The USS Chenango (CVE-28), initially built as Esso New Orleans, was a versatile and significant escort carrier of the United States Navy during World War II. Laid down on 10 July 1938 by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company in Chester, Pennsylvania, she was launched on 1 April 1939 and acquired by the Navy on 31 May 1941. Originally constructed as a T3-S2-A1 tanker, she was designated AO-31 and classified as a Cimarron-class fleet oiler. Her initial service involved replenishment duties across the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Pacific theaters. In March 1942, she was decommissioned for conversion into an escort aircraft carrier at Bethlehem Staten Island. Recommissioned as Chenango (ACV-28) on 19 September 1942, she was equipped with aircraft for combat operations. Her aircraft complement included P-40 Warhawks, Wildcats, Dauntlesses, and TBF Avengers, supporting operations in North Africa, the Solomon Islands, Gilbert Islands, and Mariana Islands. Notable during her service was her participation in the invasion of North Africa, where she launched aircraft supporting the landings, and her involvement in key Pacific campaigns, including the invasions of Roi, Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Okinawa. Throughout her service, Chenango demonstrated her versatility, operating as an aircraft escort, providing air cover, conducting reconnaissance, and engaging enemy shipping and airfields. Her aircraft notably sank a Japanese submarine during the Tarawa invasion. She experienced combat dangers firsthand, including attacks from Japanese planes, and survived a devastating fire caused by a crash landing at Okinawa. After the war, Chenango supported occupation duties and evacuated prisoners of war and civilians from Japan. She was decommissioned on 14 August 1946, placed in reserve, reclassified as CVHE-28 in 1955, and finally struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1959. Her distinguished service earned her 11 battle stars and the Navy Unit Commendation, marking her as a notable vessel in the US Navy's World War II fleet.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.