USS Wasp (CV-7) was a United States Navy aircraft carrier commissioned in 1940 and lost in action in 1942. She was the eighth ship named USS Wasp, and the sole ship of a class built to use up the remaining tonnage allowed to the U.S. for aircraft carriers under the treaties of the time.

USS Wasp (CV-7)

U.S. Navy Grumman F4F-4 Wildcat from Fighting Squadron 71 (VF-71) and Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vc of No. 603 Squadron RAF on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) on 19 April 1942. Having landed her torpedo planes and dive bombers at Hatson in Orkney (UK), Wasp had loaded 47 Spitfires of No. 603 Squadron at Glasgow on 13 April, then departed on the 14th for "Operation Calendar". Wasp and her consorts passed through the Straits of Gibraltar under cover of the pre-dawn darkness on 19 April. At 04:00 hrs on 20 April, Wasp spotted 11 Wildcats on her deck and launched them to form a combat air patrol. Meanwhile, the Spitfires were warming up their engines and later launched for Malta. When the launch was complete, Wasp retired toward Gibraltar.

As a reduced-size version of the Yorktown-class aircraft carrier hull, Wasp was more vulnerable than other United States aircraft carriers available at the opening of hostilities. Wasp was initially employed in the Atlantic campaign, where Axis naval forces were perceived as less capable of inflicting decisive damage. After supporting the occupation of Iceland in 1941, Wasp joined the British Home Fleet in April 1942 and twice ferried British fighter aircraft to Malta.

Wasp was then transferred to the Pacific in June 1942 to replace losses at the battles of Coral Sea and Midway. After supporting the invasion of Guadalcanal, Wasp was hit by three torpedoes from Japanese submarine I-19 on 15 September 1942. The resulting damage set off several explosions, destroyed her water-mains and knocked out the ship's power. As a result, her damage-control teams were unable to contain the ensuing fires that blazed out of control. She was abandoned and scuttled by torpedoes fired from USS Lansdowne later that evening. Her wreck was found in early 2019.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wasp_(CV-7)