Remembering Suwannee: U.S.S. Suwannee, Part 7

Eric Musgrove Contributor Last week, we saw the escort carrier Suwannee survive the Battle of Leyte Gulf, albeit damaged. She was able to return to the West Coast for much-needed repairs. This week, we finish our multi-part discussion of the escort carrier’s history. Upon completion of repairs, the veteran carrier made her way westward, entering the theater of operations in April 1945. Her target was the Japanese island of Okinawa, only 325 miles from mainland Japan. The noose was closing around the Japanese Empire, and the island was scheduled to be one of the final assaults before mainland Japan itself was invaded. Suwannee’s aircraft provided cl