USS Santee (CVE-29)

	USS Santee, mid-October 1942, painted in Camouflage Measure 17
History
United States
Name	Seakay
Owner	Keystone Tankship Corp.
Ordered	as type (T2-S2-A1) hull, MCE hull 3
Awarded	3 January 1938
Builder	Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Chester, Pennsylvania
Cost	$880,516.70
Yard number	173
Way number	1
Laid down	31 May 1938
Launched	4 March 1939
Sponsored by	Mrs. Charles Kurz
In service	29 March 1939
Out of service	18 October 1940
Fate	Sold to US Navy, 18 October 1940
United States
Name	Santee
Namesake	Santee River, in South Carolina
Acquired	18 October 1940
Commissioned	30 October 1940
Decommissioned	Spring 1942
Identification	Hull symbol: AO-29; Callsign: NIMS; ;
Recommissioned	24 August 1942
Decommissioned	21 October 1946
Refit	Norfolk Navy Yard, Norfolk, Virginia
Stricken	1 March 1959
Identification	Hull symbol:; AVG-29 (14 February 1942); ACV-29 (20 August 1942); CVE-29 (15 July 1943); CVHE-29 (12 June 1955); Callsign: NWTQ; ;
Fate	Sold, 5 December 1959, scrapped in Bremerhaven, West Germany, in 1960
General characteristics as fleet oiler
Class & type	Cimarron-class oiler
Displacement	7,470 long tons (7,590 t) light ; 25,425 long tons (25,833 t) full load;
Length	525 ft (160 m) wl
Beam	75 feet (23 m)
Draft	32 ft 3 in (9.83 m)
Installed power	4 × Babcock & Wilcox steam boilers (450 psi (3,100 kPa)); 13,500 shp (10,100 kW);
Propulsion	2 × Westinghouse geared steam turbines; 2 × shafts;
Speed	18.3 kn (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph)
Capacity	122,400 bbl (19,460 m3) of oil; 805,000 US gal (3,050,000 L; 670,000 imp gal) of gasoline;
Complement	301 officers and men
Armament	4 × single 5 in (130 mm)/51 cal guns]; 4 × twin Bofors 40 mm (1.6 in) anti-aircraft guns ; 4 × twin Oerlikon 20 mm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft cannons;
General characteristics as escort carrier
Class & type	Sangamon-class escort carrier
Displacement	11,400 long tons (11,583 t) standard ; 24,275 long tons (24,665 t) full;
Length	553 ft 6 in (168.71 m) oa; 503 ft (153 m) flight deck;
Beam	75 ft (23 m); 105 ft (32 m) flight deck;
Draft	30 ft 7 in (9.32 m)
Range	23,920 nmi (44,300 km; 27,530 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	830 officers and men
Armament	2 × 5"/51 caliber guns ; 4 × twin Bofors 40 mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns ; 12 × single Oerlikon 20 mm cannons;
Aircraft carried	25
Aviation facilities	1 × hydraulic catapult; 2 × elevators;
General characteristics 1945
Complement	1,080 officers and men
Armament	2 × quad Bofors 40 mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns; 10 × twin Bofors 40 mm L/60 anti-aircraft guns ; 19 × single Oerlikon 20 mm cannons;
Aircraft carried	32
Aviation facilities	2 × hydraulic catapults
Service record
Commanders	William Sample (1942–44)
Operations	World War II
Awards	9 battle stars

USS Santee (AVG/ACV/CVE/CVHE-29), was a US Navy escort carrier of World War II. Originally built as Seakay, one of twelve tankers built by a joint Navy-Maritime Commission design. This design was later duplicated and designated a T3-S2-A1 oiler. She was acquired by the Navy in 1940, and renamed Santee (AO-29), a Cimarron-class fleet oiler. In 1942, she was converted to a Sangamon-class escort carrier. Originally classified as an "Aircraft Escort Vessel", AVG-29, on 9 January 1942, she was reclassified an "Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier", ACV-29, 20 August 1942, before finally being classified as an "Escort Carrier", CVE-29, 15 July 1943. After the war, she was later classified an "Escort Helicopter Aircraft Carrier" and again redesignated, CVHE-29, 12 June 1955. She was named after the Santee River, in South Carolina.