Coral Sea (CV 43) - Naval Cruise Book

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1nce 1947 CORAL SEA has established a history few shlps can match The Ageless Warrior has served more than a decade longer than her circa World War II builders envisioned Coral Sea s story began ln Newport News Va where on October 1 1947 the Midway class carrier was commissioned and Joined the Atlantic Fleet in early 1948 During the post war years tensions ln Europe required a strong naval presence ln the Mediterranean On May 3 1949 CORAL SEA departed Norfolk for an ll day Atlantic transit, and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar to join the Sixth Fleet ln the Mediterranean Seven Mediterranean deployments followed, and on her eighth cruise ln 1956 57, CORAL SEA assisted in the evacuation of U.S. citizens from the region during the Suez Crisis and waited off the coast of Egypt until tensions eased. In the mid-1950's changes in naval aviation required Navy carriers to be modified. To facilitate the advances, CORAL SEA departed Norfolk on February 26, 1957 bound for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. After anchoring CORAL SEA was recommissioned in January of 1960 and arrived later that year in her new homeport, Alameda, Calif. During the next several years CORAL SEA deployed with the Seventh Fleet to Japan, Okinawa, Hong Kong, and the Phillippines. The Southeast Asia waters were beginning to boil. In 1964, responding to a Viet Cong attack on a U.S. Army barracks in South Vietnam, CORAL SEA launched reprisal attacks against C cc '99 .. , O U 9 '9 9 I O O ' 9 O ' 9 9 0 I I in Brazil, she rounded Cape Horn and skirted the western coast of the Americas. On April 15, she entered Puget Sound for decommissioning and conversion. The three-year modernization period amounted to virtual reconstruction, fortifying CORAL SEA with three steam catapults, hydraulic arresting gear, an angled flight deck, enclosed hurricane bow, and deck-edge elevators that replaced flight deck elevators. These improvements became standard thereafter on all Navy carriers. Plane directors guide a post-World War II F-4U Corsair into launch position as it taxis across a wooden CORAL SEA flight deck. ort Year of Coral Sea Then and Now North Vietnamese targets. CORAL SEA and its embarked air wing eventually made six combat deployments to Vietnam, spending nearly 10 years supporting the U.S. role in Vietnam. CORAL SEA spent the 70's deploying in the Pacific and undergoing overhauls. The ship's 272,000 arrested landing was recorded in September 1977, and in October she completed her 20th overseas deployment. f f 72