USS Coral Sea (CV-43)
402389
220290149
2008-06-19T03:48:54Z
Akleveno
7335904
Info from Navy Historical Center regarding name of CVB-43 prior to being named USS Coral Sea
{{Otherships|USS Coral Sea}}
{|{{Infobox Ship Begin}}
{{Infobox Ship Image
|Ship image=[[Image:USS Coral Sea.jpg|300px|USS Coral Sea (CV-43)]]
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox Ship Career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1990}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake=
|Ship ordered=[[14 June]] [[1943]]
|Ship builder=[[Northrop Grumman Newport News|Newport News Shipbuilding]], [[Newport News, Virginia]]
|Ship laid down=[[10 July]] [[1944]]
|Ship launched=[[2 April]] [[1946]]
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=[[1 October]] [[1947]]
|Ship decommissioned=[[26 April]] [[1990]]
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=[[28 April]] [[1990]]
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Disposed of by scrapping, cannibalization
|Ship status=
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname="''Ageless Warrior''"
}}
{{Infobox Ship Characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{Sclass|Midway|aircraft carrier}}
|Ship displacement=45,000 tons
|Ship length={{convert|968|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam=113 ft (34 m) waterline, <br/>136 feet (41 m) flight deck
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=Geared [[steam turbine]]s<br>212,000 shp
|Ship speed=33 [[knot (speed)|knots]] (61 km/h)
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=4,104 officers and men
|Ship troops=
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=18 × [[5"/54 caliber Mark 16 gun]]s, <br/>84 × [[Bofors 40 mm gun]]s, <br/>68 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=Belt: 7.6 inch<br>Deck: 3.5 inch
|Ship aircraft=Up to 130 (World War II)<br>45-55 (1980s)
|Ship boats=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Coral Sea'' (CV/CVB/CVA-43)''', a {{Sclass|Midway|aircraft carrier}}, was the second ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]]. She earned the affectionate nickname "''Ageless Warrior''" through her long career. Initially classified as an [[aircraft carrier]] with [[hull classification symbol]] '''CV-43''', the contract to build her was awarded to [[Northrop Grumman Newport News|Newport News Shipbuilding]] of [[Newport News, Virginia]] on [[14 June]] [[1943]]. She was reclassified as a "Large Aircraft Carrier" with hull classification symbol '''CVB-43''' on [[15 July]] [[1943]]. Her keel was laid down on [[10 July]] [[1944]]. She was [[ship naming and launching|launched]] on [[2 April]] [[1946]] sponsored by Mrs. [[Thomas C. Kinkaid]], and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on [[1 October]] [[1947]] with Captain A.P. Storrs III in command.
Before [[May 8]], [[1945]], the aircraft carrier CVB-42 had been known as USS ''Coral Sea''; after that date, CVB-42 was renamed in honor of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], the late President, and CVB-43 was named ''Coral Sea''.
==Early Milestones==
The ship promptly began a series of career milestones when, on [[27 April]] [[1948]], two [[P-2 Neptune|P2V-2 Neptune]]s, piloted by Commander Thomas D. Davies and Lieutenant Commander John P. Wheatley, made [[JATO|jet assisted take-off]]s (JATO) from the carrier as it steamed off [[Norfolk, Virginia]]. This was the first carrier launchings of planes of this size and weight. ''Coral Sea'' sailed from [[Norfolk, Virginia]] on [[7 June]] [[1948]] for a midshipmen cruise to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and [[Caribbean Sea]], and returned to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] [[11 August]].
[[Image:CVB-43 1947.jpg|thumb|left|The USS ''Coral Sea'' on her maiden cruise in 1948]]
After an overhaul period, ''Coral Sea'' was again operating off the [[Virginia Capes]]. On [[7 March]] [[1949]], a P2V-3C Neptune, piloted by Captain John T. Hayward of [[VC-5]], was launched from the carrier with a 10,000-load of dummy bombs. The aircraft flew across the continent, dropped its load on the West Coast, and returned nonstop to land at the [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River]], [[Maryland]]. Following training in the [[Caribbean Sea]], ''Coral Sea'' sailed [[3 May]] [[1949]] for her first tour of duty in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] with the [[U.S. 6th Fleet|Sixth Fleet]], returning [[28 September]].
==Operations in the 1950s==
On [[21 April]] [[1950]], the first carrier takeoff of an [[AJ Savage|AJ-1 Savage]] heavy attack bomber was made from ''Coral Sea'' by Captain John T. Hayward of VC-5. The remainder of the pilots of the squadron completed carrier qualifications on board ''Coral Sea'' in this aircraft on [[31 August]], marking the introduction of this long-range attack bomber to carrier operations. At this time, ''Coral Sea'' returned to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] for duty with the [[U.S. 6th Fleet|Sixth Fleet]] from [[9 September]] [[1950]] to [[1 February]] [[1951]].
An overhaul and local operations upon her return, as well as training with [[Air Group 17]], prepared her for a return to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] once more on [[20 March]] [[1951]]. As flagship for Commander, Carrier Division 6, she took part in a [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] Exercise Beehive I. She returned to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] [[6 October]] for local and [[Caribbean Sea]] operations, next sailing for the [[Mediterranean Sea]] on [[19 April]] [[1952]]. While on service with the [[US 6th Fleet|Sixth Fleet]], she visited [[Yugoslavia]], and carried Marshal [[Josip Broz Tito]] on a one-day cruise to observe carrier operations. The ship was reclassified as an "Attack Aircraft Carrier" with [[hull classification symbol]] '''CVA-43''' on [[1 October]] [[1952]] while still at sea, and she returned to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] for overhaul [[12 October]].
''Coral Sea'' trained pilots in carrier operations off the [[Virginia Capes]] and [[Mayport, Florida]], and in April 1953 she embarked the Judiciary Committee of the [[United States House of Representatives]] for a three-day cruise. On [[26 April]], the carrier sailed for a tour of duty in the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. This cruise was highlighted by a visit to [[Spain]], and participation in NATO Exercise Black Wave with Deputy Secretary of Defense [[R.M. Kyes]] on board as an observer. Returning to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] on [[21 October]], she carried out tests for the Bureau of Aeronautics and trained members of the Naval Reserve at [[Mayport, Florida]], and [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]].
[[Image:CVA-43 1 1955.jpg|thumb|right|Straight-deck ''Coral Sea'' in 1955]]
''Coral Sea'' returned to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] from [[7 July]] to [[20 December]] [[1954]], and during this tour was visited by Generalissimo [[Francisco Franco]] as she lay off [[Valencia, Spain]]. On her next tour of duty in the [[Mediterranean Sea]] from [[23 March]] to [[29 September]] [[1955]], she called at [[Istanbul]], and participated in [[NATO]] exercises.
Sailing from [[Norfolk, Virginia]] [[23 July]] [[1956]] for [[Mayport, Florida]], to embark Carrier Air Group 10, ''Coral Sea'' continued on to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] on her next tour. She participated in NATO exercises, and received [[Paul of Greece|Paul, King of the Hellenes]], and his consort, Friederike Luise Thyra of Hannover on board as visitors in October. During the [[Suez Crisis]], ''Coral Sea'' evacuated American citizens from the troubled area, and stood by off [[Egypt]] until November.
She returned to [[Norfolk, Virginia]] [[11 February]] [[1957]]. She cleared that port on [[26 February]] and visited [[Santos (São Paulo)|Santos]], [[Brazil]]; [[Valparaíso]], [[Chile]]; and [[Balboa, Panama|Balboa, Canal Zone]], before arriving at [[Bremerton, Washington]], on [[15 April]]. ''Coral Sea'' was decommissioned at the [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]] on [[24 May]] [[1957]] to receive a major conversion (SCB-110A), which included an angled deck, relocation of her elevators to the deck edge, new steam catapults, an enclosed [[hurricane bow]], hull blisters, removal of the armor belt and several anti-aircraft guns, and other changes. Upon completion, she was recommissioned on [[25 January]] [[1960]] and rejoined the Fleet. During September 1960, she conducted training with her new air group along the West Coast, then sailed in September for a tour of duty with the [[US 7th Fleet|Seventh Fleet]] in the Far East.
==Vietnam and operations in the 1960s to early 1970s==
Installation of the [[Pilot Landing Aid Television]] (PLAT) system was completed on ''Coral Sea'' on [[14 December]] [[1961]]. She was the first carrier to have this system installed for operations use. Designed to provide a videotape of every landing, the system proved useful for instructional purposes and in the analysis of landing accidents, thereby making it an invaluable tool in the promotion of safety. By 1963, all attack carriers had been equipped with PLAT and plans were underway for installation in the CVSs and at shore stations.
[[Image:CVA-43 Pearl Harbor Apr1963.jpg|thumb|right|The ''Coral Sea'' leaving Pearl Harbor in 1963]]
Following the [[Gulf of Tonkin Incident]] in August, ''Coral Sea'' departed on [[7 December]] [[1964]] for duty with the [[US 7th Fleet|Seventh Fleet]]. On [[7 February]] [[1965]], aircraft from ''Coral Sea'', along with those from [[USS Ranger (CVA-61)|''Ranger'']] and [[USS Hancock (CVA-19)|''Hancock'']], blasted the military barracks and staging areas near [[Dong Hoi]] in the southern sector of [[North Vietnam]]. The raids were in retaliation for a damaging [[Viet Cong]] attack on installations around [[Pleiku]] in [[South Vietnam]]. On [[26 March]], the [[U.S. 7th Fleet|Seventh Fleet]] units began their participation in [[Operation Rolling Thunder]], a systematic bombing of military targets throughout [[North Vietnam]]. Pilots from ''Coral Sea'' struck island and coastal radar stations in the vicinity of [[Vihn Son]]. ''Coral Sea'' remained on deployment until returning home on [[1 November]] [[1965]].
''Coral Sea'' continued WestPac/Vietnam deployments until 1975. She deployed from [[29 July]] [[1966]] to [[23 February]] [[1967]]; [[26 July]] [[1967]] to [[6 April]] [[1968]]; [[7 September]] [[1968]] to [[15 April]] [[1969]]; [[23 September]] [[1969]] to [[1 July]] [[1970]]; [[12 November]] [[1971]] to [[17 July]] [[1972]]; [[9 March]] [[1973]] to [[8 November]]; and from [[5 December]] [[1974]] to [[2 July]] [[1975]]. Operations by [[United States Navy]] and [[United States Marine Corps]] aircraft in [[Vietnam]] expanded significantly throughout April 1972 with a total of 4,833 Navy sorties in the south and 1,250 in the north. ''Coral Sea'', along with ''Hancock'', was on [[Yankee Station]] when the [[North Vietnam]]ese spring offensive began. They were joined in early April by [[USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)|''Kitty Hawk'']] and [[USS Constellation (CV-64)|''Constellation'']]. On [[16 April]] [[1972]], aircraft from ''Coral Sea'', along with those from ''Kitty Hawk'' and ''Constellation'', flew 57 sorties in the [[Haiphong]] area in support of U.S. Air Force [[B-52 Stratofortress]] strikes on the [[Haiphong]] petroleum products storage area in an operation known as Freedom Porch.
After refitting, from 1970 through to 1971, and during Reftra down to San Diego, the ''Coral Sea'' on its return trip to Alameda caught fire in the communications department. The fire spread so fast that [[Captain William H. Harris]] commanded that the carrier be put just off shore between San Mateo and Santa Barbara in order to abandon ship if the fire could not be put under control. Several communications personnel were trapped and Radiomen Bob Bilbo and Bill Larimore pulled many shipmates out of the burning and smoke filled compartments.
Operation Pocket Money, the mining campaign against principal [[North Vietnam]]ese ports, was launched [[9 May]] [[1972]]. Early that morning, an [[EC-121]] aircraft took off from [[Da Nang]] airfield to provide support for the mining operation. A short time later, ''Kitty Hawk'' launched 17 ordnance-delivering sorties against the [[Nam Dinh]] railroad siding as a diversionary air tactic. Poor weather, however, forced the planes to divert to secondary targets at [[Thanh]] and [[Phu Qui]]. ''Coral Sea'' launched three [[A-6 Intruder|A-6A Intruder]]s and six [[A-7 Corsair II|A-7E Corsair II]] aircraft loaded with [[naval mine]]s and one [[A-3 Skywarrior|EKA-3B Skywarrior]] in support of the mining operation directed against the outer approaches to Haiphong Harbor. The mining aircraft departed the vicinity of ''Coral Sea'' timed to execute the mining at precisely 09:00 local time to coincide with [[President of the United States|President]] [[Richard M. Nixon]]'s public announcement in Washington that [[naval mine]]s had been seeded. The Intruder flight led by the CAG, Commander Roger E. Sheets, was composed of [[United States Marine Corps]] aircraft from VMA-224 and headed for the inner channel.
[[Image:EA-1F VAW-13 CVA-43.jpg|thumb|right|Flight operations during the Vietnam war]]
The Corsairs, led by Commander Leonard E. Giuliani and made up of aircraft from VA-94 and VA-22, were designated to mine the outer segment of the channel. Each aircraft carried four [[MK52 mine|MK52-2]] mines. Captain William R. Carr, USMC, the bombardier/navigator in the lead plane, established the critical attack azimuth and timed the [[naval mine]] releases. The first mine was dropped at 08:59 and the last of the field of 36 mines at 09:01. Twelve mines were placed in the inner harbor and the remaining 24 in the outer. All mines were set with 72-hour arming delays, thus permitting merchant ships time for departure or a change in destination consistent with the President's public warning. It was the beginning of a mining campaign that planted over 11,000 [[MK36 mine|MK36]] type destructor and 108 special Mk 52-2 mines over the next eight months. It is considered to have played a significant role in bringing about an eventual peace arrangement, particularly since it so hampered the enemy's ability to continue receiving war supplies.
==Paris Peace Accords, assorted events in the late 1970s and '80s==
The [[Paris Peace Accords]], ending hostilities in [[Vietnam]], were signed on [[27 January]] [[1973]], ending four years of talks. [[North Vietnam]] released nearly 600 American prisoners by [[1 April]], and the last U.S. combat troops departed Vietnam on [[11 August]]. However, the war was not over for the Vietnamese. By spring 1975, the North was advancing on the South. ''Coral Sea'', [[USS Midway (CVA-41)|''Midway'']], ''Hancock'', [[USS Enterprise (CVN-65)|''Enterprise'']], and [[USS Okinawa (LPH-3)|''Okinawa'']] responded on [[19 April]] [[1975]] to the waters off [[South Vietnam]] when [[North Vietnam]] overran two-thirds of [[South Vietnam]]. Ten days later, Operation Frequent Wind was carried out by [[U.S. 7th Fleet|Seventh Fleet]] forces. Hundreds of U.S. personnel and Vietnamese were evacuated to waiting ships after the fall of [[Saigon]] to the North Vietnamese. South Vietnam officially surrendered to the North on [[30 April]].
On [[12 May]] to [[14 May]] [[1975]], ''Coral Sea'' participated with other [[United States Navy]], [[United States Air Force]], and [[United States Marine Corps]] forces in the [[Mayaguez incident]], the recovery of the U.S. merchant ship SS ''Mayaguez'' and her 39 crew, illegally seized on [[12 May]] in international waters by a Cambodian gunboat controlled by the Communist [[Khmer Rouge]]. Protective air strikes flown from the carrier against the Cambodian mainland naval and air installations as Air Force helicopters with 288 Marines from Battalion Landing Teams 2 and 9 were launched from [[U-Tapao International Airport|U Tapao]], [[Thailand]], and landed at [[Koh Tang Island]] to rescue the ''Mayaguez's'' crew and secure the ship. Eighteen Marines, Airmen, and Navy corpsmen were lost in the action. For her action, ''Coral Sea'' was presented the [[Meritorious Unit Commendation]] on [[6 July]] [[1976]]. Meanwhile, she had been reclassified as a "Multi-Purpose Aircraft Carrier", returning to [[hull classification symbol]] '''CV-43'', on [[30 June]] [[1975]].
[[Image:CV-43 1981 DN-SC-93-00769.JPEG|thumb|right|''Coral Sea'' entering Pearl Harbor in 1981]]
''Coral Sea'' relieved ''Midway'' in the northern part of the [[Arabian Sea]] on [[5 February]] [[1980]] in connection with the [[Iran hostage crisis]]. Militant followers of the [[Ayatollah Khomeini]], who had come to power following the overthrow of the [[Shah of Iran]], seized the US Embassy in [[Tehran]] on [[4 November]] [[1979]] and held 63 Americans hostage. The crisis ended on [[20 January]] [[1981]] when [[Ronald Reagan]] succeeded [[Jimmy Carter]] as [[President of the United States]] and [[Iran]] released the Americans.
On [[March 25th 1983]], the ''Coral Sea'' left its homeport of Alameda, Calif., for its new homeport of Norfolk, Va. The Navy sent the carrier on a six-month around-the-world cruise, with ports of call in a dozen countries. The USS ''Carl Vinson'' replaced the ''Coral Sea'' at her homeport at what is now the former Alameda Naval Air Station. [http://www.everafterimages.com/editorial/skillet.htm 1983 San Francisco Magazine Article] photocredit EverafterImages.Com [http://www.everafterimages.com]
[[Image:CoralSea Small.jpg|thumb|right|The Coral Sea passing under the Golden Gate Bridge March 83]]
On [[11 April]] [[1985]], while on refresher training with its air wing in the Guantanamo Bay area, the ''Coral Sea'' collided with the Equadorian tanker ship ''Napo'' and subsequently underwent two months of repairs at [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]] in [[Portsmouth, VA]]
On [[13 October]] [[1985]], ''Coral Sea'' returned to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] for her first [[US 6th Fleet|Sixth Fleet]] deployment since 1957. Commanded by Captain Robert H. Ferguson, with CVW-13 embarked, it was also the first deployment of the new [[F/A-18 Hornet]] to the [[Mediterranean Sea]]. The Hornets were assigned to [[VFA-131]], [[VFA-132]], [[VMFA-314]] and [[VMFA-323]] on ''Coral Sea''.
On [[24 March]] [[1986]], [[Libya]]n armed forces fired missiles at U.S. naval forces operating in the [[Gulf of Sidra]] after declaring international waters as their own. One direct single-missile attack on the ''Coral Sea'' herself fell short and dropped into the Mediterranean. F/A-18's from ''Coral Sea'' and [[USS America (CV-66)|''America'']] flew combat air patrols, protecting the carrier groups from Libyan aircraft. The Hornets were frequently called upon to intercept and challenge numerous [[MiG-23]]s, [[MiG-25]]s, [[Su-22]]s, and Mirages sent out by Libya to harass the fleet. The Hornets often flew only a few feet from their adversaries, ready to shoot if need be.
On [[5 April]] [[1986]], in response to the US show of force, the La Belle Discotheque in the Federal Republic of Germany was bombed, resulting in the death of one U.S. serviceman and many injured
On [[15 April]], [[1986]] aircraft from the ''Coral Sea'' and ''America'', as well as USAF [[FB-111]]s from [[Lakenheath AFB]] in the U.K., struck targets in Libya as part of "[[Operation El Dorado Canyon]]." The Hornets went into action for the first time, flying several ship-to-shore air strikes against Libyan shore installations that were harassing the fleet. During this action, the Hornets from the ''Coral Sea'' attacked and destroyed the SA-5 missile site at [[Sirte]] which had been "painting" US aircraft on its radars. This was the combat debut for the Hornet, and incidentally marked the first combat use of the AGM-88A HARM [[anti-radiation missile]]. The Hornets attacked the SAM sites in bad weather and at wave top heights. All Hornets returned to the ''Coral Sea'' without mishap.
[[Image:CV-43 March1989.jpg|thumb|right|USS ''Coral Sea'' making a high speed run in 1989]]
''Coral Sea'' continued deployments to the [[Mediterranean Sea]] and [[Indian Ocean]] area throughout the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s. In 1987, she developed the "''Coral Sea'' configuration" in which two attack squadrons on board used a shared maintenance program, helping to streamline aircraft maintenance. On [[19 April]] [[1989]], while operating in the [[Caribbean Sea]], ''Coral Sea'' responded to a call for assistance from [[USS Iowa (BB-61)|USS ''Iowa'']] due to an explosion in the [[battleship]]'s number two gun turret in which 47 crew members were killed. The explosive ordnance disposal team from Coral Sea removed volatile powder charges from the ship's 16 inch (407 mm) guns. Coral Sea also dispatched a surgical team and medical supplies. Medevac and logistical support to Iowa was provided by Coral Sea's deployed helicopter squadron HS-17 (Neptune's Raiders) flying the Sikorsky SH-3H, along with VC-8 flying the Sikorsky SH-3G aircraft.
==Decommissioning and Scrapping==
''Coral Sea'' was decommissioned [[26 April]] [[1990]] and stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] two days later. She was sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping on [[7 May]] [[1993]] to Seawitch Salvage of [[Baltimore]], but scrapping was delayed by numerous financial, legal and environmental issues. Nearly 70,000 tons by the time she was struck, ''Coral Sea'' was the largest vessel ever scrapped up until that date and may be the last large American aircraft carrier ever to be scrapped (newer environmental laws make it unprofitable for companies to scrap carriers within the United States, and it is illegal to sell capital ships for scrapping abroad). The company attempted to sell the hulk to China for scrapping, but the Navy blocked the sale in court. The scrapping continued off and on for several years until finally completed on [[8 September]] [[2000]].
==Renamed==
* Before [[May 8]], [[1945]], the aircraft carrier CVB-42 had been known as USS ''Coral Sea''; after that date, CVB-42 was renamed in honor of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], the late President, and the name ''Coral Sea'' was changed to CVB-43. What is unknown to this day is, what ''Coral Sea''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s name was prior to her renaming in 1945. After further investigation many believe the original name of CV 43 was USS ''Leyte'', because the name ''Leyte'' was given the same day to [[USS Leyte (CV-32)|USS ''Crown Point'' (CV-32)]].{{Fact|date=December 2007}} The following is a quote from the reply to in inquiry made to: (Public Affairs Officer Naval HIstorical Center Washington Navy Yard 805 Kidder Breese SE Washington, DC 20374-5060) on 18 June 2008 regarding the name of CVB-43 prior to being named USS Coral Sea. "When CVB-42 was renamed from USS Coral Sea to USS Franklin D Roosevelt, no name for CVB-43 had been determined. So there was no "original" name for the ship. From my study of the WWII Navy and it's ship naming policies, my educated guess is that it would have been named USS Okinawa when the CVE of that name was cancelled on 11 August 1945."
==See also==
* [[List of aircraft carriers]]
* [[List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy]]
==References==
* {{DANFS}}
* This article includes information collected from ''United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995'', both public domain documents published by the Naval Historical Center and from http://www.usscoralsea.net/
==External links==
* [http://www.hullnumber.com/CV-43 CV-43 Personnel Roster at HullNumber.com]
{{Midway_class_aircraft_carrier}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Coral Sea (CV-43)}}
[[Category:Midway class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[de:USS Coral Sea (CV-43)]]
[[ja:コーラル・シー (空母)]]