USS Kula Gulf
USS Kula Gulf on 5 September 1945 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| United States | |
| Name | USS Kula Gulf |
| Namesake | Battle of Kula Gulf |
| Builder | Todd-Pacific Shipyards |
| Laid down | 16 December 1943 |
| Launched | 15 August 1944 |
| Commissioned | 12 May 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 6 October 1969 |
| Stricken | 15 September 1970 |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1971 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Commencement Bay-class escort carrier |
| Displacement | 21,397 long tons (21,740 t) |
| Length | 557 ft 1 in (169.80 m) loa |
| Beam | 75 ft (23 m) |
| Draft | 32 ft (9.8 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Complement | 1,066 |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 33 |
| Aviation facilities | 2 × aircraft catapults |
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USS Kula Gulf was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was originally named Vermillion Bay, but was renamed during construction. The Commencement Bay class were built during World War II, and were an improvement over the earlier Sangamon class, which were converted from oil tankers. They were capable of carrying an air group of 33 planes and were armed with an anti-aircraft battery of 5 in (127 mm), 40 mm (1.6 in), and 20 mm (0.8 in) guns. The ships were capable of a top speed of 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph), and due to their origin as tankers, had extensive fuel storage.