CVE-65 was initially named Dolomi Bay for a bay on the southeast coast of Prince of Wales Island, Alexander Archipelago, Alaska (NS0306505).

Renamed Wake Island, 3 April 1943, after an atoll in the northern Pacific, consisting of three islands (Wake, Peale, and Wilkes) which became an American advanced base in 1941 (NS0306505a). At the time of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 (8 December on Wake), all naval activities at the atoll were under CDR Winfield S. Cunningham, United States Navy; under his overall command were the 13 officers and 365 enlisted men of the 1st Defense Battalion, United States Marine Corps, commanded by Maj. James P.S. Devereaux, United States Marine Corps, whose heaviest guns were 5-inch/51-caliber rifles once mounted in old battleships. A Marine fighter squadron, dispatched at the "eleventh hour," reached Wake only a few days before the Japanese attack; that unit, consisting of 12 Grumman F4F-3 Wildcat fighters from Marine Fighter Squadron (VMF) 211, was commanded by Maj. Paul A. Putnam, USMC. Also on Wake were 1,000 civilian construction workers employed by Contractors, Pacific, Naval Air Bases, and a small Army communication detachment.

Although the atoll went to general quarters upon hearing of the Pearl Harbor attack, a combination of a lack of radar, loud surf noises (which made sound-detectors practically useless), and heavy cloud cover rendered it possible for the Japanese to achieve a surprise attack shortly before noon on 8 December. Twenty-seven planes emerged from the low-hanging clouds and bombed and strafed the airfield, destroying seven of VMF-211's F4F-3s and killing or wounding 62 percent of the aviation personnel on the island.

Over the next two weeks, the Japanese bombed Wake almost incessantly, softening up the atoll for invasion. The first attempt met with failure on 11 December, when shore batteries and VMF-211's remaining F4F-3s sank two Japanese destroyers, Kisaragi and Hayate.

The setback suffered on 11 December forced the Japanese to bring up reinforcements, including two of the homeward-bound Pearl Harbor striking force carriers, and carrier-based planes began hitting the atoll on 21 December. The following day, the last two flyable Wildcats (there had never been more than four operational over the two-week defense of Wake) went up to do battle with Japanese. One crippled Wildcat returned, so badly shot-up that it was un-useable.

With the aviation element now disposed of, the Japanese felt confident that they could land. Accordingly, at 0200 on 23 December 1941, the enemy managed to establish a beachhead, running two old destroyer-transports ashore in the process under heavy gunfire. After bitter fighting, the men of the Japanese Special Naval Landing Force managed to overcome the defending Marines but not without sustaining heavy casualties. Wilkes was the last island to surrender, on the afternoon of the 23rd.

NS0306505b: Imperial Japanese Navy destroyer Hayate running trials, circa 1925. Hayate was sunk during the Battle of Wake Island, on 11 December 1941, the first Japanese surface warship sunk in the war; only one man of her crew was rescued.

(Maps NS0306505 and NS0306505a courtesy of Google Maps. Photo NS0306505b from History of Japanese Destroyers, published by Kaigunsha.)

Diagram of Wake Island, February 1942.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-466235.

Christening of the future USS Wake Island (CVE-65), Wednesday, 15 September 1943. Her sponsor was Fanny Jessop Sherman, wife of then RADM Frederick C. Sherman, Commander, Carrier Division 2, who had been the commanding officer of USS Lexington (CV-2), sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Press photo.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 9 November 1944. Photographed from a plane based at Naval Air Station, Norfolk, Virginia. The ship is painted in Camouflage Measure 33, Design 10A.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, from the collections of the Naval History and Heritage Command (NH&HC), # NH 106569.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway in Hampton Roads, Virginia, 9 November 1944.

National Archives photo (# 80-G-289882).

The escort carrier USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway on 9 November 1944. Note the HF/DF mast for North Atlantic ASW and the flat hangar deck, indicated by the straight line of the outboard sponsons. The prominent hangar-deck sponsons were used primarily for refueling at sea, CVEs carrying substantial loads of cargo oil for destroyers and destroyer escorts. USN photo.

Photo and text from U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History, by Norman Friedman.

Port broadside view of USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area, 9 November 1944. Photographed by N.A.S. Norfolk.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo (# 80-G-289879).

Cropped version of photo above, colorized by Yu Chu.

Overhead port bow view of USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area, 9 November 1944. Photographed by N.A.S. Norfolk.

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo (# 80-G-289880).

USS Wake Island (CVE-65) at Norfolk on 9 November 1944, wearing Camouflage 33/10A. The colors are navy blue, haze gray and pale gray. This photo was taken by NAS Norfolk.

United States National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), Photo No. 80-G-289876.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65), head-on, Norfolk Navy Yard, Photo Serial 8868(44), Nov. 9, 1944.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65), stern, Norfolk Navy Yard, Photo Serial 8872(44), Nov. 9, 1944.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway with Task Group 77.4, en route to the Lingayen Gulf landings, 5 January 1945. Photographed from USS Makin Island (CVE-93). Note high frequency direction finder (HFDF) antenna atop her small foremast.

Camouflage Measure 33, Design 10A (thanks to Aryeh Wetherhorn).

National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo (# 80-G-301306).

Kamikaze attack on USS Helm (DD-388). Plane was shot down and crashed into sea. Portside of ship, off Luzon, Philippines, approximately 17:15. Photograph by USS Wake Island (CVE-65), released 5 January 1945.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), # 80-G-273082.

Four-photo series showing a Japanese plane going down off Okinawa while attempting to attack USS Wake Island (CVE-65), 3 April 1945, during the Okinawa Campaign. This Zero is possibly one of the two that attacked the escort carrier on that date. Photographs taken from USS Tulagi (CVE-72) by Photographer's Mate First Class C.G. Gemmil.

NS0306508: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo # 80-G-339259. First photo in series.

NS0306508a: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo # 80-G-339260. Second photo in series.

NS0306508b: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo # 80-G-339261. Third photo in series.

NS0306508c: National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) photo # 80-G-339262. Fourth photo in series.

NS0306508c1: Same as NS0306508c, colorized by Yu Chu.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65) underway, in a photo dated 24 June 1945. The escort aircraft carrier had been detached "from TG 32.1 due to battle damage received on 3 April [(kamikaze)] and a subsequent finding by the Bureau of Ships that 'pending yardwork, this vessel is considered unsafe for operations in a forward area.' She headed for Guam and conducted firing practices and launched LASP sorties en route. Upon her arrival at Port Apra on 24 June, all personnel of squadron VOC-1 were transferred to Naval Air Base, Agana." (Quoted from DANFS.)

National Naval Aviation Museum Photo, No.1996.488.034.016. Robert L. Lawson Photograph Collection.

USS Wake Island (CVE-65) patch.