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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
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Photo # NH 97596:  USS Tarawa underway in the Mediterranean, December 1952

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Tarawa (CV-40, later CVA-40, CVS-40 and AVT-12), 1945-1968

USS Tarawa, a 27,100-ton Ticonderoga class aircraft carrier, was built at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia. Commissioned in December 1945, she made a shakedown cruise to the Caribbean in early 1946 and joined the Pacific Fleet in July. From mid-1946 until April 1947, the new carrier operated in the central and western Pacific, then spent more than a year in the vicinity of the U.S. west coast. Tarawa began a voyage to the east coast "the long way round" beginning in late September 1948, calling on ports in China, Singapore, Ceylon, the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean before arriving at Norfolk, Virginia, in February 1949. She was placed out of commission at the end of the following June.

Tarawa was recalled to active duty after the outbreak of the Korean War, recommissioning in February 1951. She spent the war years in the Atlantic area and with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean, and was redesignated CVA-40 in October 1952. From September 1953 until September 1954, Tarawa cruised around the World eastbound, conducting operations in the Mediterranean and the Far East along the way. Upon her return to the Atlantic coast, she began conversion to an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) support aircraft carrier. Redesignated CVS-40 in January 1955, she was employed for the next five years in ASW and helicopter amphibious exercises in the east coast and Caribbean areas.

Decommissioned again in May 1960, Tarawa entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was reclassified as an aircraft transport in May 1961, with the new hull number AVT-12, but saw no service in that role. In June 1967, USS Tarawa was stricken from the list of Naval vessels. She was sold for scrapping in October 1968.

This page features all our views of USS Tarawa.

If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 97598

USS Tarawa (CV-40)


Crewmen on the flight deck spell out "Connecticut", 16 July 1951.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 54KB; 740 x 595 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 97596

USS Tarawa (CVA-40)


Underway in the Mediterranea Sea, north of the Straits of Messina, Sicily, on 18 December 1952. She has F2H "Banshee" jet fighters on her catapults.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 121KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 97597

USS Tarawa (CVA-40)


Underway, probably in the Mediterranea Sea on 18 December 1952.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 92KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: 80-G-411492

USS Tarawa (CV-40)


A Grumman F8F "Bearcat" fighter landing on board the carrier at sunset, 4 November 1948, during operations in the western Pacific area.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 95KB; 740 x 600 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: 80-G-443068

Vought F4U-5 "Corsair" fighters


From USS Tarawa (CV-40) fly in formation over the Mediterranean, 15 December 1952.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.

Online Image: 80KB; 595 x 765 pixels

Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system.

 
Photo #: NH 97599

USS Tarawa (CV-40)


Lieutenant Commander Wyckoff inspects a radarscope on board the carrier, 1 February 1952.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 78KB; 575 x 765 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 97600

USS Tarawa (CVA-40)


Approaches the Pedro Miguel Locks, while transiting the Panama Canal on 31 August 1954. The carrier was en route back to the Atlantic in the final stages of her September 1953 - September 1954 World cruise.
Note Grumman F9F "Panther" fighter in the right foreground. Most of the other planes visible are swept-wing F9F "Cougar" fighters.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 112KB; 740 x 600 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 97601

USS Tarawa (CVA-40)


A band welcomes the carrier to Naval Air Station Quonset Point, Rhode Island, at the completion of a nearly one-year-long World cruise, 6 September 1954.
See Photo # NH 97601 (extended caption) for the text of the press release that accompanied this photograph.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 76KB; 740 x 600 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 97602

USS Tarawa (CVS-40)


Men of the Sixth Marines ride up on the carrier's deck-edge elevator prior to boarding helicopters of Marine Air Group 26 to take part in a practice landing as part of the 1958 Atlantic Fleet Amphibious Exercises.
Photo bears the rubber-stamped date 24 March 1958.
See Photo # NH 97602 (extended caption) for the text of the original caption for this photograph.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 145KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 96330

USS Tarawa (CV-40)


Goes down the ways at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, after she was christened by Mrs. Julian C. Smith, 12 May 1945.

Copied from typescript "History of the Norfolk Navy Yard in World War II", page 169. The original volume is in the collections of the Navy Department Library.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Online Image: 116KB; 535 x 765 pixels

 


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


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Page made 1 May 2001
Link added 7 October 2001