Cabot (CVL 52) - Naval Cruise Book

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We had been away for seventy-nine days. What did we accomplish? ' We made friends for our country in several ports. We showed the American flag to many foreign nations. We broadened our own outlook with the benefits of travel. Op- erationally, we participated successfully in the greatest Allied naval maneuvers since World War ll. il' it it You men of the CABOT have once again demonstrated the efficiency which makes me proud to be your Captain. That's all--Thanks a lot. MARVIN P. EVENSON, Capt., USN Commanding W

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Commodore Pratt transferred at sea W ., EF. . It hos been 0 pleasure to have you oboord

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The Story of the Iron Lady ml 'f ' l'.' , y When the CABOT'S keel was vessel was intended as the light cruiser Wilmington CCL-79l . As the importance of aircraft carriers in naval warfare became increas- ingly evident, plans of her construc- tion were altered, and in July of i942 an aircraft carrier was being built from the cruiser hull. I ' -farsiiioad on ii April, 1942, the The CABOT is endowed with a rich historic heritage. The original CABOT was a lO-gun Frigate which served in the Revolutionary War, 1775-1777. The present CABOT was commissioned on 24 July, I943 and immediately en- tered' upon her war service. Her log records that after completion of her trials in the Atlantic, she sailed through the Panama Canal and reached Pearl Harbor in November, l943. Operationolly trained in the-Hawaiian area, she was dispatched seven weeks later to join the island campaigns against the Japanese Em- pire. From that time on, the CABOT was an active fighting unit of the fast Carrier Task Forces. The ship's -war diary reveals that her planes were sent into action at practically all of the island targets of our sea- borne offensive, and finally Nagoya and Tokyo in the heart- land of Japan. The CABOT was there throughout the drive across the western Pacific, slugging without letup-her planes fighting off counter attacks with her air patrols.. Twice she returned to Pearl Harbor but only for brief periods. , :gig 'S , M D., , ,....,.. J Q, ..v'-- ff She was attacked many times by the aircraft of the enemy, but her hell-for-leather pilots and her steady ship's gunners fought them off-all but two Kamikazes,.which suc- ceeded in diving their half-wrecked planes into her side. Three times the CABOT had to face the Pacific typhoons, and three times she sailed out to calmer seas-once when many smaller ships were capsized and lost. 'k 'k 'k The end of the war found the CABOT in Mid-Pacific, with her services still uncompleted. She had fought long, hard and dangerously, and had earned the confidence and good wishes of the entire U. S. Fleet. The effectiveness ,of her efforts is attested by the, Presidential Unit Citation awarded in recognition of her outstanding combat record. When her time finally did come to return to this coun- try, it was found that she had another name. From the minds and mouths of her fighting crew, and from her Task Force Commander, Admiral Halsey, came her name: The Iron Lady . And so today she is known not by the name inscribed upon her hull, but by the affectionate nickname indelibly impressed upon the minds of the members of her crews. The CABOT completed her active service on 2 December i945 and returned to Philadelphia, where she was inacti- voted, thus she remained for two years and six months. A5969 ff f . 1 X fl f I Q fill 'A FF WJ ANR A