USS Bennington ( CV - 20 ) USS " Bennington " ( CV / CVA / CVS - 20 ) was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy . The ship was the second US Navy ship to bear the name , and was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Bennington ( Vermont ) . " Bennington " was commissioned in August 1944 , and served in several of the later campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations , earning three battle star s . Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war , she was modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier ( CVA ) , and then eventually became an Antisubmarine Aircraft Carrier ( CVS ) . In her second career , she spent most of her time in the Pacific , earning five battle stars for action during the Vietnam War . She served as the recovery ship for the Apollo 4 space mission . She was decommissioned in 1970 , and sold for scrap in 1994 . Construction and Commissioning . The ship was laid down on 15 December 1942 by the New York Navy Yard , and launched on 28 February 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . Melvin J . Maas , wife of Congressman Maas of Minnesota . " Bennington " was commissioned on 6 August 1944 , with Captain J . B . Sykes in command . World War II . On 15 December , " Bennington " got underway from New York and transited the Panama Canal on the 21st . The carrier arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 January 1945 and then proceeded to Ulithi Atoll , Caroline Islands , where she joined Task Group 58 . 1 on 8 February . Operating out of Ulithi , she took part in the strikes against the Japan ese home islands ( 16 – 17 February and 25 February ) , Volcano Islands ( 18 February – 4 March ) , Okinawa ( 1 March ) , and the raids in support of the Okinawa campaign ( 18 March – 11 June ) . On 7 April , " Bennington " s planes participated in the attacks on the Japanese task force moving through the East China Sea toward Okinawa , which resulted in the sinking of the battleship , light cruiser , and four destroyer s . On 5 June , the carrier was damaged by a typhoon off Okinawa and retired to Leyte for repairs , arriving on 12 June . Her repairs completed , " Bennington " left Leyte on 1 July , and from 10 July – 15 August took part in the aerial raids on the Japanese home islands . She continued operations in the western Pacific , supporting the occupation of Japan until 21 October . On 2 September , her planes participated in the mass flight over and Tokyo during the surrender ceremonies . " Bennington " arrived at San Francisco on 7 November , and early in March 1946 transited the Panama Canal " en route " to Norfolk , Virginia . Following pre - inactivation overhaul , she went out of commission in reserve at Norfolk on 8 November 1946 . Post - war . The carrier began modernization at New York Naval Shipyard on 30 October 1950 and was recommissioned as CVA - 20 on 13 November 1952 . In this period , " Bennington " was the recipient of over 11 million manhours during her SCB - 27A conversion . Her deck was extended in length and was widened by . The point was to modernize the ship to be able to launch jet aircraft . She also had the guns removed from the flight deck , which were replaced by smaller guns . On 13 November , Captain David . B . Young took command of Bennington in a ceremony attended by more than 1 , 400 , including the Secretary of the Navy Dan A . Kimball and Rear Admiral Roscoe H . Hillenkoetter who said the Bennington was " the most modern carrier in our fleet today . " Marine Air Group 14 ( MAG - 14 ) , under the command of Colonel W . R . Campbell , USMC reported for duty on " Bennington " on 13 February 1953 , and " Bennington " set off for the waters off Florida to conduct carrier qualifications . The first trap was made on " Bennington " since her recommissioning by Lieutenant Colonel T . W . Furlow in his AD Skyraider . Furlow was the commanding officer of Marine Attack Squadron 211 ( VMA - 211 ) . The first jet aircraft to land on " Bennington " occurred on 18 February by Major Carl E . Schmitt in an F9F - 5 Cougar . When the qualifications were over , " Bennington " headed for Guantanamo Bay Naval Base where she underwent 11 weeks of shakedown training . Her shakedown lasted until May 1953 , when she returned to Norfolk for final fleet preparations . On 27 April , a downcomer tube in Boiler Room One slipped loose which caused an explosion that killed 11 men , and seriously wounded four others . From 14 May 1953 – 27 May 1954 , she operated along the eastern seaboard ; made a midshipman cruise to Halifax , Nova Scotia ; and a cruise in the Mediterranean . At 08 : 11 on 26 May 1954 , while cruising off Narragansett Bay , the fluid in one of her catapult s leaked out and was detonated by the flames of a jet causing the forward part of the flight deck to explode , setting off a series of secondary explosions which killed 103 crewmen , predominantly among the senior NCO ' s of the crew and injured 201 others . " Bennington " proceeded under her own power to Naval Air Station Quonset Point , Rhode Island , to land her injured . This tragedy caused the Navy to switch from hydraulic catapults to steam catapults for launching aircraft . A monument to the sailors who died in this tragic event was erected near the southwest corner of Fort Adams State Park in Newport , Rhode Island . Moving to New York Naval Shipyard for repairs , she was completely rebuilt from 12 June 1954 – 19 March 1955 . On 22 April , the Secretary of the Navy came aboard and presented medals and letters of commendation to 178 of her crew in recognition of their heroism on 26 May 1954 . As of 1 August 1955 , she was part of Carrier Division 2 , along with " Lake Champlain " . " Bennington " returned to operations with the United States Atlantic Fleet ( including a two - month shake - down cruise to Guantanamo Bay with ATG - 201 ) until departing Mayport , Florida for the Pacific on 8 September . She steamed by way of Cape Horn and arrived at San Diego one month later . The carrier then served with the Pacific Fleet making two Far Eastern cruises . The 1955 – 56 air wing was Air Task Group 201 , composed of VF - 13 , flying F9F - 6 , VA - 36 ( The US Navy ' s first operational light jet Attack Squadron ) flying F9F - 5 ; VA - 105 . flying AD - 6 , VC ( later VFAW ) 4 , flying F2H3 , VC ( Later VAAW ) 33 , flying AD - 5N . ( There was also a detachment of drones from VU something ; but we shot them all down ) , and a HUP detachment . This deployment represented the Fleet evaluation of the combination of the angled deck and the mirror landing system , which reduced the US Navy ' s Carrier Landing Accident rate by 75 % . During 1956 the ship was administratively part of Carrier Division Five , though operationally directed at times by Carrier Division One . The 1956 – 57 air wing consisted of one squadron each of the following : FJ3 Fury , F2H Banshee , F9F Cougar fighters , AD - 6 Skyraider , AD - 5N Skyraider , and AD - 5W attack aircraft , AJ2 Savage bombers , and F9F - 8P photo reconnaissance planes . Incident in Sydney . On 7 May 1957 , while docked in Sydney for Coral Sea Day celebrations , ten University of Sydney students dressed as pirates boarded the aircraft carrier in the early morning hours undetected . While some began soliciting donations from the Navy crew for a local charity , others entered the bridge . The public address system was turned on . " Now hear this ! " announced Paul Lennon , a medical student . " The U . S . S . Bennington has been captured by Sydney University pirates ! " Alarms for general quarters , atomic and chemical attacks were sounded , rousing the crew from their bunks . Marines escorted the students off the ship . No charges were filed . ASW Operations . She was redesignated as an ASW support carrier CVS - 20 on 30 June 1959 , and was on hand for the 1960 Laotian Crisis . She also had three tours of duty – between 1965 and 1968 – in the Vietnam War . As an ASW carrier , her air wing consisted of two squadrons of S - 2F Trackers , a squadron of Sikorsky SH - 34s ASW helicopters which were replaced in 1964 by SH - 3A Sea Kings in that role . Airborne early warning was first provided by EA - 1Es modified for the AEW role , these were upgraded in 1965 to the E - 1 Tracer which is built on the same frame as the S - 2 Tracker . In 1964 – 1965 , a detachment of A - 4B Skyhawks were also embarked . On 18 May 1966 , while cruising off of San Diego , California , " Bennington " hosted the experimental LTV XC - 142 A as it executed 44 short takeoffs and landings and six vertical takeoffs and landings , the ship steaming at various speeds to generate different velocities of wind - over - the - deck . She was the prime recovery vessel for the unmanned Apollo 4 mission and on 9 November 1967 recovered the capsule which had splashed down from the ship . Disposal . " Bennington " was decommissioned on 15 January 1970 , stricken on 20 September 1989 , and sold for scrap on 12 January 1994 , being subsequently towed across the Pacific for scrapping in India . In popular culture . The 1949 film " Sands of Iwo Jima " shows footage of the USS " Bennington " using a short hydraulic catapult to launch propeller - driver Corsair fighters . The 1955 film " The Blue and Gold " has actual footage of flight deck operations including jet and helicopter take - offs . One take - off shows a wing fold up on take - off and subsequent crash off the bow . The film " The Wackiest Ship in the Army " uses stock footage from the bridge area to portray actor Jack Lemmon receiving orders as the new commanding officer of the USS " Echo " .