We have over 2,400 documentary
military history books, videos, DVD's and scale models.
Find them by using the search box at the top of every
page, or use the left column menus
CIB Media's selection
of documentary American military UNIT and CAMPAIGN history
books and videos is one of the largest available anywhere:
Army and Marine Corps division histories; Bomb Group
and Fighter Group histories; Naval Warfare and Warship
histories; Histories of America's major campaigns in
World War II, Korea and Vietnam. In addition, we are
adding new titles weekly.
AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS BENNINGTON (CV/CVA/CVS-20). Veterans History Book includes a history of the ship, many rare photos, maps, etc., along with personal experience stories, & brief biographies of Bennington veterans.
The USS BENNINGTON (CV/CVA/CVS-20) Veterans History Book. The Bennington ( CV-20) was commissioned 6 August 1944 with 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, Caroline 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 Yaha'si, 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.
The carrier began modernization at New York Naval Shipyard 30 October1950 and was recommissioned 13 November 1952.
A boiler explosion 27 APRIL 1953 - 10:03 HOURS killed 11 and injured 7 crewmembers off the coast of Cuba. The explosion was caused by a failure of the boiler tubing while the 27,000-ton carrier was on a shakedown cruise off the southeastern part of Cuba.
On 26 May 1954, while cruising off Narragansett Bay, the fluid in one of her catapults exploded setting off a series of secondary explosions which killed 103 crewmen and injured 201 others. Bennington proceeded under her own power to Quonset Point, R. I., to land her injured.
The USS BENNINGTON was redesignated as CVS-20, an ASW carrier on 30 June 1959. She was decommissioned 15 January 1970, and sadly sold for scrap 12 January 1994.
The book includes a roster of USS Bennington former crew members and her veterans association members. This is an extra large 'coffee table size' commemorative volume 9" x 12" with attractive glossy cover.
