USS Anzio ( CVE - 57 ) USS " Anzio " ( CVE - 57 ) , was an " Casablanca " class escort carrier of the United States Navy . Originally classified as auxiliary aircraft carrier ACV - 57 , was laid down on 12 December 1942 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Co . , Vancouver , Washington , under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 1094 ) ; named Alikula Bay on 22 January 1943 ; renamed Coral Sea on 3 April 1943 ; launched on 1 May 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . Frank J . Fletcher , wife of Frank J . Fletcher ; redesignated CVE - 57 on 15 July 1943 ; and commissioned at Astoria , Oregon on 27 August 1943 , Captain Herbert W . Taylor in command . World War II . Gilbert and Marshall Islands . On 24 September , " Coral Sea " got underway for shakedown in Puget Sound . She arrived at San Diego , California on 8 October to load aircraft and hold flight operations off the California coast . The carrier sailed for Hawaii on 25 October and upon arrival at Pearl Harbor , joined by sister ship for exercises off Oahu . On 10 November , " Coral Sea " steamed southwest to join the American forces about to invade the Gilbert Islands . She launched strikes on Makin Island from 20 – 28 November . When Tarawa Atoll had been captured , " Coral Sea " headed for Pearl Harbor and arrived there on 5 December . She paused to embark passengers and load aircraft for transport to the U . S . and departed on 8 December . She arrived at Alameda , California on 14 December to take on new planes . She put to sea on 22 December and steamed back to Hawaii . On 28 December , " Coral Sea " anchored at Pearl Harbor and began preparations for the impending assault on Kwajalein . " Coral Sea " was underway on 3 January 1944 for a series of exercises in Hawaiian waters . After final fitting out , she sailed on 22 January in Task Group 52 . 9 ( TG 52 . 9 ) and arrived in the vicinity of Kwajalein on 31 January , two days after planes of the Fast Carrier Task Force began pounding airfields on the atoll . She provided direct and indirect air support for the amphibious landings . On 24 February , she set course for Eniwetok , but was recalled to Hawaii and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 3 March . Solomon Islands and New Guinea . After a brief respite , " Coral Sea " got underway again on 11 March and proceeded to the Solomon Islands . She anchored at Tulagi on 21 March , topped off with fuel , and loaded stores . Sailing again on 30 March , she headed for Emirau Island . From 1 – 11 April , she launched planes in support of forces occupying Emirau and returned to Port Purvis on 15 April . The next day , " Coral Sea " left Tulagi to assist in the reconquest of New Guinea . On the 19th , she joined TG 78 . 2 , which was formed to support Allied footholds at Hollandia ( currently known as Jayapura ) and Aitape . Her planes joined in strikes on 22 April , and on 26 April , the escort carrier sailed to Seeadler Harbor for replenishment , and on 7 May headed for Espiritu Santo for availability . Occupation of the Marianas Islands . Her repair period completed , the ship got underway on 8 June for Kwajalein , the staging point for the invasion of the Marianas . The American forces sortied on 10 June , and " Coral Sea " helped to provide air support for landings by the 2d Marine Division on Saipan . She endured numerous Japanese air attacks during the next few days but received only minor damage . The carrier had moved south to Guam on 17 June to begin softening - up operations against that island but returned to Saipan the next day to assist the bogged - down American forces . " Coral Sea " and her escorts retired to Eniwetok on 28 June but returned to Saipan on 4 July . Her planes made further air strikes before she put into Eniwetok on 15 July for repairs to her engines . Ultimately , " Coral Sea " was ordered back to the United States for a much needed overhaul , and the carrier sailed on 23 July . Two days later , she paused at Kwajalein to unload most of her aircraft and ammunition and then continued via Pearl Harbor for the naval base at San Diego . " Coral Sea " arrived in California on 9 August and entered drydock at San Diego on 31 August . While she was still undergoing overhaul , " Coral Sea " received word that her name was being changed to Anzio as of 15 September . " Anzio " held sea trials off the California coast and was ready to sail for the western Pacific on 16 September . She reached Hawaii on 23 September and entered Pearl Harbor for a tender availability . On 8 October , the carrier began a series of training exercises , and on the 16th , she set out for Eniwetok . There , " Anzio " joined a hunter / killer group and carried out an antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) mission while she was en route to Ulithi . On 4 November , she was ordered to assist light cruiser which had been torpedoed in the Philippine Sea . When " Anzio " was relieved by , she resumed her ASW patrols and worked at that task through mid - February 1945 , when she steamed to Iwo Jima . Occupation of the Bonin Islands . " Anzio " resumed combat support operations on 16 February . Three days later , she launched a strike to the north on Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands . From 19 February - 4 March , she followed a schedule of launching her first flight just before sunset and recovering her last just after dawn . During these nocturnal operations , she completed 106 sorties without a single accident . She departed the Iwo Jima area on 8 March and entered San Pedro Bay at Leyte on 12 March . After 10 days of upkeep and being joined by a newly redeployed VC - 13 from the USS Tripoli , she sailed to join the invasion of Okinawa . Okinawa . After providing air cover for an Okinawa - bound amphibious group , " Anzio " joined other forces in the vicinity of Kerama Retto in seizing that island group to provide an advanced base for the Fleet . The Okinawa attack began on 1 April , and she remained on line until she retired to Ulithi on 30 April for repairs to her rudder bearings . On 21 May , the carrier resumed ASW operations in the Okinawa area . This role ended on 17 June , when she sailed to San Pedro Bay , Leyte , for upkeep after finding that her aviation fuel tanks had been contaminated during a replenishment at sea . One TBM didn ' t get a radio heads - up in time when a pair of Wildcats encountered engine problems right after takeoff and had to ditch when it switched to its spare fuel tank . Anzio dumped her thousands of gallons of bad gas overboard before pulling into Leyte , and this caused a passing outbound carrier to radio with concern when they smelled the fumes . " Anzio " left the Philippines on 6 July to begin what proved to be her last stint of combat duty . She joined TG 30 . 8 and positioned herself about east of Tokyo . She made ASW patrols in support of Admiral Halsey ' s attacks on the Japanese home islands . She received word of the Japanese capitulation on 15 August and sailed for Guam on 19 August . After refitting and training new flight crews , the escort carrier headed for Okinawa . From that point , she was to provide air cover and ASW patrol services for transports carrying occupation troops to Korea . On 8 September , she anchored at Jinsen , Korea , whence she provided air support for the landings of the occupation force . She left Korea on 13 September and returned to Okinawa . On 19 September , she broke her homeward - bound pennant , became a member of a " Magic - Carpet " group , and reached San Francisco on 30 September . Operation Magic Carpet . While at San Francisco , " Anzio " was modified to provide maximum passenger accommodations . The carrier made two trips to the western Pacific and back , one to Pearl Harbor and one to Shanghai , China , to shuttle American troops home as part of Operation Magic Carpet . She arrived at Seattle , Washington , on 23 December and ended the year at that port . ' Memories of a Wildcat pilot . " Anzio " was then Ensign John J Sharer ' s ( Lt Cdr USN ret ) first tour of duty where he flew a Grumman F4F Wildcat in Beaver Squadron ( VC - 13 ) . After flying into Hilo from the mainland , he practiced carrier landings at the airport before joining what was probably the USS Casablanca on a ferry operation to Guam . The ferry operations re - deployed entire squadrons from the Atlantic theatre to the Pacific in the later stages of the war . In this case VC - 13 transferred from the USS Tripoli to " Anzio " , but there were additional replacement planes for other carriers . Sharer was tasked to ferry a Wildcat to another Jeep carrier . After delivery , he transferred via bosun ' s chair to a destroyer who took him over to " Anzio " . This in itself rates as an activity that would surpass the zipline feature of a modern day cruise ship , but the transfer from the destroyer to " Anzio " was halfway through when GQ sounded . Sharer watched helplessly as crewman frantically winched the chair over while the crew of the destroyer broke out axes and proceeded to cut the line . This may have been the day when he realized that 13 was a lucky number . " Anzio " used a hydraulic catapult to launch planes , and these imposed a much higher G - force than the steam ones that later replaced them . When launching , Sharer had to brace his head against the headrest , but more importantly , he had to put his right elbow against the back of the arm rest . Since this hand held the throttle , if it wasn ' t braced this way , the cat launch would force his hand to move the throttle back to idle . The plane would end up stalling and likely be run over by the carrier after falling into the drink after launch . It wasn ' t always necessary to use the catapults . Depending on headwind speed , aircraft loadout , recovery operations and number of aircraft on the flight deck , it was often possible to free launch a Wildcat from a position just at or stern of the of conn tower . The top speed of the Casablanca class escort carrier was supposed to be 19 knots , but Sharer doubts it ever got over 15 . Even then , the deck plates would be shaking . Modern pilots probably don ' t think twice about the orders to " turn her into the wind " when launching and recovering , but with the escort carriers it was crucial . After coming back in from a patrol once " Beaver 2 " was cleared by " Beaver Base " to come in with glassy seas and maybe a knot or so of wind . About halfway through the pattern , Sharer was told to " belay that " and so he watched while " Beaver Base " proceeded to make a 180 degree turn while it looked for that elusive head wind . The LSO eventually gave in and cleared Sharer to land . Depending on aircraft load , the F4F had a stall speed of 70 - 80 mph at idle . Post - War . On 18 January 1946 , " Anzio " sailed for Norfolk , Virginia . She paused at San Francisco then continued southward to transit the Panama Canal before finally reaching the east coast . " Anzio " was placed out of commission on 5 August , and became a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet berthed at Norfolk . The ship was redesignated CVHE - 57 on 15 June 1955 . " Anzio " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959 and sold to the Master Metals Co . on 24 November . One of " Anzio ' s " anchors escaped salvage and may still be on display on the grounds of the Navy Yard in Washington DC . Awards . " Coral Sea / Anzio " received eleven Navy Unit Commendations and nine battle star s for service in World War II . The Secretary of the Navy commended the men of " Anzio " " For outstanding heroism in action against enemy Japanese forces in the air , ashore and afloat . Operating in the most advanced areas "