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USS Leyte CV-32

The USS Leyte was the third ship to serve in the U.S. Navy to be named after the island in the Philippines. Initially named the Crown Point, this Essex class aircraft carrier was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. The company, located in Newport News, Virginia, launched the ship in August of 1945. She was commissioned by the Navy in April of the following year.

The carrier weighed just a little over 27,000 tons when she was built. She was able to carry up to 100 aircraft of various types and had a few elevators to move those aircraft from the storage deck to the flight deck. Hew crew complement consisted of 3,448 officers and enlisted men. She measured 888 feet overall and was 93 feet wide. She could travel up to 33 knots and possessed the guns to wreak havoc on the enemy. Her armaments included four twin 5 inch 38 caliber guns, four single 5 inch 38 caliber guns, eight quadruple Bofors 40mm guns and 46 single Oerlikon 20 mm cannons.

The Leyte's shakedown, a ship's first trials at sea, was interrupted when it took a ‘goodwill tour' down the western coast of South America with the USS Wisconsin BB-64. By November of 1946, the Leyte returned to the Caribbean to finish shakedown operations. For the next three years, the Leyte took part in many different training and fleet missions. She was used to train Navel Reservists in the Caribbean and other parts of the Atlantic Ocean. She was deployed four times for patrols through the Mediterranean Sea. In August of 1950, the Leyte was used to demonstrate America's air power over Beirut, Lebanon, where the Communists were causing problems. In September she joined Task Force 77 in the Far East to support United Nations forces in Korea.

In the ensuing months, the crew of the Leyte took part in a large number of battles. She spent a total of 92 days at sea. Her attack aircraft flew over 3,933 missions against the North Koreans, severely damaging many enemy installations. Her weapons took their toll on enemy transportation and shipping, and she took out communication systems and many enemy bases. Totaled, her aircraft spent over 11,000 hours in the air. She finally returned to Norfolk, Virginia in February of 1951 for an overhaul. After training exercises designed to make sure that the modifications to the ship were in working order, the Leyte began her fifth tour of duty with the sixth Fleet.

In August of 1952, after several more training exercise and fleet maneuvers, she took one more tour through the Mediterranean. Then, in October, she was reclassified CVA-32, spent a few more tours of duty in various parts of the world, and, once again, returned to Norfolk, this time to be refitted as an antisubmarine carrier. In October of 1953, though, an accident occurred that killed 37 men and injured 28. There was an explosion in her port catapult machinery room. The fire was so intense that the local fire department had to be called in to help the naval base's fire fighters subdue the blaze.

Once the conversion was complete in January of 1954, the carrier became the flagship for Carrier Division 18. For the next five years, she again took part in numerous training exercises and fleet maneuvers. Most of these tactical operations took place along the eastern coast of America and down in to the Caribbean. In January of 1959, she returned to the New York Naval Yard where she was made ready for inactivation. She was decommissioned in May and then was mothballed as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. In September of 1970, she was sold for scrap. The Leyte had received two Battle Stars for its service during the Korean War.

During her long and faithful service, there was one item on board that greatly affected the health of the sailors serving aboard her. As with most of the ships constructed during the beginning and middle of the 1900s, asbestos was used as a main component while she was being put together. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that is resistant to heat and flames. It was often used as an insulator. The dust that comes from asbestos carries millions of microscopic asbestos fibers that are very harmful to humans. Once they have been inhaled or swallowed, the fibers begin to damage the tissues around them. It can take up to fifty years for the damage caused by these fibers to show up, but the results are deadly. There are two primary diseases directly related to asbestos exposure. These are asbestosis and mesothelioma. No cure has been found for either of these, yet, and even moderately successful treatments depend on early detection.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Leyte CV-32, 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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