Arlington (AGMR 2) - Naval Cruise Book

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To the Ends of Valor, Trustworthiness, and Fidelity Represented in the Crest of USS ARLINGTON, and to the Uffieers and Crew Who Make Those a Reality, This Book ls Proudly Presented...

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HISTORY OF THE SHIP ARLINGTON was built as the small aircraft carrier SAIPAN by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey. Her keel was laid 10 July 1944 and she was launched 8 July 1945, under the sponsorship of Mrs. John W. McCormack, wife of Congressman John W. McCormack of Massachusetts and Majority Leader of the House of Representa- tives. The small aircraft carrier was commis- sioned in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard as SAIPAN CCVL-489 14 July 1946, Captain John G. Crommelin, USN, commanding. Having an overall length of 684 feet, displacement of 14,500 tons, draft of 28 feet and a designed speed of 33 knots, she is capable of carrying 234 officers, 1,487 men, and 50 aircraft. Her first mission after leaving Philadelphia 17 August 1946, was to train student aviators out of Pensacola, Florida as a unit of the Naval Air Train- ing Command. During her eight month stay in Flor- ida more than 1,200 landings were made on her flight deck. After a brief overhaul period back in Norfolk, and another brief tour out of Pensacola, she joined the Operational Development Force out of Norfolk, which helped pioneer jet operational techniques, carrier support tactics, and to test and prove new electronics devices. On 18 April 1948 she became the flagship of Carrier Division Seventeen and she hoisted the flag of Rear Admiral T. H. Robbins, USN. She left for Quonset Point, Rhode Island, where, on 3 May 1948 she em- barked Flight Squadron 17A. That forenoon she commenced launching FH-1 jet aircraft to introduce the first complete squadron of jet fighters into regu- lar fleet operations from a Navy aircraft carrier. On 6 May she demonstrated to the press the first jet launchings.