USS Badoeng Strait CVE-116

The USS Badoeng Strait was an escort aircraft that was named after the location of a World War II battle. She was originally christened the San Alberto Bay, but was renamed the USS Badoeng Strait in 1945. After being renamed, she joined the Pacific Fleet, operating from Naval Base San Diego. During this time, she made one cruise to Hawaii and was decommissioned in early 1946. The USS Badoeng Strait was a Commencement Bay class escort ship.

Commencement Bay ships were different than earlier aircraft carriers because they were designed and built to be aircraft carriers from the ground up. Prior to the development of Commencement Bay ships, aircraft carriers were converted warships.

The USS Badoeng Strait was recommissioned in 1947. As a part of the Pacific Fleet, she was used for various anti-submarine assignments such as testing equipment and participating in exercises aimed against enemy submarines. The Badoeng Strait also participated in training runs with her crew. She was given the honor on several occasions of being the flagship for her division. Her time on the Pacific Coast was preparation for the intense battle she would see when she headed overseas to the Korean War.

In 1950, the ship participated in the first of her three missions in Korea. While on active combat duty in Korea, the vessel was part of the anti-submarine group and provided escort services for other ships. The pilots who operated from the ship's base offered ground support in the early days of the war. During the escort's time off the coast of Korea, she not only provided a landing base for anti-submarine planes but also Marine fighter-bombers as well.

During her time in Korea, the USS Badoeng Strait participated in several major battles, including the Inchon Invasion and the Hungnam Evacuation. The Inchon Invasion was a strategic maneuver to push the North Koreans out of Seoul. An enormous military presence, including some from South Korea, the Marines, the Army and many Navy warships gathered in the area.

After two days of ship to shore bombardments, the Marines went ashore for battle. The Marines regained control of an airstrip in the area and began moving relief supplies in while they continued to advance on Seoul. After 16 days, Seoul was back under the control of the South Koreans.

The Hungnam Evacuation involved the withdrawal of United Nations forces from eastern North Korea. It took two weeks for more than 100,000 personnel, over 17,000 vehicles and 350,000 tons of cargo to be removed from the area. It was a complete withdrawal from the area, with the U.S. even taking broken down vehicles and equipment. The operation also removed over 90,000 refuges, although this was only a small percentage of those wanting to leave the area.

The USS Badoeng Strait completed her last tour in Korea in 1953 and then returned to the United States for overhaul. At the completion of her modernization, she was once again assigned to the Pacific Fleet where she was a part of training exercises, development of additional anti-submarine warfare and worked with the Marines in combined exercises. In 1956, she was back in the Marshall Islands where she participated in Operation Redwing, a nuclear weapons test.

In early 1957, she headed to Puget Sound Naval Yard in Bremerton, Washington and was decommissioned. For the next 15 years, the USS Badoeng Strait laid in port. In 1959, she was given a new hull and classified as an aircraft transport vehicle. She provided transport services for the remainder of her career. However, the USS Badoeng Strait was removed from the Naval Vessel Register in 1970 and sold for scrap in 1972. For her service during the Korean War, the USS Badoeng Strait received six battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation.

The men who served and worked on the USS Badoeng Strait may have been exposed to asbestos. If you or a loved one were exposed to asbestos while serving on this ship or any other vessel, it is important to seek routine medical examinations. Many have contracted an asbestos-related disease as a result of their exposure and an early diagnosis is crucial. If you have already been diagnosed with an illness related to asbestos, receive a free informational packet about asbestos by filling out the request form on this page.

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