World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseLong Island was originally laid down as Mormacmail; her name was changed to Long Island on the day of her commissioning. She was the first escort carrier of the United States Navy. She had her shakedown cruise off Norfolk, Virginia, United States, meanwhile developing doctrine for escort carrier operations, particularly when used in convoys. In Dec 1941, she escorted a convoy to Newfoundland, and then returned to Norfolk to qualify carrier pilots. On 10 May 1942, she sailed for the Pacific Ocean, arriving at San Francisco on 5 Jun. She sailed with four battleships to the Hawaii Islands area to provide air cover immediately after the Battle of Midway, and returned to the west coast of the United States to train carrier pilots by the end of that month. On 17 Jul 1942, she returned to Pearl Harbor after a 9-day cruise from San Diego, then headed for the South Pacific. On 13 Aug 1942, she launched aircraft for Henderson Field in Guadalcanal, then returned for New Hebrides. Between 20 Sep 1942 and Jul 1943, she trained carrier pilots on the west coast of the United States. For the most part of the remainder of the war, she transported aircraft and crews from the United States to various bases in the Pacific Ocean. After the war, Long Island participated in Operation Magic Carpet to bring servicemen back home. After her 1946 decommissioning at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, she was sold to Zidell Ship Dismantling Company, Portland, Oregon on 24 Apr 1947 for scrap, but before scrapping could take place, she was sold to the Canada-Europe Line on 12 Mar 1948 for conversion to merchant service. She was renamed Nelly and served as an immigrant carrier between Europe and Canada. In 1953, she was sold to the University of the Seven Seas and was converted to a school ship; she was renamed Seven Seas toward the end of that year. In 1966, she was sold to the University of Rotterdam as a floating dormitory. She was finally scrapped in 1977 in Belgium.

Escort Carrier Long Island Interactive Map

Photographs

Long Island Operational Timeline