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It's About the Journey Not Just the Destination
The lead-ship of her class, Unryu was launched on 25 September 1943 and commissioned on 6 August 1944. For her maiden sea voyage, she was loaded with thirty Yokosuka MXY7 Ōhka kamikaze rocket planes for transport to Manila in the Philippines. Four days after departing Kure, Hiroshima she was sunk by USS Redfish (SS-395) on 17 December 1944. Only 145 men survived to be rescued, with 1,238 officers, crewmen and passengers losing their lives.
Karel Doorman QH1 was an escort carrier of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Previously HMS Nairana of the British Royal Navy, she was transferred to the Netherlands after World War Two. As part of the re-occupation of the Netherlands East Indies, the Karel Doorman ferried 15 Fairey Firefly fighters of 860 Squadron to Soerabaja along with freight and supplies.
On the return journey, the Karel Doorman transported a Japanese Aichi E13A and a Kawanishi N1K1 back to the Netherlands for evaluation.
Karel Doorman was used to evaluate the operation of Auster light aircraft and Sikorsky S-51 helicopters from an aircraft carrier. In 1948 she was returned to the UK and converted to a merchantman Port Victor. She was scrapped in 1971.
She was replaced in service by HNLMS Karel Doorman R-81 a Colossus-class aircraft carrier.
The USS Card (CVE-11) was launched as AVG 11 on February 21, 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation under a Maritime Commission contract. She was was reclassified as ACV-11 on August 20, 1942 and commissioned on November 8, 1942 with Captain J.B. Sykes in command.
Card’s first operational sortie in late May 1943 was an aircraft ferrying trip from New York to Casablanca in French Morocco. Card then made the return voyage to Norfolk arriving on June 5, 1943. Ten days later she was reclassified as Escort Carrier Card (CVE-11). She became one of the first of fourteen US CVEs around which US anti-submarine hunter killer groups would be centered. During her participation in the Battle of the Atlantic, Card and her escorts sank 11 German U-boats.
After the war, she was reclassified as a helicopter escort carrier CVHE-11, 12 June 1955; a utility carrier CVU-11, 1 July 1958; and an aviation transport AKV-40, 7 May 1959.
In 1964, while operating as an aircraft ferry, Card was sunk with explosives planted by two Viet Cong commandos in the Harbor of Saigon, South Vietnam. She was refloated 17 days later and returned to service after extensive repairs.
Card was placed in reserve, on 10 March 1970, was sold for scrapping on 14 May 1971.
