View source for USS Chandeleur

{{short description|Tender of the United States Navy}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Chandeleur (AV-10) underway, circa in December 1942.jpg
|Ship image size=350px
|Ship caption=USS ''Chandeleur'' (AV-10)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1946}}
|Ship name=USS ''Chandeleur''
|Ship namesake=[[Chandeleur Sound]] in Louisiana
|Ship owner=
|Ship operator=
|Ship registry=
|Ship route=
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Western Pipe and Steel Company|Western Pipe & Steel]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=29 May 1941
|Ship launched=29 November 1941
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. F. McCrary
|Ship christened=''Chandeleur''
|Ship completed=19 November 1942
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=19 November 1942
|Ship recommissioned=
|Ship decommissioned=12 February 1947
|Ship maiden voyage= 
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=
|Ship refit=
|Ship struck=1 April 1971
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship identification=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honours=Five [[battle star]]s for service in [[World War II]].
|Ship honors=
|Ship captured=
|Ship fate=Scrapped 1971
|Ship notes=*''[[Western Pipe and Steel Company|WPS]] Hull no. 64.''
*''[[Maritime Commission|MARCOM]] Hull no. 173.''
*''[[Type C3 ship|Type C3-S1-B1]]''.
|Ship badge=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=''Chandeleur'' class [[seaplane tender]]
|Ship type=
|Ship tonnage=
|Ship displacement=5,300 lt tons, 13,700 fl tons
|Ship length={{convert|492|ft|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship beam={{convert|69|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship height=
|Ship draught={{convert|23|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}} 
|Ship draft=
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship decks=
|Ship deck clearance=
|Ship ramps=
|Ship ice class=
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=2 × [[General Electric]] steam turbines, 2 × [[Foster-Wheeler]] boilers, single shaft, single propeller, horsepower 9,350
|Ship sail plan=
|Ship speed={{convert|18|kn|km/h}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship boats=
|Ship capacity=
|Ship troops=
|Ship complement=1075
|Ship crew=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*1 × single [[5"/38-caliber gun|5-inch/38 cal. dual-purpose gun]] mount.
*4 × [[3"/50-caliber gun|3-inch/50 cal. gun]] mounts.
*4 × twin [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40&nbsp;mm AA gun]] mounts.
*15 × single [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] AA gun mounts.
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Chandeleur'' (AV-10)''', a [[seaplane tender]], was launched on 29 November 1941 by [[Western Pipe and Steel Company]], [[San Francisco, California]], under a [[United States Maritime Commission|Maritime Commission]] contract; transferred to the [[United States Navy|U.S. Navy]] 19 November 1942; and commissioned the same day.

==Operational history==

===Cargo and tender operations===
From 15 January to 9 May 1943, ''Chandeleur'' supported [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|South Pacific]] bases and operations by carrying cargo from [[San Diego]] to [[Efate]], [[Espiritu Santo]], Samoa, and [[Nouméa]]. She cleared San Diego 3 June with cargo for [[Pearl Harbor]], [[Midway Atoll|Midway]], and Wallis, and arrived at Espiritu Santo 1 July. Here she provided tender services to, and served as base for, [[VP-33|Patrol Squadron 71 (VP-71)]] until 13 October.

===Eniwetok and Saipan===
''Chandeleur'' returned to cargo duty, now in support of the Treasuries-[[Bougainville Island|Bougainville]] operations. Until 2 March 1944, she sailed between the [[New Hebrides]] Islands and [[Guadalcanal]], carrying men and aviation equipment. Following overhaul on the west coast, the seaplane tender made a cargo voyage to Pearl Harbor, then cleared [[Oakland, California]], 18 May for [[Kwajalein]] and [[Eniwetok]], arriving 21 June. At both Eniwetok and Saipan, ''Chandeleur'' tended Patrol Squadrons [[VPB-202|202]] and [[VPB-216|216]] as they flew missions during the invasion and capture of the [[Palau Islands]].

===Philippines===
In September 1944, with commander, Fleet Air Wing 1 embarked, ''Chandeleur'' sailed to [[Naval Base Kossol Roads]], where she tended seaplanes providing part of the air cover for the long-awaited invasion of the [[Philippines]]. At [[Ulithi]] from 25 December until 8 February 1945, she provided tender services for Patrol Squadron 21.

===Sinking of I-8 and spotting of Yamato at Okinawa===
''Chandeleur'' arrived at [[Kerama Retto]] 28 March 1945. Her seaplanes supported the invasion of [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]], covering the initial assault 1 April. These planes took part in sinking {{Ship|Japanese submarine|I-8}} off Okinawa on 31 March and on 7 April spotted the battleship [[Japanese battleship Yamato|''Yamato'']], which was promptly sunk by carrier planes. On 15 July, the seaplane base was moved to Okinawa, where ''Chandeleur'' continued to tend seaplanes in support of the pounding [[United States Third Fleet|Third Fleet]] raids on the Japanese home islands.

===After hostilities===
After a brief call at Eniwetok, ''Chandeleur'' sailed for [[Ominato Ko]], [[Honshū]], Japan, where she tended seaplanes taking part in the occupation of Japan until 16 October. After a west coast overhaul, ''Chandeleur'' sailed to the Philippines to embark men for transportation to [[Seattle]], Washington, where she arrived 11 January 1946. She proceeded to the [[East Coast of the United States|east coast]], and was placed in the [[Atlantic Reserve Fleet, Philadelphia]] 12 February 1947. She was struck from the Navy Vessel Register on 1 April 1971 and scrapped in the same year.

''Chandeleur'' received five [[service stars|battle stars]] for World War II service.

==References==
{{Commons category|USS Chandeleur (AV-10)}}
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/41/4110.htm USS ''Chandeleur'' (AV-10)], Navsource Online.
*Mawdsley, Dean L. (2002): ''Steel Ships and Iron Pipe: Western Pipe and Steel Company of California, the Company, the Yard, the Ships'', [[Glencannon Press]], p.&nbsp;124. {{ISBN|1-889901-28-8}}.
*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/c/chandeleur.html}}

{{Type C3-S-A2 ships}}

{{US Seaplane Tenders}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chandeleur (AV-10)}}
[[Category:Type C3-S-A2 ships of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in San Francisco]]
[[Category:1941 ships]]
[[Category:Seaplane tenders of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:World War II seaplane tenders of the United States]]