National Museum of the U.S. Navy

1944:  May 29:   Loss of USS Block Island (CVE-21)

On May 29, 1944, German U-boat, U-549, torpedoed and sank USS Block Island (CVE-21) west-northwest of the Canary Islands.  USS Barr (DE-576) was also damaged in this attack.   Block Island was the only U.S. carrier lost in the Atlantic during World War II.   Later that night, USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE-686) and USS Ahrens (DE-575) revenged the attack and sank the German submarine south-west of Madiera, Portugal.   The only success U-549 had during her war patrols was with the two Navy warships on May 29.   

Image:  80-G-49302:  Loss of USS Block Island (CVE-21), May 29, 1944.  Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.