USS Bennington (CV-20)

• Namesake: USS Bennington (CV-20) was named after the Battle of Bennington, a pivotal American victory during the Revolutionary War in 1777. • Essex-class carrier: As an Essex-class aircraft carrier, Bennington was among the most significant and numerous carrier classes of World War II, contributing greatly to US naval air power. • Launched during WWII: The ship was launched on February 26, 1944, and commissioned on August 6, 1944, joining the Pacific Fleet for the final major campaigns of the war. • Combat operations: USS Bennington participated in the Philippines campaign, attacks on Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Japanese home islands, earning three battle stars for her World War II service. • Kamikaze attacks: During WWII, Bennington was attacked by Japanese kamikaze pilots, but survived and continued operations, demonstrating the resilience of American carriers. • Postwar Service & Modernization: After WWII, Bennington was decommissioned but later modernized and recommissioned as an attack carrier (CVA-20) and then as an anti-submarine carrier (CVS-20) during the Cold War. • 1954 Catastrophic Explosion: A tragic explosion in the ship’s fireroom on May 26, 1954, killed 103 crewmen and injured over 200, leading to major improvements in Navy safety protocols and firefighting equipment. • Space Program Role: Bennington served as the primary recovery ship for both the Gemini 3 and Gemini 4 space missions in 1965, retrieving astronauts and their capsules from the Pacific Ocean. • Vietnam War Service: The carrier supported operations during the Vietnam War, performing anti-submarine patrols and training exercises until her decommissioning. • Decommissioning and Legacy: USS Bennington was decommissioned in 1970 and sold for scrap in 1994, but her legacy is preserved through veterans’ associations, memorials, and museum collections honoring her service and crew.