|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

|

USS Lake Champlain CV-39 (WWII)

The USS Lake Champlain was the second ship to carry the name for the U.S. Navy, the first was a cargo ship in use in 1918-19. She was built as a Ticonderoga-class aircraft carrier by the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia. She was launched in November of 1944.

She weighed just a little over 27,000 tons. Her overall length was 888 feet and she measured 93 feet across at the waterline. With a propulsion system consisting of eight boilers and four propellers, she could reach speeds of up to 33 knots. She could carry up to 100 airplanes and her crew was made up of 3,448 officers and enlisted men. As armament she carried four twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns, four single five inch 38 caliber guns eight quadruple Bofors 40mm guns and 46 single Oerlikon 20mm cannons.

The Lake Champlain was launched right at the end of World War II, so her first mission, after some training, was to help bring the American soldiers home from overseas. She picked up many soldiers in England and brought them home to New York. She set a record that year in crossing the Atlantic. She traveled from Cape Spartel, Africa to Hampton Roads, Virginia in four days, eight hours and 51 minutes. Her record stood until broken in 1952 by the SS United States.

She was put into storage in Norfolk, Virginia until 1952. Once the Korean War had begun, she was modernized at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia. After training in waters near Cuba and Haiti, she set sail for Korea. The ship moored in Yokosuka, Japan after traveling through the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and the China Sea. During the voyage she became the largest ship to have ever traveled through the Suez Canal.

She became the flagship for Carrier Task Force 77 and sailed for western Korea. She arrived in the middle of June and immediately launched attacks against Korean forces. Her planes ran raids against enemy airstrips and ground forces. The aircraft attacked bunkers and trenches and provided general support for American ground forces fighting hard against the enemy. They also provided escorts to B-52 bombers on their way to attack enemy forces. When the truce was signed in July, she headed through the Couth China Sea and stopped at many ports before arriving in Mayport, Florida in December of 1953.

Over the next few years, the Lake Champlain spent a great deal of time in the Mediterranean Sea, assisting NATO forces operations in the area. In 1957 she took part in an effort to moderate tensions in the Middle East. Once tensions had eased, she returned to Mayport to be converted to an antisubmarine carrier and was reclassified CVS-39.

In 1957 a devastating flood hit an area around the city of Valencia on the eastern coast of Spain. The U.S. Ambassador in Spain at the time requested her help and helicopters from the Lake Champlain helped with a large number of rescue missions. She made a few more cruises through the Mediterranean and then was reassigned to a new home port. In September of 1958 she returned to Quonset Point, Rhode Island. Again, she was sent out on patrols through the Mediterranean and around the Caribbean. In May of 1960 she was selected as the recovery ship for the first manned space flight. She recovered Alan Shepard and the Freedom 7 spacecraft just a few minutes after splash down.

Over the next several years, her missions and patrol areas varied. She took part in blocking weapons intent on entering Cuba as the Soviet Union was attempting to build offensive bases there. She was also sent to Haiti after hurricane Flora caused severe damage in the area. Once again, her helicopters were sent on rescue missions and to help the victims of the hurricane. The last major mission of her career took place when she was named the primary recovery ship for another space voyage, the Gemini 5 mission. She was decommissioned in May of 1966 and then sold for scrap in April 1972.

During all of her missions there was a quiet but deadly killer on board. As with most of the ships built for and by the Navy during the 1900s, asbestos had been used extensively in her construction. Used primarily as an insulating material, asbestos can cause a lot of damage to the human body. Dust from the mineral can shake loose during the operation of machinery and float through the air. The dust is inhaled and/or swallowed by anyone in the area and is the primary cause of two disease, asbestosis and mesothelioma.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Lake Champlain CV-39 (WWII), 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

Name:

Address:

City, State, Zip:

Phone Number:

Email:

Diagnosis:

Select... Mesothelioma Lung Cancer Asbestosis Severe Asbestosis Unknown

Comments:

Show Your Support

Free Wristbands
Get an Asbestos Awareness Wristband. Read More

VA Claim Help

Support Book

Cancer Support Book
Get a Free Copy of Lean on Me - Cancer Through a Carer's Eyes. Read More

In Your Area

Asbestos Exposure
Learn about asbestos exposure and legal options in your area. Read More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: Verify Here.