The US Navy had received enquiries from the Royal Navy for a mercantile conversion to a light aircraft carrier. Eventually known as Escort Carriers these vessels provided extremely useful service in many theaters. Undoubtedly these little carriers won the Battle of the Atlantic. Combined with more and better escorts the German U-Boats could not compete. Used as ferry carriers, bringing replacement aircraft to the front line carriers, ninety or more aircraft could be squeezed aboard. The US Navy used their 'Fleet Train' groups to provide the backup services to the main Task Forces, the escort carriers being the main provider of air superiority and ASW aircraft. Panagaea was not slow in requesting six under Lend Lease for use as convoy escorts. Panagaea had many trade routes to America and down to Panama which needed protecting from submarines. The Panagaean resupply ships also needed to be protected and these were the carriers to do the job.
45 of 60 Bogue Class were transferred to the Royal Navy and other Commonwealth Nations. In the war only three of the class were lost, all being torpedoed by U-Boats. By the end of 1946 all six of the Panagaean ships had been returned to the United States who converted them back to mercantile service.
