USS Altamaha (CVE-18)
Encyclopedia
USS Altamaha (AVG-18/ACV-18/CVE-18) was an escort aircraft carrier
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was named for the Altamaha River
in Georgia
.
Altamaha was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 235) on 19 December 1941 at Tacoma, Washington
, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
; launched on 25 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas S. Combs, the wife of Commander
Combs, who was the commanding officer of , and commissioned on 15 September 1942 Captain
J. R. Tate in command.
, on 27 October in company with . While they were en route, Kendrick spotted a submarine
and claimed that members of her crew had seen three torpedoes which had been fired at the escort carrier. However, no one on Altamaha observed any of the torpedoes. The voyage continued uneventfully, and the ships reached San Diego on 31 October. The carrier then took on aircraft and passengers and sailed in convoy on 3 November for the southwest Pacific.
Upon reaching Espiritu Santo
on 24 November, she delivered part of her cargo and continued on to New Caledonia
. She reached Nouméa
on 28 November and commenced a period of flight operations and training exercises. The vessel returned to Espiritu Santo on 30 December, but continued on to the Fiji
Islands and touched at Nadi
on 13 January 1943 before beginning another period of opertional training.
In early February, Altamaha paused off Funafuti
, Ellice Islands; loaded cargo and personnel on to barges and sent them ashore. The carrier then proceeded to Hawaii
and arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 10 February. There, the planes and personnel of Air Group 11 came on board, and the ship set a course for the Fiji Islands on 19 February. She reached Nadi on 28 February, discharged her cargo, and reversed her course back toward the Hawaiian Islands
.
After a short stay in port at Pearl Harbor, the escort carrier got underway on 9 March with replacement aircraft for the flattops of the Pacific Fleet. She paused at Palmyra Island on 15 March, continued on to Johnston Island debarked marine aviation personnel on 17 March, and touched at Midway Atoll
three days later before reversing course and returning to Hawaii. She remained at Pearl Harbor for one day, 23 March, and then continued on to the West Coast.
Altamaha reached San Diego on 1 April and commenced three and one-half months of flight operations off the California
coast alternated with upkeep in San Diego. On 13 July, she arrived at Alameda, California
, to take on planes from the naval air station there. The escort carrier got underway for Australia three days later and made Brisbane
on 3 August. Following a 10-day visit to Fremantle, Western Australia
, she got underway on 16 August for India
and arrived at Karachi
on 28 August and delivered 29 Army Air Force airplanes.
On 2 September, the escort carrier reversed her course and steamed back to Australia. She reached Melbourne
on 18 September and, at the end of three days there in a leave and upkeep status got underway for the West Coast of the United States. On 8 October, the vessel entered the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California
, for overhaul.
The escort carrier got underway for sea trials on 8 November paused briefly at Alameda to take on replacement aircraft, and sailed on 13 November for Brisbane. Altamaha reached her destination on 30 November and began discharging her cargo. The ship left there on 4 December to return home. Upon her arrival at San Diego on 21 December, she began a period of local operations carrier qualifications, and repairs.
The ship got underway for Pearl Harbor on 22 March 1944 arrived there on 28 March, and began taking on Composite Squadron 6 for transportation to an operating area 300 miles east of the Marshall Islands
. The carrier had been selected to be the nucleus of Task Group 11.1 (TG 11.1), and left Hawaii in company with four destroyer escorts on 30 March. The warships reached their assigned area on 3 April and began their first patrol. The group reported contacting two submarines but did not receive credit for damaging or destroying either. The task group put into Majuro Atoll on 8 April to allow the destroyer escorts to refuel.
The ships sailed on 11 April to carry out a second anti-submarine warfare
mission. Altamaha was the target of a torpedo attack on 15 April but successfully evaded all four shots. The remainder of the patrol passed uneventfully before TG 11.1 was relieved on 18 April and shaped a course for Pearl Harbor. Following a short upkeep period in Hawaiian waters, the carrier returned to Majuro
in early May and operated in an antisubmarine screen off the Marshall Islands for several days before returning to Pearl Harbor on 11 May.
After a two-day layover in Hawaii, Altamaha pushed on toward the West Coast
. Reaching Alameda on 18 May, she entered the shipyard of the United Engineering Company for repairs and alterations. She resumed operations on the last day in May and headed for Hawaii, laden with aircraft and spare parts.
Having delivered her cargo at Pearl Harbor, Altamaha returned to Alameda. From there, she proceeded to San Diego which she reached on 19 June and spent two days loading men and equipment before departing California on 21 June, bound for the New Hebrides
. She reached Espiritu Santo on 7 July, discharged cargo and, on 12 July, headed for Morobe
, New Guinea
, where she arrived on 16 July. Having made additional calls at Langemak, New Guinea, and Seeadler Harbor
, Manus Island
, Altamaha arrived back at Espiritu Santo on the 25th. She made one more cruise from this island, during which she visited Seeadler Harbor and Guadalcanal
. The carrier departed the New Hebrides on 10 August bound for Hawaii.
Altamaha paused at Pearl Harbor for two days and then sailed on to San Diego. She spent four days there before getting underway and setting course for Pearl Harbor. She departed Hawaiian waters on 8 September, made port calls at Emirau Island
and Seeadler Harbor, and returned to San Diego, where she arrived on 6 October. The vessel next spent three weeks in local operations before getting underway on 26 October for another voyage west.
The escort carrier paused at Pearl Harbor for three days, then sailed for Eniwetok with replacement aircraft and pilots. On 15 November, she reached Ulithi
and then carried out flight operations off Ulithi through 14 December, when she got underway for the 3rd Fleet replenishment area. On 16 December, the ship joined TG 30.8 in the Philippine Sea
and, the next day, began transferring pilots to . However, heavy seas compelled her to break off that task. By early morning on 18 December, the disturbance had grown into a raging typhoon. By 0900, the escort carrier was laboring heavily and rolling as much as 25-30 degrees to either side. An hour later, visibility dropped to zero, and the vessel abandoned all effort to keep station. Almost one-half of the aircraft on board Altamaha broke loose and plunged overboard. The ship also experienced problems with flooding in the forward elevator pit. By 1600, the weather was improving and the ship rode better. Soon she made a rendezvous with other members of TG 30.8.
While the carrier sustained considerable material damage, she suffered no personnel casualties and was able to resume her resupply operations on 19 December. Altamaha continued her operations with the replenishment group through early February 1945. During this time, she serviced 3rd Fleet units in Philippine waters and made port calls at Guam
, Manus and Ulithi. On 15 February, the ship touched at Pearl Harbor.
Altamaha continued on to the West Coast, arriving at Alameda on 26 February. The ship began an availability at the Hunters Point Navy Yard on 3 March during which she was dry-docked for routine work below the waterline and repairs to a propeller
damaged in the typhoon. The carrier emerged from the yard on 14 March and began loading planes, ammunition, and supplies for transportation to Pearl Harbor.
During the remaining months of World War II, Altamaha provided general transportation service from Alameda, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor to various points in the Pacific. Among her stops were Guam, Saipan
, Eniwetok, Kossol Roads
and Samar. Following the Japanese capitulation in mid-August Altamaha returned to the West Coast for repairs and an overhaul at the Hunters Point Navy Yard. She began sea trials in mid-October and got underway for Pearl Harbor on the 22nd. The vessel was then assigned to the "Magic-Carpet"
fleet and transported armed forces personnel and equipment throughout the Pacific back to the United States.
On 15 January 1946, Altamaha headed to Tacoma, Washington. Deactivation preparations were begun there, and the carrier was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 September 1946. The ship was redesignated CVHE-18 on 12 June 1955. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 March 1959, and the vessel was sold on 25 April 1961 to Eisenberg & Co., New York City, N.Y., and, later that year, was scrapped in Japan.
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named for the Altamaha River
Altamaha River
The Altamaha River is a major river of the American state of Georgia. It flows generally eastward for 137 miles from its origin at the confluence of the Oconee River and Ocmulgee River towards the Atlantic Ocean, where it empties into the ocean near Brunswick, Georgia. There are no dams...
in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
.
Altamaha was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 235) on 19 December 1941 at Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
, by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
The Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation was a United States corporation which built ships for the US Navy and merchant marine during World War II ....
; launched on 25 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas S. Combs, the wife of Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Combs, who was the commanding officer of , and commissioned on 15 September 1942 Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
J. R. Tate in command.
Service history
Following brief sea trials, Altamaha got underway for San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on 27 October in company with . While they were en route, Kendrick spotted a submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
and claimed that members of her crew had seen three torpedoes which had been fired at the escort carrier. However, no one on Altamaha observed any of the torpedoes. The voyage continued uneventfully, and the ships reached San Diego on 31 October. The carrier then took on aircraft and passengers and sailed in convoy on 3 November for the southwest Pacific.
Upon reaching Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
on 24 November, she delivered part of her cargo and continued on to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
. She reached Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
on 28 November and commenced a period of flight operations and training exercises. The vessel returned to Espiritu Santo on 30 December, but continued on to the Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
Islands and touched at Nadi
Nadi
Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Indian or Fijian, along with a large transient population of foreign...
on 13 January 1943 before beginning another period of opertional training.
In early February, Altamaha paused off Funafuti
Funafuti
Funafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
, Ellice Islands; loaded cargo and personnel on to barges and sent them ashore. The carrier then proceeded to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 10 February. There, the planes and personnel of Air Group 11 came on board, and the ship set a course for the Fiji Islands on 19 February. She reached Nadi on 28 February, discharged her cargo, and reversed her course back toward the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
.
After a short stay in port at Pearl Harbor, the escort carrier got underway on 9 March with replacement aircraft for the flattops of the Pacific Fleet. She paused at Palmyra Island on 15 March, continued on to Johnston Island debarked marine aviation personnel on 17 March, and touched at Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll
Midway Atoll is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, near the northwestern end of the Hawaiian archipelago, about one-third of the way between Honolulu, Hawaii, and Tokyo, Japan. Unique among the Hawaiian islands, Midway observes UTC-11 , eleven hours behind Coordinated Universal Time and one hour...
three days later before reversing course and returning to Hawaii. She remained at Pearl Harbor for one day, 23 March, and then continued on to the West Coast.
Altamaha reached San Diego on 1 April and commenced three and one-half months of flight operations off the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast alternated with upkeep in San Diego. On 13 July, she arrived at Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, to take on planes from the naval air station there. The escort carrier got underway for Australia three days later and made Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
on 3 August. Following a 10-day visit to Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle, Western Australia
Fremantle is a city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle was the first area settled by the Swan River colonists in 1829...
, she got underway on 16 August for India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and arrived at Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
on 28 August and delivered 29 Army Air Force airplanes.
On 2 September, the escort carrier reversed her course and steamed back to Australia. She reached Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
on 18 September and, at the end of three days there in a leave and upkeep status got underway for the West Coast of the United States. On 8 October, the vessel entered the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is the largest city in Solano County, California, United States. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay...
, for overhaul.
The escort carrier got underway for sea trials on 8 November paused briefly at Alameda to take on replacement aircraft, and sailed on 13 November for Brisbane. Altamaha reached her destination on 30 November and began discharging her cargo. The ship left there on 4 December to return home. Upon her arrival at San Diego on 21 December, she began a period of local operations carrier qualifications, and repairs.
The ship got underway for Pearl Harbor on 22 March 1944 arrived there on 28 March, and began taking on Composite Squadron 6 for transportation to an operating area 300 miles east of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. The carrier had been selected to be the nucleus of Task Group 11.1 (TG 11.1), and left Hawaii in company with four destroyer escorts on 30 March. The warships reached their assigned area on 3 April and began their first patrol. The group reported contacting two submarines but did not receive credit for damaging or destroying either. The task group put into Majuro Atoll on 8 April to allow the destroyer escorts to refuel.
The ships sailed on 11 April to carry out a second anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
mission. Altamaha was the target of a torpedo attack on 15 April but successfully evaded all four shots. The remainder of the patrol passed uneventfully before TG 11.1 was relieved on 18 April and shaped a course for Pearl Harbor. Following a short upkeep period in Hawaiian waters, the carrier returned to Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
in early May and operated in an antisubmarine screen off the Marshall Islands for several days before returning to Pearl Harbor on 11 May.
After a two-day layover in Hawaii, Altamaha pushed on toward the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
. Reaching Alameda on 18 May, she entered the shipyard of the United Engineering Company for repairs and alterations. She resumed operations on the last day in May and headed for Hawaii, laden with aircraft and spare parts.
Having delivered her cargo at Pearl Harbor, Altamaha returned to Alameda. From there, she proceeded to San Diego which she reached on 19 June and spent two days loading men and equipment before departing California on 21 June, bound for the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
. She reached Espiritu Santo on 7 July, discharged cargo and, on 12 July, headed for Morobe
Morobe
Morobe may refer to several places in Papua New Guinea:*Morobe Province*Morobe, Papua New Guinea*Morobe Goldfield *Morobe Bay...
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, where she arrived on 16 July. Having made additional calls at Langemak, New Guinea, and Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
, Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, Altamaha arrived back at Espiritu Santo on the 25th. She made one more cruise from this island, during which she visited Seeadler Harbor and Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. The carrier departed the New Hebrides on 10 August bound for Hawaii.
Altamaha paused at Pearl Harbor for two days and then sailed on to San Diego. She spent four days there before getting underway and setting course for Pearl Harbor. She departed Hawaiian waters on 8 September, made port calls at Emirau Island
Emirau Island
Emirau Island, also called Emira, is an island in the Bismarck Archipelago located at . It is currently part of the New Ireland Province of Papua New Guinea. The local language is a dialect of the Mussau-Emira language...
and Seeadler Harbor, and returned to San Diego, where she arrived on 6 October. The vessel next spent three weeks in local operations before getting underway on 26 October for another voyage west.
The escort carrier paused at Pearl Harbor for three days, then sailed for Eniwetok with replacement aircraft and pilots. On 15 November, she reached Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
and then carried out flight operations off Ulithi through 14 December, when she got underway for the 3rd Fleet replenishment area. On 16 December, the ship joined TG 30.8 in the Philippine Sea
Philippine Sea
The Philippine Sea is a marginal sea east and north of the Philippines occupying an estimated surface area of 2 million mi² on the western part of the North Pacific Ocean...
and, the next day, began transferring pilots to . However, heavy seas compelled her to break off that task. By early morning on 18 December, the disturbance had grown into a raging typhoon. By 0900, the escort carrier was laboring heavily and rolling as much as 25-30 degrees to either side. An hour later, visibility dropped to zero, and the vessel abandoned all effort to keep station. Almost one-half of the aircraft on board Altamaha broke loose and plunged overboard. The ship also experienced problems with flooding in the forward elevator pit. By 1600, the weather was improving and the ship rode better. Soon she made a rendezvous with other members of TG 30.8.
While the carrier sustained considerable material damage, she suffered no personnel casualties and was able to resume her resupply operations on 19 December. Altamaha continued her operations with the replenishment group through early February 1945. During this time, she serviced 3rd Fleet units in Philippine waters and made port calls at Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Manus and Ulithi. On 15 February, the ship touched at Pearl Harbor.
Altamaha continued on to the West Coast, arriving at Alameda on 26 February. The ship began an availability at the Hunters Point Navy Yard on 3 March during which she was dry-docked for routine work below the waterline and repairs to a propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
damaged in the typhoon. The carrier emerged from the yard on 14 March and began loading planes, ammunition, and supplies for transportation to Pearl Harbor.
During the remaining months of World War II, Altamaha provided general transportation service from Alameda, San Diego, and Pearl Harbor to various points in the Pacific. Among her stops were Guam, Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, Eniwetok, Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads, Palau is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob. During World War II, it was used by the United States Navy as the location of a floating resupply and repair base....
and Samar. Following the Japanese capitulation in mid-August Altamaha returned to the West Coast for repairs and an overhaul at the Hunters Point Navy Yard. She began sea trials in mid-October and got underway for Pearl Harbor on the 22nd. The vessel was then assigned to the "Magic-Carpet"
Operation Magic Carpet (World War II)
Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II effort by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and CBI theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships, and troop transports began repatriating soldiers from...
fleet and transported armed forces personnel and equipment throughout the Pacific back to the United States.
On 15 January 1946, Altamaha headed to Tacoma, Washington. Deactivation preparations were begun there, and the carrier was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 27 September 1946. The ship was redesignated CVHE-18 on 12 June 1955. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 March 1959, and the vessel was sold on 25 April 1961 to Eisenberg & Co., New York City, N.Y., and, later that year, was scrapped in Japan.