View source for USS Hancock (CV-19)

{{short description|Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy}}
{{Other ships|USS Hancock}}
{{redirect|CV-19|the disease|COVID-19}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Hancock (CVA-19) off Pearl Harbor 1968.jpg
|Ship size=
|Ship caption=USS ''Hancock'' off [[Pearl Harbor]], 1968
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1976}}
|Ship name=''Hancock''
|Ship namesake=[[John Hancock]]
|Ship builder=[[Fore River Shipyard]]
|Ship laid down=26 January 1943
|Ship launched=24 January 1944
|Ship commissioned=15 April 1944
|Ship decommissioned=9 May 1947
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship recommissioned=15 February 1954
|Ship decommissioned=30 January 1976
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}
|Ship displacement={{cvt|27,100|LT|lk=on}} standard
|Ship length={{convert|888|ft|m}} overall
|Ship beam={{convert|93|ft|m}}
|Ship draft={{convert|28|ft|7|in|m}}
|Ship power=
*8 × boilers
*{{convert|150000|shp|MW|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
*4 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
*4 × shafts
|Ship speed={{convert|33|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=3448 officers and enlisted
|Ship armament=
*12 × [[5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun]]s
*32 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm gun]]s
*46 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]s
|Ship armor=
*[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{cvt|4|in|0}}
*Hangar deck: {{cvt|2.5|in|0}}
*Deck: {{cvt|1.5|in|0}}
*[[Conning tower]]: 1.5 inch
|Ship aircraft=90–100 aircraft
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes= 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Hancock'' (CV/CVA-19)''' was one of 24 {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s built during [[World War II]] for the [[United States Navy]]. ''Hancock'' was the fourth [[US Navy]] ship to bear the namesake of [[Founding Fathers of the United States|Founding Father]]  [[John Hancock]], president of the [[Second Continental Congress]] and first governor of the [[Massachusetts|Commonwealth of Massachusetts]].<ref group="Note">There is some controversy regarding the naming of fleet carriers after famous Americans. Some suggest that the carrier was named for the frigate ''Hancock'' of the Continental Navy and that no US fleet carrier was named directly for a person before {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CVB-42|2}}. The other examples are {{USS|Franklin|CV-13|2}} was named for Benjamin Franklin and was the fifth ship to bear the name, and {{USS|Randolph|CV-15|2}} was named for Peyton Randolph, President of the First Continental Congress.</ref> ''Hancock'' was commissioned in April 1944 and served in several campaigns in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater of Operations]], earning four [[Service star#Navy warships|battle star]]s. Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, she was modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA). In her second career, she operated exclusively in the Pacific, playing a prominent role in the [[Vietnam War]], for which she earned a [[Navy Unit Commendation]]. She was the first US Navy carrier to have [[steam catapults]] installed. She was decommissioned in early 1976 and sold for scrap later that year.

==Construction and commissioning==
The ship was [[laid down]] as ''Ticonderoga'' on 26 January 1943 by [[Bethlehem Steel Co]]., [[Quincy, Massachusetts]] and subsequently renamed ''Hancock'' on 1 May 1943. This renaming was done in response to an offer from the [[John Hancock Insurance|John Hancock Life Insurance Company]] to conduct a special bond drive to raise money for the ship if that name was used. (The shipyard at Quincy was in the company's home state.) CV-14, originally laid down as ''Hancock'' and under construction at the same time in [[Newport News, Virginia]], [[USS Ticonderoga (CV-14)#Construction and commissioning|took the name ''Ticonderoga'' instead.]]

The company's bond drive raised enough money to both build the ship and operate her for the first year.<ref>{{cite book | last = Faltum | first = Andrew | title = The Essex Aircraft Carriers | publisher = The Nautical & Aviation Publishing Company of America | year = 1996 | location = Baltimore, Maryland | page = 28 | isbn = 1-877853-26-7}}</ref> The ship was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] 24 January 1944 by Mrs. Juanita Gabriel-Ramsey, the wife of Rear Admiral [[DeWitt Clinton Ramsey]], Chief of the [[Bureau of Aeronautics]].<ref name="DANFS">{{cite DANFS |url= http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=36 |title= USS Hancock (CV-19)}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2199&dat=19440124&id=kX5dAAAAIBAJ&pg=2980,2852722 |title= Mighty Aircraft Carrier USS Hancock Off the Ways |agency= Associated Press|location= Lawrence, Kansas |newspaper= Journal-World |date= 24 January 1944}}</ref> ''Hancock'' was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] 15 April 1944, with [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] Fred C. Dickey in command.<ref name="DANFS"/>

==Service history==

===World War II===
{{tone|section|date=March 2021}}
After fitting out in the [[Boston Navy Yard]] and shake-down training off [[Trinidad]] and [[Venezuela]], ''Hancock'' returned to Boston for alterations on 9 July 1944. She departed Boston on 31 July en route to [[Pearl Harbor]] via the [[Panama Canal]] and [[San Diego]], and from there sailed on 24 September to join Admiral [[William Halsey, Jr.|W. F. Halsey]]'s [[United States Third Fleet|3rd Fleet]] at [[Ulithi]] on 5 October. She was assigned to Rear Admiral [[Gerald F. Bogan]]'s Carrier [[Task Group 38.2]] (TG&nbsp;38.2).<ref name="DANFS" />

The following afternoon, ''Hancock'' sailed for a rendezvous point {{convert|375|nmi|km|-1|abbr=on}} west of the [[Marianas]] where units of [[Marc Mitscher|Vice Admiral Mitscher]]'s [[Fast Carrier Task Force]]&nbsp;38 (TF&nbsp;38) were to raid Japanese air and sea bases in the [[Ryūkyūs]], [[Taiwan|Formosa]],<ref group="Note">Formosa was the name of the main the island of Taiwan in western literature until the 20th century.</ref> and the [[Philippines]], to paralyze Japanese air power during [[Douglas MacArthur|General MacArthur]]'s invasion of [[Leyte (island)|Leyte]].

====Philippines campaign====
{{main|Philippines campaign (1944–1945)}}

[[File:USS Hancock (CV-19) at Philippines, December 1944.jpg|thumb|''Hancock'' off the Philippines, December 1944|left]]

The armada arrived off the Ryukyu Islands on 10 October 1944, with ''Hancock''<nowiki/>'s planes destroying seven enemy aircraft on the ground and assisting in the destruction of a [[submarine tender]], 12 [[torpedo boat]]s, 2 [[midget submarine]]s, four [[cargo ship]]s, and a number of [[sampan]]s.

Formosan [[air base]]s were targeted on 12 October. ''Hancock''{{'}}s pilots downed six Japanese planes and destroyed nine more on the ground. She also reported one cargo ship definitely sunk, three probably destroyed, and several others damaged.<ref name="DANFS" />

As they repelled an enemy air raid that evening, ''Hancock''{{'}}s gunners accounted for a Japanese plane during seven hours of uninterrupted general quarters. The following morning her planes resumed their assault, knocking out [[ammunition dump]]s, [[hangar]]s, [[barracks]], and industrial plants ashore and damaging an enemy transport. As Japanese planes again attacked the Americans during their second night off Formosa, ''Hancock''{{'}}s antiaircraft fire brought down another raider which crashed about {{convert|500|yd|m|abbr=on}} off her flight deck.

As the American ships withdrew a heavy force of Japanese aircraft approached American naval power. One dropped a bomb off ''Hancock''{{'}}s port bow a few seconds before being hit by the carrier's guns and crashing into the sea. Another bomb penetrated a gun platform but exploded harmlessly in the water. The task force was thereafter unmolested as they sailed toward the Philippines to support the landings at Leyte.<ref name="DANFS" />

On 18 October, she launched planes against airfields and shipping at [[Laoag City|Laoag]], [[Aparri, Cagayan|Aparri]], and [[Babuyan Islands|Camiguin Island]] in Northern [[Luzon]]. Her planes struck the islands of [[Cebu Island|Cebu]], [[Panay]], [[Negros Island|Negros]], and [[Masbate]], pounding enemy airfields and shipping. The next day, she retired toward Ulithi with Vice Admiral [[John S. McCain, Sr.]]'s [[Task Group 38.1|TG 38.1]].<ref name="DANFS" />

She received orders on 23 October to turn back to the area off [[Samar (island)|Samar]] to assist in the search for units of the Japanese fleet reportedly closing Leyte to challenge the American fleet, and to destroy amphibious forces which were struggling to take the island from Japan. ''Hancock'' did not reach Samar in time to assist the [[escort carrier]]s and [[destroyer]]s of "[[Taffy 3]]" during the main action of the [[Battle off Samar]], but her planes did manage to attack the fleeing [[Leyte Gulf order of battle#Japanese Forces 2|Japanese Center Force]] as it passed through the [[San Bernardino Strait]]. ''Hancock'' then rejoined Rear Admiral Bogan's Task Group with which she struck airfields and shipping in the vicinity of [[Manila]] on 29 October 1944. During operations through 19 November, her planes gave direct support to advancing Army troops and attacked Japanese shipping over a {{convert|350|mi|km|adj=on|abbr=on}} area. She became [[flagship]] of the Fast Carrier Task Force (TF&nbsp;38) on 17 November 1944 when Admiral McCain came on board.<ref name="DANFS" />

Unfavorable weather prevented operations until 25 November, when a ''kamikaze'' roared toward ''Hancock'', diving out of the sun. [[Antiaircraft]] fire destroyed the plane some {{convert|300|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}} above the ship, but a section of its fuselage landed amidships, and a part of the wing hit the flight deck and burst into flames. The blaze was quickly extinguished without serious damage.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:USS Hancock (CV-19) hit by kamikaze 1945.jpg|thumb|''Hancock'' being hit by a ''kamikaze'']]

''Hancock'' returned to Ulithi on 27 November and departed from that island with her task group to maintain air patrol over enemy airfields on Luzon to prevent ''kamikazes'' from attacking amphibious vessels of the landing force in [[Mindoro]]. The first strikes were launched on 14 December against [[Clark Air Base|Clark]] and [[Angeles City]] Airfields as well as enemy ground targets on Salvador Island. The next day her planes struck installations at [[Masinloc]], [[San Fernando City, Pampanga|San Fernando]], and [[Cabanatuan]], while fighter patrols kept the Japanese airmen down. Her planes also attacked shipping in [[Manila Bay]].<ref name="DANFS" />

''Hancock'' encountered [[Typhoon Cobra]] on 17 December 1944, in waves which broke over her [[flight deck]], some {{convert|55|ft|m|-1|abbr=on}} above her [[waterline]]. She put into Ulithi 24 December and got underway six days later to [[South China Sea raid|attack airfields and shipping]] around the [[South China Sea]]. Her planes struck at Luzon airfields on 7–8 January 1945 and turned their attention back to Formosa on 9 January, hitting airfields and the Toko Seaplane Station.[http://ww2db.com/image.php?image_id=21161] An enemy convoy north of [[Camranh Bay]], [[Indochina]] was the next target, with two ships sunk and 11&nbsp;damaged. That afternoon ''Hancock'' launched strikes against airfields at [[Saigon]] and shipping on the northeastern bulge of [[French Indochina]]. Strikes by the fast and mobile carrier force continued through 16 January, hitting [[Hainan Island]] in the [[Gulf of Tonkin]], the [[Pescadores Islands]], and shipping in the harbor of Hong Kong. Raids against Formosa were resumed on 20 January. The next afternoon one of her planes returning from a [[sortie]] made a normal landing, taxied to a point abreast of the island, and disintegrated in a blinding explosion which killed 50&nbsp;men and injured 75&nbsp;others. Again outstanding work quickly brought the fires under control in time to land other planes which were still aloft. She returned to formation and launched strikes against Okinawa the next morning. ''Hancock'' reached Ulithi on 25 January, where Admiral McCain left the ship and relinquished command of the [[United States Fifth Fleet|5th Fleet]].<ref name="DANFS" />

====Iwo Jima and Okinawa====
{{main|Battle of Iwo Jima|Battle of Okinawa}}

She sortied with the ships of her task group on 10 February and launched strikes against airfields in the vicinity of Tokyo on 16 February. On that day, her air group, Air Group&nbsp;80, downed 71 enemy planes and accounted for 12&nbsp;more the next. Her planes hit the enemy [[naval base]]s at [[Chichi Jima]] and [[Haha Jima]] on 19 February, as part of a raid to isolate [[Iwo Jima]] from air and sea support during American landing. ''Hancock'' took station off this island to provide tactical support through 22 February, hitting enemy airfields and strafing Japanese troops ashore.<ref name="DANFS" />

Returning to waters off the Japanese home islands, ''Hancock'' launched her planes against targets on northern [[Honshū]], making a diversionary raid on the [[Nansei-shoto]] islands on 1 March before returning to Ulithi on 4 March 1945.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:USS Hancock (CV-19) recovers a Grumman F6F Hellcat, circa in 1944 (80-G-K-1929-A).jpg|thumb|1944 color photo of a [[Grumman F6F Hellcat]] landing]]

Back in Japanese waters, ''Hancock'' joined other carriers in strikes against [[Kyūshū]] airfields, southwestern Honshū and shipping in the [[Seto Inland Sea|Inland Sea]] of Japan on 18 March. ''Hancock'' was refueling the destroyer {{USS|Halsey Powell|DD-686|2}} on 20 March when ''kamikazes'' attacked the task force. One plane dove for the two ships but was disintegrated by gunfire when about {{convert|700|ft|m|abbr=on}} overhead. Fragments of the plane hit ''Hancock''{{'}}s deck while its engine and bomb crashed the [[fantail (ship)|fantail]] of the destroyer. ''Hancock''{{'}}s gunners shot down another plane as it neared the release point of its bombing run on the carrier.<ref name="DANFS" />

''Hancock'' was reassigned to Carrier [[Task Group 58.3|TG 58.3]] with which she struck the Nansei-shoto islands from 23 to 27 March and [[Minami Daito, Okinawa|Minami Daito Island]] and Kyūshū at the end of the month.<ref name="DANFS" />

''Hancock''  provided [[close air support]] for the landing of the [[US Tenth Army|US 10th Army]] on the western coast of Okinawa on 1 April,. On 7 April a ''kamikaze'' struck her flight deck and hitting a group of planes while its bomb hit the port [[catapult]];  62&nbsp;men were killed and a further 71&nbsp;wounded but the fires were put out within half an hour and she was back in action inside an hour.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:SB2C-3 from USS Hancock (CV-19) off Iwo Jima.jpg|right|thumb|[[Curtiss SB2C Helldiver|Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldiver]] from ''Hancock'' off Iwo Jima]]

''Hancock'' was detached from her task group on 9 April and steamed to Pearl Harbor for repairs. She sailed back into action 13 June and attacked [[Wake Island]] on 20 June en route to the Philippines. ''Hancock'' sailed from [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]] with the other carriers on 1 July and attacked Tokyo airfields on 10 July. She continued to operate in Japanese waters until she received confirmation of Japan's capitulation on 15 August 1945 when she recalled her planes from their deadly missions before they reached their targets. However planes of her photo division were attacked by seven enemy aircraft over [[Sagami Wan]]. Three were shot down and a fourth escaped in a trail of smoke. Later that afternoon planes of ''Hancock''{{'}}s air patrol shot down a Japanese [[torpedo plane]] as it dived on a British task force. Her planes flew missions over Japan in search of [[internment|prison camp]]s, dropping supplies and medicine, on 25 August. Information collected during these flights led to landings under command of Commodore R.&nbsp;W. Simpson which brought doctors and supplies to all Allied [[prisoner of war]] encampments.<ref name="DANFS" />

====End of the war====
When the formal [[Surrender of Japan|surrender of the Japanese government]] was signed on board battleship {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}}, ''Hancock''{{'}}s planes flew overhead. The carrier entered [[Tokyo Bay]] on 10 September 1945 and sailed on 30 September embarking 1,500&nbsp;passengers at Okinawa for transportation to [[San Pedro, California]], where she arrived on 21 October. ''Hancock'' was fitted out for [[Operation Magic Carpet]] duty at San&nbsp;Pedro and sailed for [[Seeadler Harbor]], [[Manus Island|Manus]], [[Admiralty Islands]] on 2 November. On her return voyage, she carried 4,000 passengers who were debarked at San&nbsp;Diego on 4 December. A week later ''Hancock'' departed for her second ''Magic Carpet'' voyage, embarking 3,773 passengers at Manila for return to [[Alameda, California]], on 20 January 1946. She embarked [[Air Group 7]] at San&nbsp;Diego on 18 February for air operations off the coast of California. She sailed from San&nbsp;Diego on 11 March to embark men of two air groups and aircraft at Pearl Harbor for transportation to [[Saipan]], arriving on 1 April. After receiving two other air groups on board at Saipan, she loaded a cargo of aircraft at [[Guam]] and steamed by way of Pearl Harbor to Alameda, arriving on 23 April. She then steamed to [[Seattle, Washington]], on 29 April to await inactivation. The ship was decommissioned and entered the [[reserve fleet]] at [[Bremerton, Washington]].<ref name="DANFS" />

===Postwar career===
[[File:USS Hancock (CVA-19) Mar 1954.jpg|thumb|''Hancock'' after completion of the [[SCB-27]]C modernization, 1954]]

''Hancock'' commenced the [[SCB-27]]C conversion and modernization to an [[attack aircraft carrier]] in [[Puget Sound]] 15 December 1951 and was reclassified '''CVA-19''' on 1 October 1952. She recommissioned on 15 February 1954, Captain W.&nbsp;S. Butts in command. She was the first carrier of the United States Fleet with [[steam catapult]]s capable of launching high-performance [[Jet aircraft|jets]].<ref name="DANFS" /> The modernization cost $60 million (${{Formatprice|{{inflation|USD|60000000|1954}}}} today).<ref>{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=860&dat=19540430&id=L2cKAAAAIBAJ&pg=3551,1668019 |title= Carrier Conversion Finished at Bremerton |author= UPI |location= [[Ellensburg, Washington]] |newspaper= Daily Record |date=30 April 1954}}</ref> She was off San Diego on 7 May 1954 for operations along the coast of California that included 17 June launching of the first aircraft to take off a United States carrier by means of a steam catapult. After a year of operations along the Pacific coast that included testing of [[AIM-7 Sparrow|Sparrow I]] and [[Regulus missile]]s and [[Vought Cutlass|Cutlass]] jet aircraft, she sailed on 10 August 1955 for [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] operations ranging from the shores of Japan to the Philippines and Okinawa.

She returned to San&nbsp;Diego on 15 March 1956 and decommissioned on 13 April for her [[SCB-125]] conversion that included the installation of an [[angled flight deck]].<ref name="DANFS" /> ''Hancock'' recommissioned on 15 November 1956 for training out of San Diego until 6 April 1957, when she again sailed for Hawaii and the Far East. She returned to San&nbsp;Diego on 18 September 1957 and again departed for Japan on 15 February 1958. She was a unit of powerful carrier task groups taking station off Taiwan when the [[Nationalist Chinese]] islands of [[Quemoy]] and [[Matsu Islands|Matsu]] were threatened with Communist invasion in August 1958.<ref name="DANFS" /> The carrier returned to San Francisco on 2 October for overhaul in the [[San Francisco Naval Shipyard]], followed by rigorous at-sea training out of San&nbsp;Francisco. On 1 August 1959, she sailed to reinforce the 7th Fleet as troubles in [[Laos]] demanded the watchful presence of powerful American forces in water off southeast Asia. She returned to San Francisco on 18 January 1960 and put to sea early in February to participate in the [[Communication Moon Relay]] project, a new demonstration of communications by reflecting [[ultra high frequency|ultra-high frequency]] waves off the [[moon]]. She again departed in August to steam with the 7th Fleet in waters off Laos until lessening of tension in that area permitted operations ranging from Japan to the Philippines.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:Moon Relay.jpg|thumb|Photo of ''Hancock'' on a facsimile transmitted from Honolulu to Washington D.C. via the moon in 1960]]

''Hancock'' returned to San Francisco in March 1961, then entered the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]] for an [[wikt:overhaul|overhaul]] that gave her new electronics gear and many other improvements. She again set sail for Far Eastern waters on 2 February 1962, patrolling in the South China Sea as crisis and strife mounted both in Laos and in [[South Vietnam]]. She again appeared off Quemoy and Matsu in June to stem a threatened Communist invasion there, then trained along the coast of Japan and in waters reaching to Okinawa. She returned to San Francisco on 7 October, made a brief cruise to the coast of Hawaii while qualifying pilots then again sailed on 7 June 1963 for the Far East.<ref name="DANFS" />

''Hancock'' joined in combined defense exercises along the coast of [[South Korea]], then deployed off the coast of South Vietnam after the coup which resulted in the death of [[President Diem]]. She entered the [[Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard]] on 16 January 1964 for modernization that included installation of a new [[Weapon|ordnance]] system, hull repairs, and aluminum decking for her flight deck.<ref name="DANFS" /> She celebrated her 20th birthday on 2 June while visiting San&nbsp;Diego. The carrier made a training cruise to Hawaii, then departed Alameda on 21 October for another tour of duty with the 7th Fleet in the Far East.<ref name="DANFS" />

===Vietnam War===
[[File:USS Hancock (CVA-19) plus carriers at San Diego 1970.jpg|thumb|''Hancock'' at San Diego in 1970; moored behind are (l-r) {{USS|Midway|CV-41|2}}, {{USS|Kitty Hawk|CV-63|2}} and {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|2}}]]
{{main|Vietnam War}}

''Hancock'' reached Japan on 19 November and soon was on patrol at [[Yankee Station]] in the Gulf of Tonkin. She remained active in Vietnamese waters until heading for home early in the spring of 1965.<ref name="DANFS"/> November found the carrier steaming back to the war zone. She was on patrol off Vietnam on 16 December; and, but for brief respites at Hong Kong, the Philippines, or Japan, ''Hancock'' remained on station launching her planes for strikes at enemy positions ashore until returning to Alameda on 1 August 1966. Her outstanding record during this combat tour won her the [[Navy Unit Commendation]].<ref name="DANFS"/>

Following operations off the West Coast, ''Hancock'' returned to Vietnam early in 1967 and resumed her strikes against Communist positions. After fighting during most of the first half of 1967, she returned to Alameda on 22 July and promptly began preparations for returning to battle.<ref name="DANFS"/>

In the summer of 1969, she was back in Alameda preparing for yet another deployment to southeast Asia. In July, while in pre-deployment night landing exercises, an [[Vought F-8 Crusader|F-8]] came in too low and crashed into the round-down splitting the aircraft into two pieces which hurtled down the deck and erupted in a massive fuel-fed fire. While there were no deaths, damage to the flight deck was extensive, resulting in a frenetic 24&nbsp;×&nbsp;7 repair effort to be ready by the deployment date.{{citation needed|date=August 2014|reason=Paragraph is not in DANFS or other cited source}}

Aircraft from ''Hancock'', along with those from {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|6}} and {{USS|Oriskany|CV-34|6}}, joined with other planes for air strikes against North Vietnamese missile and antiaircraft sites south of the [[19th parallel north|19th parallel]] in response to attacks on unarmed U.S. reconnaissance aircraft on 21–22 November 1970 (Operation Freedom Bait). ''Hancock'' alternated with ''Ranger'' and {{USS|Kitty Hawk|CV-63|2}} on Yankee Station until 10 May 1971, when she was relieved by {{USS|Midway|CV-41|2}}.<ref name="DANFS" />

[[File:USS Hancock (CVA-19) with HMH-463 on deck 1975.jpg|thumb|''Hancock'' as an ad hoc helicopter carrier off Vietnam, April 1975]]

''Hancock'', along with {{USS|Coral Sea|CV-43|6}}, was back on Yankee Station by 30 March 1972 when [[Easter Offensive|North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam]]. In response to the invasion, Naval aircraft from ''Hancock'' and other carriers flew tactical sorties during [[Operation Freedom Train]] against military and logistics targets in the southern part of North Vietnam. By the end of April, the strikes covered more areas in North Vietnam throughout the area below 20°25′&nbsp;N. From 25 to 30 April 1972, aircraft from ''Hancock''{{'}}s [[VA-55 (U.S. Navy)|VA-55]], [[VA-164 (U.S. Navy)|VA-164]], [[VFA-211 (U.S. Navy)|VF-211]] and [[VA-212 (U.S. Navy)|VA-212]]<ref>{{cite book |url= http://www.history.navy.mil/download/va210873.pdf |title= Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons—Volume I |chapter= VA-212 |page= 273 }}</ref> struck enemy-held territory around [[Kontum]] and [[Pleiku]].<ref name="DANFS" />

On 17 March 1975 ''Hancock'' was ordered to offload her air wing. On arrival at Subic Bay, she offloaded CAG 21.<ref name=Dunham>{{cite book|last=Dunham|first=George R|title=U.S. Marines in Vietnam: The Bitter End, 1973–1975 (Marine Corps Vietnam Operational Historical Series)|publisher=Marine Corps Association|year=1990|url=https://archive.org/details/TheBitterEnd|isbn=978-0-16-026455-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/TheBitterEnd/page/n118 108]}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> On 26 March, Marine Heavy Lift Helicopter Squadron [[HMH-463]] comprising 25 [[Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion|CH-53]], [[Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight|CH-46]], [[Bell AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1J]] and [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois variants#UH-1E|UH-1E]] helicopters embarked on ''Hancock'' and then proceeded to [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay]] to offload the other half of CAG 21.<ref name=Dunham/> After taking on more helicopters at Subic Bay, ''Hancock'' was temporarily assigned to Amphibious Ready Group Bravo, standing by off [[Vung Tau]], South Vietnam, but on 11 April she joined [[Amphibious Ready Group Alpha]] in the Gulf of Thailand.<ref name=Dunham/>{{rp|110}} ''Hancock'' then took part in [[Operation Eagle Pull]], the evacuation of Phnom Penh on 12 April 1975 and [[Operation Frequent Wind]], the evacuation of Saigon on 29–30 April 1975.<ref>[http://www.history.navy.mil/seairland/chap5.htm By Sea, Air and Land: An Illustrated History of the U.S. Navy and the war in Southeast Asia Chapter 5: The Final Curtain, 1973–1975]{{PD-notice}}</ref> From 12 to 14 May, she was alerted, although not utilized, for the [[Mayagüez incident|recovery of SS ''Mayagüez'']], a US&nbsp;merchantman with 39&nbsp;crew, seized in international waters on 12 May by the Communist [[Khmer Rouge]].<ref name="DANFS" />

===Decommissioning===
''Hancock'' was decommissioned on 30 January 1976. She was stricken from the Navy list the following day,<ref group="Note">But the [[Naval Vessel Register]] says a month earlier; {{cite web
 | url= {{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CV19}}
 | title= ''Hancock'' (CV 19)
 |date= 28 December 2001 |work= NVR |publisher= [[NAVSEA]] Shipbuilding Support Office (NAVSHIPSO)
 | access-date= 2010-07-09 }}</ref> and sold for scrap by the [[Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service]] (DRMS) on 1 September 1976.<ref name="DANFS" /> By January 1977, ex-''Hancock'' was being scrapped in Los Angeles harbor and artifacts were being sold to former crew members and the general public, including items ranging from portholes to the anchor chain. The Associated Press noted that some of the scrap metal from the World War II-serving aircraft carrier would ironically be sold to Japan to manufacture automobiles.<ref name="Mementos">{{cite news |url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19770106&id=8T8sAAAAIBAJ&pg=2548,1045999 |title= Fighting Hanna's Former Crewmen Getting Mementos |agency= Associated Press|newspaper= Herald-Journal |location= [[Spartanburg, South Carolina]] |date= 6 January 1977}}</ref>

==Awards==
''Hancock'' was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and received four [[battle star]]s on the [[Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal]] for service in World War II.<ref name="DANFS" /> She also earned 13 battle stars for service in Vietnam.

According to the US Navy Unit Awards website, ''Hancock'' and her crew received the following awards, in approximately chronological order:
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for seven different time periods in World War II<ref name="Awards Site">{{cite web |url= https://awards.navy.mil/awards/webbas01.nsf/(vwWebPage)/home.htm?OpenDocument |title= The official U.S. Navy awards site |website= US Navy |access-date= 2014-08-31 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150515120005/https://awards.navy.mil/awards/webbas01.nsf/(vwWebPage)/home.htm?OpenDocument |archive-date= 15 May 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] for [[Second Taiwan Strait Crisis|Taiwan Straits]] from 26 August 1958 to 7 September 1958<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] for [[Quemoy]]-[[Matsu Islands|Matsu]] from 14 September 1959 to 17 September 1959<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] for Vietnam for five time periods that fell between 1 July 58 and 3 July 65<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] for Korea for four time periods between 1 October 66 and 3 June 74<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for service 6 December 1965 to 25 July 1966<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for service 1 August 1968 to 22 February 1969<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] for service from 21 August 1969 to 31 March 1970<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] for service from 20 November 1970 to 7 May 1971<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] for service from 8 February 1972 to 14 September 1972<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Vietnam Service Medal]] and [[Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)#Unit Award|Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation]] for numerous time periods during the Vietnam war<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Operation Eagle Pull]] - 12 April 1975
** [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]<ref name="Awards Site" />
** [[Humanitarian Service Medal]]<ref name="Awards Site" />
** [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]]<ref name="Awards Site" />
* [[Operation Frequent Wind]] - 29 to 30 April 1975
** [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]<ref name="Awards Site" />
** [[Humanitarian Service Medal]]<ref name="Awards Site" />
** [[Navy Unit Commendation]]<ref name="Awards Site" />

''Hancock'' was also awarded:
* [[American Campaign Medal]]
* [[World War II Victory Medal]]
* [[Navy Occupation Medal]]
* [[National Defense Service Medal]] (2nd)
* [[Sea Service Ribbon]]

== Gallery ==
<gallery class="center" mode="nolines">
File:USS Hancock (CV-19) underway at sea, circa in 1944.jpg|''Hancock'' in dazzle camouflage 1944
File:Moving rockets aboard USS Hancock (CV-19), October 1944.jpg|Moving rockets aboard ''Hancock'' on 12 October 1944
File:USS Hancock (CVA-19) in San Francisco Bay in September 1957 (2).jpg|''Hancock'' in [[San Francisco Bay]] in September 1957
File:5in gun firing on USS Hancock (CVA-19) in 1957.jpg|''Hancock''<nowiki/>'s [[5-inch/38-caliber gun|5-inch gun]] firing in 1957
File:Douglas A-4A USS Hancock CVA-19 1958.jpg|[[A-4 Skyhawk]] aboard ''Hancock'' in 1958
File:Aerial view of USS Hancock (CVA-19), in 1962.jpg|''Hancock'' in 1962
File:F-8J of VF-24 approaching USS Hancock (CV-19) in 1975.jpg|[[Vought F-8 Crusader|F-8J Crusader]] landing on ''Hancock'' in 1975
File:SH-3G of HC-1 flies near USS Hancock (CV-19) 1975.jpg|[[Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King|SH-3G Sea King]] with ''Hancock'' in 1975
File:USS Hancock (CVA-19) returning from Frequent Wind 1975.jpg|''Hancock'' returning from [[Operation Frequent Wind|Frequent Wind]], 1975
</gallery>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=Note}}

==References==
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/hancock-iv.html}}
*{{Naval Vessel Register|{{Naval Vessel Register URL|id=CV19}}}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Hancock (CV-19)}}
* [http://www.navy.mil/navydata/nav_legacy.asp?id=36 US Navy Legacy - USS ''Hancock'' (CV-19)] from Dictionary of American Fighting Ships and United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995.
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/19.htm navsource.org - USS ''Hancock'' (CV-19)]
* [https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/hancock-iv.html USS ''Hancock'' pictures from the U.S. Naval History Center]

{{Essex class aircraft carrier|state=expanded}}
{{John Hancock}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hancock (CV-19)}}
[[Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War aircraft carriers of the United States]]