CVE-81 (later CVU-81 and AKV-29) was named Rudyerd Bay for an estuary on the mainland, extending southwest to Behm Canal, Coast Mts., Alaska (NS0308128). The bay was named in 1879 by William H. Dall, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey (USC&GS), for the English engineer John Rudyerd, who rebuilt the Eddystone lighthouse after its destruction in 1703.

(Map courtesy of Hamstermap.com.)

Rudyerd Bay was sponsored on Wednesday, January 12, 1944 by Mrs. Scott Ernest Peck, wife of Captain Peck, USN.

(From "Bo's'n's Whistle," Vol. 4, No. 2; January 28, 1944; pages 4–5.)

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad. USS Rudyerd Bay was camouflaged in Measure 32, Design 15A (thanks to Aryeh Wetherhorn.)

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

NS0308130d is the same photo, differently cropped.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

From the collection of Mr. Lowell Reistad.

CAPT Curtis S. Smiley, CO, USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81), 1944.

CDR Robert Ward Cooper, XO, USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81), February 1944–June 1945.

Dr. Wilson, Dr. Ellis, Dr. Slavin.

LCDR Frank J. Peterson, CO, VC-77. KIA, 19 February 1945, Iwo Jima (TBM-1C Avenger, BuNo 73254).

From the C.E. Daniel Collection.

From the C.E. Daniel Collection.

From the C.E. Daniel Collection.

From the C.E. Daniel Collection.

USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81), camouflaged in Measure 32, Design 15A. Naval Air Station, North Island, San Diego, California, first half of 1944.

Practice with Bofors 40mm guns, 1944.

Checking position and keeping watch, 1944.

Crew making the engine purr on an FM-2 Wildcat, 1944.

Crew preparing TBM Avenger for action, 1944.

Crew, 1944.

Crew, 1944.

Crew, 1944. Fireman First Class Earlywine 1st row, second from left.

Landing Signal Officer (LSO), 1944.

L-class blimp touching down on deck, 1944.

Practicing with a 20mm Oerlikon gun, 1944.

Receiving provisions at sea, 1944.

"Pilot recovery from large cruiser, 1944."

This may be 18 October 1944. From USS Rudyerd Bay's War Diary for the Month of October 1944: "At 1030 U.S.S. Birmingham (CL62) came alongside and transferred six (6) officers and one hundred twenty-seven (127) enlisted personnel from the U.S.S. Houston [(CL-81)] for transportation." Birmingham was camouflaged in Measure 33, Design 6D, which matches the photo.

NS0308106 is the same photo, differently cropped.

Pilot recovery from destroyer, 1944.

This is probably 11 December 1944. From USS Rudyerd Bay's War Diary for the Month of December 1944: "1721 TBM-1C, BuAer #46015, piloted by Lt.(jg) John J. Scannell, [...], U.S. Naval Reserve; with air crewmen Keller, J.D., ARM2c, [...], U.S. Naval Reserve; and Erwert, P. (n), AOM2c, [...], U.S. Navy, crashed into the water and sank while attempting to make a landing in Lat. 14°26' N., Long. 134°47.6' E. All personnel recovered by USS Thorn (DD647)." Thorn was camouflaged in Measure 32, Design 16D, which matches the photo.

USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81) recovering an Avenger, 1945.

USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81), Avenger mishap, 1945.

USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81), Avenger hard landing, 1945.

Crewmen carrying bombs to aircraft, 1945.

Refueling TBM Avenger, 1945.

Delivering L-5 Sentinels, 1945.

FM-2 Wildcat in flight, 1945.

FM-2 Wildcat hard landing after action, 1945.

Recovering an FM-2 Wildcat, 1945.

Launching an FM-2 Wildcat, 1945.

Ferrying F4U Corsairs and arriving in theater, 1945.

Burial at sea, 1945.

Pilots go over the day's results, 1945.

TBF/TBM Avenger preparing for launch, 1945.

View of the flight deck, 1945.

Crewmen aboard USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81) watch as another CVE (USS Wake Island [CVE-65]?) is under attack, 1945.

Japanese Special Attack Weapon, Yokosuka MXY-7 Ohka, 1945.

Night attack, 1945.

At 0815, 3 February 1945, "Following Captain's inspection of the crew, Captain John G. Foster, Jr., U.S. Navy, relieved Captain Curtis S. Smiley, U.S. Navy, as commanding officer."

Crew entertainment. This photo was taken between the end of the war and 23 January 1946, during Operation Magic Carpet.

Donald Edward Schwarz served as a Seaman 1st Class, and was promoted to Coxswain during his tour.

"Thank You" from the 5th Marine Division after the battle of Iwo Jima.

USS Kennebago (AO-81) and USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81) are on a post-shakedown cruise from San Diego to Pearl Harbor, 31 March 1944. Logs report that practice unrep exercises between them were carried out.

US Navy photo.

USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81) underway on 19 July 1944.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (#NH 106584).

FM-2 Wildcats and TBM-3 Avengers of Composite Squadron (VC) 96 aboard USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81), circa April 1945.

Aircraft of Composite Squadron (VC) 96 and a Karry Krane are visible on the flight deck of USS Rudyerd Bay (CVE-81) in this overhead shot taken off Guam on 20 May 1945. US Navy photo, now in the collection of the US National Archives at College Park, Maryland (# 80-G-346180).