The Bennington ( CV-20) was Laid down 15 December 1942 and Launched 26 February 1944 by New York NavyYard; sponsored by Mrs. Melvin J. Maus, wife of Congressman Maus of Minnesota;and commissioned 6 August 1944, Captain J. B. Sykes in command.
On 15 December 1944, Bennington got underway from New York and transited the Panama Canal on the 21st. The carrier arrived at Pearl Harbor 8 January 1945 and then proceeded to Ulithi Atoll, Carohne Islands, `There she joined TG 58.1, 8 February. Operating out of Ulithi she took part in the strikes against the Japanese home islands (1~17 and 25 February), Volcano Islands (18 February - 4 March), Okinawa (1 March), and the raids in support of the Okinawa campaign (18 March-11 June). On 7 April Bennington's planes participated in the attacks on the Japanese task force moving through the East China Sea toward Okinawa which resulted in the sinking of the Japanese battleshipYamato, light cruiser YAHAGI, and four destroyers. On 5 June the carrier was damaged by a typhoon off Okinawa and retired to Leyte for repairs arriving 12 June. Her repairs completed, Bennington left Leyte 1 July and during 10 July-16 August took part in the final raids on the Japanese home islands.
