USS "Santee" (CVE-29) (originally launched as AO-29, then ACV-29) was an American escort carrier. The second ship with this name, it was launched on 4 March 1939 as "Esso Seakay" under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 3) by the Sun Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company at Chester, Pennsylvania, sponsored by Mrs. Charles Kurz. It was acquired by the United States Navy on 18 October 1940 and commissioned on 30 October 1940 as AO-29, with Commander William G. B. Hatch in command.