USS Altamaha ( CVE - 18 ) USS " Altamaha " ( AVG - 18 / ACV - 18 / CVE - 18 ) was an escort aircraft carrier in the United States Navy during World War II . She was named for the Altamaha River in Georgia . " Altamaha " was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract ( MC hull 235 ) on 19 December 1941 at Tacoma , Washington , by the Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation ; launched on 25 May 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . Thomas S . Combs , the wife of Commander Combs , who was the commanding officer of , and commissioned on 15 September 1942 Captain J . R . Tate in command . Service history . Following brief sea trials , " Altamaha " got underway for San Diego , California , on 27 October in company with . While they were en route , " Kendrick " spotted a submarine and claimed that members of her crew had seen three torpedoes which had been fired at the escort carrier . However , no one on " Altamaha " observed any of the torpedoes . The voyage continued uneventfully , and the ships reached San Diego on 31 October . The carrier then took on aircraft and passengers and sailed in convoy on 3 November for the southwest Pacific . Upon reaching Espiritu Santo on 24 November , she delivered part of her cargo and continued on to New Caledonia . She reached Nouméa on 28 November and commenced a period of flight operations and training exercises . The vessel returned to Espiritu Santo on 30 December , but continued on to the Fiji Islands and touched at Nadi on 13 January 1943 before beginning another period of operational training . In early February , " Altamaha " paused off Funafuti , Ellice Islands ; loaded cargo and personnel on to barges and sent them ashore . The carrier then proceeded to Hawaii and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 10 February . There , the planes and personnel of Air Group 11 came on board , and the ship set a course for the Fiji Islands on 19 February . She reached Nadi on 28 February , discharged her cargo , and reversed her course back toward the Hawaiian Islands . After a short stay in port at Pearl Harbor , the escort carrier got underway on 9 March with replacement aircraft for the flattops of the Pacific Fleet . She paused at Palmyra Island on 15 March , continued on to Johnston Island debarked marine aviation personnel on 17 March , and touched at Midway Atoll three days later before reversing course and returning to Hawaii . She remained at Pearl Harbor for one day , 23 March , and then continued on to the West Coast . " Altamaha " reached San Diego on 1 April and commenced three and one - half months of flight operations off the California coast alternated with upkeep in San Diego . On 13 July , she arrived at Alameda , California , to take on planes from the naval air station there . The escort carrier got underway for Australia three days later and made Brisbane on 3 August . Following a 10 - day visit to Fremantle , Western Australia , she got underway on 16 August for India and arrived at Karachi on 28 August and delivered 29 Army Air Force airplanes . On 2 September , the escort carrier reversed her course and steamed back to Australia . She reached Melbourne on 18 September and , at the end of three days there in a leave and upkeep status got underway for the West Coast of the United States . On 8 October , the vessel entered the Mare Island Navy Yard , Vallejo , California , for overhaul . The escort carrier got underway for sea trials on 8 November paused briefly at Alameda to take on replacement aircraft , and sailed on 13 November for Brisbane . " Altamaha " reached her destination on 30 November and began discharging her cargo . The ship left there on 4 December to return home . Upon her arrival at San Diego on 21 December , she began a period of local operations carrier qualifications , and repairs . During refueling operations off San Diego , blimp K - 29 of USN Airship Patrol Squadron 31 ( ZP - 31 ) made the first carrier landing by a non - rigid airship on the deck of CVE Altamaha on 4 February 1944 . The ship got underway for Pearl Harbor on 22 March 1944 arrived there on 28 March , and began taking on Composite Squadron 6 for transportation to an operating area 300 miles east of the Marshall Islands . The carrier had been selected to be the nucleus of Task Group 11 . 1 ( TG 11 . 1 ) , and left Hawaii in company with four destroyer escorts on 30 March . The warships reached their assigned area on 3 April and began their first patrol . The group reported contacting two submarines but did not receive credit for damaging or destroying either . The task group put into Majuro Atoll on 8 April to allow the destroyer escorts to refuel . The ships sailed on 11 April to carry out a second anti - submarine warfare mission . " Altamaha " was the target of a torpedo attack on 15 April but successfully evaded all four shots . The remainder of the patrol passed uneventfully before TG 11 . 1 was relieved on 18 April and shaped a course for Pearl Harbor . Following a short upkeep period in Hawaiian waters , the carrier returned to Majuro in early May and operated in an antisubmarine screen off the Marshall Islands for several days before returning to Pearl Harbor on 11 May . After a two - day layover in Hawaii , " Altamaha " pushed on toward the West Coast . Reaching Alameda on 18 May , she entered the shipyard of the United Engineering Company for repairs and alterations . She resumed operations on the last day in May and headed for Hawaii , laden with aircraft and spare parts . Having delivered her cargo at Pearl Harbor , " Altamaha " returned to Alameda . From there , she proceeded to San Diego which she reached on 19 June and spent two days loading men and equipment before departing California on 21 June , bound for the New Hebrides . She reached Espiritu Santo on 7 July , discharged cargo and , on 12 July , headed for Morobe , New Guinea , where she arrived on 16 July . Having made additional calls at Langemak , New Guinea , and Seeadler Harbor , Manus Island , " Altamaha " arrived back at Espiritu Santo on the 25th . She made one more cruise from this island , during which she visited Seeadler Harbor and Guadalcanal . The carrier departed the New Hebrides on 10 August bound for Hawaii . " Altamaha " paused at Pearl Harbor for two days and then sailed on to San Diego . She spent four days there before getting underway and setting course for Pearl Harbor . She departed Hawaiian waters on 8 September , made port calls at Emirau Island and Seeadler Harbor , and returned to San Diego , where she arrived on 6 October . The vessel next spent three weeks in local operations before getting underway on 26 October for another voyage west . The escort carrier paused at Pearl Harbor for three days , then sailed for Eniwetok with replacement aircraft and pilots . On 15 November , she reached Ulithi and then carried out flight operations off Ulithi through 14 December , when she got underway for the 3rd Fleet replenishment area . On 16 December , the ship joined TG 30 . 8 in the Philippine Sea and , the next day , began transferring pilots to . However , heavy seas compelled her to break off that task . By early morning on 18 December , the disturbance had grown into a raging typhoon . By 0900 , the escort carrier was laboring heavily and rolling as much as 25 - 30 degrees to either side . An hour later , visibility dropped to zero , and the vessel abandoned all effort to keep station . Almost one - half of the aircraft on board " Altamaha " broke loose and plunged overboard . The ship also experienced problems with flooding in the forward elevator pit . By 1600 , the weather was improving and the ship rode better . Soon she made a rendezvous with other members of TG 30 . 8 . While the carrier sustained considerable material damage , she suffered no personnel casualties and was able to resume her resupply operations on 19 December . " Altamaha " continued her operations with the replenishment group through early February 1945 . During this time , she serviced 3rd Fleet units in Philippine waters and made port calls at Guam , Manus and Ulithi . On 15 February , the ship touched at Pearl Harbor . " Altamaha " continued on to the West Coast , arriving at Alameda on 26 February . The ship began an availability at the Hunters Point Navy Yard on 3 March during which she was dry - docked for routine work below the waterline and repairs to a propeller damaged in the typhoon . The carrier emerged from the yard on 14 March and began loading planes , ammunition , and supplies for transportation to Pearl Harbor . During the remaining months of World War II , " Altamaha " provided general transportation service from Alameda , San Diego , and Pearl Harbor to various points in the Pacific . Among her stops were Guam , Saipan , Eniwetok , Kossol Roads and Samar . Following the Japanese capitulation in mid - August " Altamaha " returned to the West Coast for repairs and an overhaul at the Hunters Point Navy Yard . She began sea trials in mid - October and got underway for Pearl Harbor on the 22nd . The vessel was then assigned to the " Magic - Carpet " fleet and transported armed forces personnel and equipment throughout the Pacific back to the United States . On 15 January 1946 , " Altamaha " headed to Tacoma , Washington . Deactivation preparations were begun there , and the carrier was placed out of commission , in reserve , on 27 September 1946 . The ship was redesignated CVHE - 18 on 12 June 1955 . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 March 1959 , and the vessel was sold on 25 April 1961 to Eisenberg & Co . , New York City , N . Y . , and , later that year , was scrapped in Japan .