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USS Antietam CV-36 (K)

Construction began on the aircraft carrier USS Antietam in 1943 and was completed in 1945. After her initial training along the eastern seaboard, the Antietam set sail for Trinidad. Her first assignment sent her through the Panama Canal and to the west coast of the United States. After time in California, she left Pearl Harbor with the destroyers USS Higbee, USS Ira Jeffery and the USS George W. Ingram, heading toward the Pacific Theater. Before she arrived at her destination, the Japanese had surrendered and the war was over. While this put an end to her intended mission, there was still work for her in the post World War II era. The Antietam stayed oversees, providing support and occupational back-up for three years.

In 1949, the USS Antietam headed back to California, where she was placed in reserve. She was brought out of commission two years later in response to the invasion of South Korea by the North. She headed back across the Pacific in the fall of 1951. While overseas, she was part of Task Force 77, in direct combat on the Korean coast. As an aircraft carrier, she remained off the coast while her Navy pilots flew missions from the base that she provided. When she was not directly engaged in battle, she returned to base in Japan, where she took part in missions for the United Nations. By the spring of 1952, she had completed four combat mission and was ready to return to the United States.

Upon her arrival in the United States, the USS Antietam was again a part of the Pacific Fleet. She was soon transferred to the Atlantic Fleet where her first duty was to head to New York for an overhaul. She traveled through the Panama Canal en route to the New York Navy Yard. As part of the overhaul, the USS Antietam became an attack aircraft carrier, and the United State's first angled deck aircraft carrier. When a pilot landed on the deck of an aircraft carrier, they hit the power hard, this allowed them to take off again if they had to abort their landing. The angled deck allowed pilots to approach and land at higher speeds. This higher speed made it easier for the pilots to return to the air if needed. The ability to return safely to the air made landings much safer. The development of the angled deck aircraft carrier was a major advancement for the Navy.

As the years progressed, the USS Antietam was a part of many exercises and training maneuvers, and, in 1953 she was overhauled and designated as an antisubmarine warfare carrier. In 1955 the USS Antietam headed oversees for the first time in six years. She participated in training and patrol duties for several months and then returned to the US. Once home, she joined forces with NATO for training exercises and a goodwill tour. As part of this tour she spent time in the Netherlands. She was docked in the Netherlands when the Suez Crisis erupted. The Suez Crisis was an attack on Egypt by England, France and Israel in response to Egypt's decision to nationalize the Suez Canal. The USS Antietam headed to the area to evacuate Americans that were in Egypt at the time.

She returned to the east coast of the Atlantic in 1957, and was sent to train with the Naval Air Training Station in Florida. During this time she was used to train Navy pilots and handle testing of new equipment. When she first arrived in Florida, she was docked at Mayport, a naval port in Jacksonville, although the Naval Air Training Station was in Pensacola. In 1959 work done on the channel entering Pensacola increased its size so that the USS Antietam could dock with the rest of her training vessels.

Because of her location, she was used during two different hurricanes to provide disaster relief. Hurricane Carla hit Texas hard in 1961, and she provided medical care and supplies for victims of the storm. A month later she headed to Honduras where she carried supplies and medical personnel to victims of Hurricane Hattie. Aside from these humanitarian duties, the USS Antietam spent the remained of her career participating in training and testing maneuvers. In 1962, the USS Antietam was placed in reserve, replaced as a training ship by the USS Lexington. She was decommissioned in 1963, and was sold for scrap in 1974. During her time in Korea, the USS Antietam received two battle stars.

The men who fought in Korea aboard the USS Antietam and other aircraft carriers and battleships, as well as the many men who trained aboard these ships and worked on them during overhauls and dry docks may have been exposed to asbestos. If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Antietam CV-36 (K), or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

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