USS Charger (CVE-30) underway circa 1942, location unknown.

USS Charger (CVE-30) at anchor circa 1942, location unknown.

Photo from Navy Yearbook, ed. by Phillip Andrews and Leonard Engel; Duell, Sloan and Pearce, 1944.

USS Charger (CVE-30) in Measure 22 camouflage scheme is being maneuvered by tugs, 24 September 1942, at an unknown Chesapeake Bay location. Except for two aircraft ferrying operations in October 1942 and September 1945, the ship's basic WW2 task was that of training pilots and ships' crews in carrier operations, in Chesapeake Bay.

USS Charger underway in 1943. For most of her career she was camouflaged in Measure 22, the graded system. Measure 22, introduced in June 1942, was intended for use in areas where bright weather and fair visibility predominated.

Hull, from boot-topping to the lowest point of the main deck edge, was painted navy blue; the upper edge of this band was parallel to the horizon. Vertical surfaces above this blue band were painted haze gray. Flight deck was stained deck blue.

Photo by Edward L. Walger PH2 USN, 1942-1945.

Official USN photo, taken in January 1944 but otherwise very similar to NS0303004, above.

A Grumman F6F Hellcat that came in too low... 1943.

Photo by Edward L. Walger PH2 USN, 1942-1945.

Charger & Long Island-class . From U.S. Naval Ships & Aircraft (ONI 54-R), condensed and printed for FM 30-50, NAVAER 00-80V-57 (Recognition Pictorial Manual of Naval Vessels). Supplement 4 - 4 August 1943.

Photos show HMS Archer, HMS Biter and USS Charger.

As above. Bottom photos show USS Long Island (AVG/ACV/CVE-1).

USS Charger (CVE-30) underway in January 1944, showing a very basic radar fit: SC-2 air search and the smaller SG surface search antenna below it; at the masthead is the YE aircraft homing beacon.

USS Charger anchored in Hampton Roads, 1944.

The island was built out over the side of the ship, to entirely clear the flight deck, and was not supported by the hull or the hangar side, thus requiring dedicated supports (one of them clearly visible under the island structure). Charger was armed with a single 5"/51 gun, aft, and two single 3"/50s forward (visible here); a light battery of .50-cal machine guns was initially planned, but, as shown, 20-mm machine cannon were mounted instead.

The "X" superimposed on the ship's hull number, aft, indicated that the flight deck was not usable for landings.

Photo by Edward L. Walger PH2 USN, 1942-1945.

An FM-2 Wildcat fighter prepares to take off from USS Charger (CVE-30) during training operations in the Chesapeake Bay area, 8 May 1944. Another FM-2 is passing overhead with its tail hook down, apparently having received a "wave-off" due to the carrier's fouled flight deck. Note the light Atlantic area paint schemes worn by these planes.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (# 80-G-K-1601).

A Grumman F4F Wildcat landing aboard Charger. Taken from a Coast Guard cutter in October 1944.

Photo by Edward L. Walger PH2 USN, 1942-1945.

Two performances by the ship's band.

According to my information, the Fairsea was the former escort carrier Charger (BAVG-4), later re-numbered the AVG-30, finally the CVE-30. She was sold to Italian interests in 1949, received the name Fairsea and was converted to a passenger liner. She was then engaged for many years in carrying emigrants from the U.K. to Australia. In January 1969 she suffered a major engine breakdown and fire off Balboa, Panama and was towed to Balboa. Sold to Italian breakers, she was towed to La Spezia (Italy) where she was broken up in 1969.

Photo from an out-of-print book on passenger ships published in 1965.