USS Sicily, a 10,900-ton Commencement Bay class escort aircraft carrier built at Tacoma, Washington, was commissioned in February 1946. After shaking down along the west coast, the new ship served with the Atlantic Fleet until April 1950, when she returned to the Pacific. On the outbreak of the Korean War in late June 1950, Sicily was quickly sent the the Western Pacific to provide anti-submarine air coverage, but soon embarked Marine Corps aircraft to support combat forces ashore. Over the next few months, her planes were active in the defense of the Pusan Perimeter and in the Inchon landings. In October and November, she reverted to the anti-submarine mission, but beginning in December again operated Marine planes to help counter the intense Chinese offensive that so changed the war in late 1950. Sicily's first Korean tour ended early in 1951, but she made two more deployments to the combat zone, one in May-October 1951 and the second in May-December 1952. During the latter cruise, she temporarily operated Marine helicopters in early experiments with sea-based vertical envelopment techniques. In July 1953, as the war was nearing an end, Sicily returned to the Western Pacific, remaining there until February 1954. Decommissioned shortly after that deployment ended, she spent the rest of her days in the Pacific Reserve Fleet. She was reclassified as an aircraft transport, with the hull number AKV-18, in May 1959. Somewhat more than a year later, in November 1960, USS Sicily was sold for scrapping. Source: http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-s/cve118.htm

• published: 16 Feb 2014
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