. Navy, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S. Navy, Contributions of Native Americans to the U.S. Navy, The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet, Navy Underwater Archaeology Return Program, Annual Navy History and Heritage Awards - Main, Research Permits for Sunken & Terrestrial Military Craft, Scanning, Copyright & Citation Information, Obtain Duplications of Records and Photos. U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives She joined Ranger (CV-4) as the other carrier attached to the Center Attack Group whose specific objective was Casablanca itself, via Fedala [Mohammedia] just to the north. One Hundred and five had been wounded. HullNumber.com takes your privacy seriously. Thomas, of the crew. Thomas, of the crew. For the major portion of the next 77 days, her planes continued to deny the enemy the use of those air bases. Search by Station or Ship. With the Japanese retiring toward Savo Island, Sterett, her after guns and starboard torpedo tubes out of commission, began to withdraw. Re-designated as an aircraft escort vessel, AVG-27, on 14 February 1942, and Suwannee was decommissioned on 20 February 1942 at Newport News, Virginia, to begin the conversion process. Prepared by CAPT R.O. During the battle Sterett sustained 11 hits (three were major caliber hits) and several near misses that caused damage. Ens. Suwannee disembarked her passengers, then underwent a restricted availability at the Norfolk Navy Yard, during which time the Japanese unleashed their onslaught in the Pacific (78 December 1941) and Germany joined its Axis partner (11 December). The resulting blaze burned for several hours, but was finally brought under control by the concerted efforts of her crew and air group. Archives and Records Administration, National Archives On 19 June 1944, as the Battle of the Philippine Sea began to unfold, Suwannee was one of the first ships to draw enemy blood when one of her TBM-1C Avengers of VT-60, accompanied by an F6F-3 on anti-submarine patrol, spotted the Saipan-bound Japanese submarine I-184 (Lt.Cmdr.