Iwo Jima
and the Carrier Air Wing Five Experience BY LT ROBERT THOMPSON, VAW-115
O
n February 21, 1945, the escort carrier USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) was assigned to the Seventh Fleet. The carrier was supporting the Saratoga (CV-3) strike group, providing aerial combat and bombing support during the invasion of Iwo Jima. That evening, two Japanese kamikaze aircraft attacked the carrier.
The USS Bismarck Sea (CVE-95) participates in the battle for Iwo Jima. It received two direct hits then exploded and sank on the on February 21, 1945.
The first struck the starboard side. From directly above, the second struck an elevator shaft and destroyed the ship’s internal firefighting equipment. The resulting fire was uncontrollable. Shortly after sunset, Captain J. L. Pratt ordered the crew to abandon ship. Of the 923 men on board, 118 were killed during the attack or drowned during the night, awaiting rescue. Ninety-nine Sailors were injured. One of the survivors was my grand-father: LTJG Lewis W. Thompson, a July-August 2015
bomber pilot assigned to VC-86 flying the F4F Wildcat. VC-86 was the only squadron stationed aboard USS Bismarck Sea. The last known position of the carrier was 22 nautical miles to the north east of Iwo Jima, presently known as Iwo To. It was the eleventh and final Navy carrier sunk during World War II Fast forward 70 years. A light division of three E-2C Hawkeye 2000s from VAW-115 approach the island of Iwo 31
