USS Monterey (CVL-26)
History of the USS Monterey Aircraft Carrier
The USS Monterey was originally planned as light cruiser USS Dayton (CL-78). She was ordered for the
U.S. Navy before the United States entered World War II. Her keel was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in New Jersey on December 28, 1941. She was launched on February 28, 1943 and commissioned on June 17, 1943 under the command of Captain Lestor T. Hundt.
USS Monterey arrived at the Gilbert Islands on November 19, 1943 and helped to secure Makin. She launched air strikes against Kavieng on Christmas Day before supporting the troop landings at Kwajalein and Eniwetok.
From there the USS Monterey joined Task Force 58 for the raids on the Caroline Islands, Mariana Islands, New Guinea and the Bonin Islands. She took part in the Battle of the Philippine Sea at the end of April 1944. In July, she sailed to Pearl Harbor for overhaul, returning to strike at Wake Island on September 3.
After conducting air strikes in the southern Philippines and the Ryukyu Islands, USS Monterey spent October through December supporting the landings at Leyte and Mindoro. When Typhoon Cobra struck in December 1944, several of her planes came loose from their cables and started several fires on her hangar deck. Future President Gerald Ford was onboard, nearly swept overboard, as he led a firefighting team to save the ship.
In January 1945, the USS Monterey headed to Bremerton, Washington for overhaul. Once her yard work was completed, she rejoined Task Force 58 in May. She supported operations at Okinawa by launching air strikes against the Nansei Shoto and Kyushu into the beginning of June. In July and August, she took part in the Task Force 38 strikes against Honshu and Hokkaido.
After the Japanese surrendered, USS Monterey headed for home, carrying veterans home with her when she arrived at New York City on October 17, 1945. She made several voyages as part of Operation Magic Carpet to bring American troops home from war before she was decommissioned on February 11, 1947 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
When the Korean War began, the USS Monterey was recommissioned on September 15, 1950. Departing Norfolk, Virginia on January 3, 1951, the aircraft carrier headed to Pensacola, Florida. She operated there for four years under the Naval Training Command, helping to train thousands of student pilots, naval aviation cadets and helicopter trainees.
In early October 1954, USS Monterey sailed to Honduras for a flood rescue mission. In June 1955, she sailed from Pensacola, Florida back to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she was decommissioned on January 16, 1956. The aircraft carrier was reclassified as AVT-2 on May 15, 1959 and sold for scrap in May 1971. She earned 11 battle stars for her service in World War II.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma .
Sources include:
John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed, "Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences," Ulster Med. J. 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008) Naval Historical Center, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships—USS Monterey
