USS Saipan ( CVL - 48 ) The first USS " Saipan " ( CVL - 48 ) was a light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy , the lead ship of her class of carrier . She was later selected for conversion into a command ship in 1963 – 1964 , but instead of becoming a command ship she was converted to the Major Communications Relay Ship " Arlington " ( AGMR - 2 ) in 1965 . " Saipan " was laid down on 10 July 1944 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation , Camden , New Jersey , launched on 8 July 1945 , sponsored by Mrs . John W . McCormack , and commissioned on 14 July 1946 , Capt . John G . Crommelin in command . Commissioned . Commissioned eleven months after the close of World War II , " Saipan " trained student pilots out of Pensacola , Florida from September 1946 to April 1947 when , reassigned to Norfolk , Virginia as homeport , she departed the Gulf of Mexico ; participated in exercises in the Caribbean ; then proceeded to Philadelphia for overhaul . In November , she returned to Pensacola ; but , in late December , after training midshipmen , steamed back to the east coast to serve with the Operational Development Force . In February 1948 , however , her work in jet operational techniques , carrier support tactics , and electronic instrument evaluation was interrupted briefly . From the 7th to the 24th , she was engaged in transporting the United States delegation to the Venezuelan Presidential inauguration and back . On her return , she conducted local operations off the Virginia Capes , and in April , after a visit to Portsmouth , New Hampshire , she resumed work for the Operational Development Force . On the 18th , she also relieved " Mindoro " ( CVE - 120 ) as flagship of Carrier Division 17 ( CarDiv 17 ) . Fighter Squadron 17A . On 19 April , she departed Norfolk for Quonset Point , Rhode Island , where , on 3 May , she embarked Fighter Squadron 17A . Three days later , all squadron pilots had qualified in FH - 1 Phantom jets . The squadron had become the first carrier - based jet squadron . Back at Norfolk by the end of the month , " Saipan " was relieved of flagship duties . In June , she returned to New England waters ; and , in July , she commenced overhaul at Norfolk . In December , she resumed local operations . On the 24th , she was ordered to embark two of the Navy ' s latest type helicopter , the XHJS - 1 , and three Marine Corps HRP - 1 helicopters and proceeded north to Greenland to assist in the rescue of eleven airmen downed on the ice cap . Departing Norfolk on Christmas Day , the CVL arrived off Cape Farewell on the 28th and prepared to launch the helicopters as soon as weather allowed . On the 29th however a C - 47 , equipped with jet assist takeoff and skis , landed on the ice , took on the marooned airmen and made it out again . " Saipan " then returned to Norfolk , arrived on the 31st , and sailed again on 28 January 1949 . Steaming south , she conducted exercises out of Guantanamo Bay into March and returned to Hampton Roads on the 10th . From the 11th to the 19th , she conducted operations for the development force ; then made a reserve training cruise to Canada . At the end of May , she again commenced work for the Operational Development Force . Three months later , she conducted her second reservist cruise of the year , then qualified Royal Canadian Navy pilots in carrier landings . From November 1949 to March 1951 , " Saipan " remained on the east coast , operating from the Virginia Capes south . On 6 March 1951 , she got underway as flagship , CarDiv 14 , and sailed for duty with the Sixth Fleet . Deployed for three months , she plied the waters of the western Mediterranean until the end of May , then headed for home . On 8 June , she was back at Norfolk , whence she resumed operations in the western Atlantic from Greenland to the Caribbean . For over two years , " Saipan " continued Second Fleet operations , interrupting them for midshipman cruises during the summers of 1952 and 1953 and for an overhaul . In October 1953 , she departed the east coast and steamed for the Panama Canal and the Pacific . On 30 October , she arrived at San Diego , whence she continued on to Pearl Harbor , Yokosuka , and duty off the coast of Korea in support of the uneasy truce agreement . Assigned to TF 95 , she was primarily engaged in surveillance and reconnaissance missions along the coast and in inspection patrols of the islands just south of the 38th parallel . In January 1954 , she interrupted her patrols to provide air support for Japanese manned LST s ferrying former Chinese POW s from Inchon to new homes on Taiwan . In early February , she participated in amphibious exercises in the Ryukyus , then returned to Inchon to stand by in the event she was needed for an evacuation of Indian troops from Panmunjom . In March , amphibious exercises took her to the Bonins . She then returned to Japan , but instead of resuming truce patrols , she took on 25 AU - type aircraft and five H - 19A helicopters at Yokosuka and steamed south . On 18 April , VMA - 324 pilots flew the AUs off her flight deck and landed them at Tourane ( now Danang ) Air Base , to support the French Aeronavale fighting at the battle of Dien Bien Phu in the latest days of the First Indochina War . There the aircraft were turned over to French forces . Later in the day , " Saipan " entered the harbor , offloaded spare parts and maintenance personnel , and departed for Manila . On the 20th , she delivered the helicopters to Air Force personnel in the Philippines ; and , at the end of the month , she resumed operations off the coast of Korea . On 8 May , she put into Sasebo , and , through the 24th , remained in Japanese waters . On the 25th , she got underway to return to Norfolk via the Suez Canal . On 20 July , she completed her round the world cruise . Hurricane Hazel . In October , " Saipan " again sailed south to the Caribbean . Arriving as Hurricane Hazel hit the Greater Antilles , razing areas of Hispaniola , the carrier was immediately assigned to relief work . From the 13th to the 20th , she delivered food and medical supplies and personnel to isolated areas of Haiti ; then , after being honored by the Haitian government , she returned to Norfolk . On 1 November , she entered the shipyard there for overhaul , and , in April , resumed operations with a cruise to the Caribbean . In June , she was again attached to the aviation training center at Pensacola ; and , through the summer , conducted qualification exercises . At the end of September , she was ordered to Mexico to again assist in hurricane relief work . From 1 to 9 October , her helicopters evacuated survivors , flew in rescue personnel , and distributed food , water and medical supplies , primarily in the flooded Tampico area . On 12 October , she returned to Pensacola , where she remained until April 1957 . On the first of that month , she sailed for Bayonne , New Jersey , where she began inactivation and was decommissioned on 3 October 1957 . Converted . Reclassified AVT - 6 on 15 May 1959 , " Saipan " remained in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until March 1963 . She then entered the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co . yard at Mobile , Alabama to begin conversion to a command ship . Very briefly designated CC - 3 , she was instead reclassified as Major Communications Relay Ship AGMR - 2 on 1 September 1964 while still undergoing conversion . On 8 April 1965 , she was renamed Arlington , in honor of Arlington County , Virginia , the site of one of the Navy ' s first radio stations ; and , on 12 August 1966 , she completed her conversion . As " Arlington " ( AGMR - 2 ) , she sailed for Norfolk where she was recommissioned on 27 August 1966 . Fitting out occupied the remainder of the year . In January 1967 , she conducted shakedown exercises in the Caribbean , and , in February , she sailed for the Bay of Biscay and exercises off northern Europe . At the end of March , she returned to Norfolk , whence in April , she again steamed to the Caribbean . On her return to the Hampton Roads area , she prepared for deployment to the western Pacific . Vietnam . Departing Norfolk on 7 July 1967 , the communications ship transited the Panama Canal and proceeded on to Pearl Harbor , Yokosuka , and Subic Bay , whence , with " Annapolis " ( AGMR - 1 ) , she rotated on station off Vietnam . During her first patrol in Tonkin Gulf from 21 August to 18 September 1967 , she provided reliable message handling facilities for ships of the 7th Fleet in support of combat operations ; and , in addition , assisted ships in repairing and better utilizing their electronic equipment . On returning to the Philippines after her first patrol , " Arlington " received a new satellite communications terminal ; and , on 2 October , she departed Subic for Taiwan . There for only three days , she continued on to Tonkin Gulf , where she resumed her communications relay duties . At the end of the month , she shifted south to provide communications support to ships in the " Market Time " area off South Vietnam . After 34 days on station , she spent five days in Hong Kong , then returned to Subic Bay , whence she steamed to Tonkin Gulf in early December 1967 for her third " Yankee Station " communications patrol . On 27 December , she departed the area and headed north . On 4 January 1968 , she arrived at Yokosuka , and , on the 19th , she got underway to return to Vietnam . Arriving back on " Yankee Station " on 24 January 1968 , she departed again on the 26th , participated in exercises in the Sea of Japan ; then returned to " Yankee Station . " On station from 13 February to 10 March , she returned to Yokosuka on 14 March , remained until 3 April , and resumed operations in Tonkin Gulf on 10 April . A visit to Sydney followed completion of her April patrol ; but , by mid - June 1968 , she was back on station . From 20 to 22 July , she again visited Hong Kong , then sailed for Yokosuka . Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force . Between the end of August and mid - November 1968 , she completed two more tours on " Yankee Station , " and in early December , she got underway for Pearl Harbor . There at mid - month , she conducted communications tests ; and , on the 18th , she departed Hawaii in TF 130 , the Manned Spacecraft Recovery Force , Pacific . Acting as primary landing area communications relay ship , she participated in the recovery of Apollo 8 and returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 December 1968 . Two days later , she sailed for the Philippines , and , on 17 January 1969 , she resumed direct communications support for naval units in Tonkin Gulf . On 6 February , she departed " Yankee Station , " and , after upkeep at Yokosuka , conducted operations off southern Japan and in the Ryukyus . Toward the end of March , she sailed for Hong Kong , whence she returned to Vietnam . Remaining on station from 6 to 14 April 1969 , she tested her Apollo communications equipment , and , on the 15th , headed back to Pearl Harbor . On 2 May , she arrived in Hawaii and once again joined TF 130 . Again assigned as primary landing area communications relay ship , she departed Pearl Harbor on 11 May and steamed for the Apollo 10 recovery area , some 2 , 400 miles south of Hawaii . On the 26th , the capsule was recovered and the assigned ships returned to Hawaii . From there , " Arlington " proceeded to Midway Atoll where she provided communications support for the Nixon - Thieu conference on 8 June 1969 , and , on the 9th , she sailed west . On 27 June 1969 , the communications ship returned to the Vietnamese coast . On 7 July , however , she was ordered east for her third Apollo recovery mission . Arriving in the recovery area on the 21st , she tested her equipment ; and , on the 22d , moved to Johnston Island . On the 23d , she embarked President Richard Nixon for an overnight visit ; and , on the 24th , supported the recovery of Apollo 11 . Crew and capsule successfully recovered , " Arlington " headed for Hawaii , whence she steamed to the west coast . Deactivation and decommissioning . On 21 August 1969 , she arrived , for the first time , at her homeport , Long Beach , and four days later shifted to San Diego to begin inactivation . She was decommissioned on 14 January 1970 and berthed with the Inactive Fleet at San Diego . The ship was stricken from the Navy List on 15 August 1975 , and was sold by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service ( DRMS ) for scrapping on 1 June 1976 . " Arlington " ( AGMR - 2 ) earned 7 campaign stars for service off Vietnam .