USS Matanikau ( CVE - 101 ) USS " Matanikau " ( CVE - 101 ) was a " Casablanca " class escort carrier of the United States Navy . " Matanikau " was laid down as " Dolomoi Bay " under Maritime Commission contract by Kaiser Co . , Inc . Vancouver , Washington on 10 March 1944 ; renamed Matanikau 26 April 1944 ; launched on 22 May 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . Robert A . Grant , delivered to the Navy on 24 June 1944 , and commissioned at Astoria , Oregon the same day , Captain W . L . Erdmann in command . Service history . World War II . Following training in Puget Sound , " Matanikau " steamed to San Diego on 25 July . After embarking 191 military passengers and loading 56 planes , she departed on 1 August on an extended shakedown and ferrying run to the South Pacific . She touched at Espiritu Santo and Finschhafen , reached Manus in the Admiralty Islands on 23 August , and after discharging men and planes , she carried 112 sailors and 41 damaged aircraft back to the west coast , arriving San Diego on 19 September . " Matanikau " s run to the Admiralties and back marked her closest advance to the sea war in the Pacific . On 14 October , she embarked Composite Squadron 93 ( VC - 93 ) and began duty as qualification carrier for naval and marine aviators . Operating along the west coast out of San Diego , she trained hundreds of pilots during the closing months of World War II . For more than 8 months , she conducted flight training and qualification landings . From January – June 1945 , she qualified 1 , 332 aviators , and during these 6 months , pilots completed 12 , 762 landings on her flight deck . On 25 May alone , fighter and torpedo planes of Marine Air Groups CVS - 454 and CVS - 321 made 602 daylight landings , the greatest number on an aircraft carrier in one day . " Matanikau " departed San Diego on 28 July and carried 65 planes and 158 troops to the Marshall Islands . Operating under Carrier Transport Squadron , Pacific Fleet , she reached Roi Island , Kwajalein on 10 August , then returned to Pearl Harbor on the 16th . On 31 August , she sailed for the western Pacific to support occupation operations in Japan . As a unit of Task Force 4 ( TF 4 ) , she reached Ominato , Honshū on 11 September . For the next 2 weeks , she supported operations along the northern coast of Honshū , including landings by the 8th Army at Aomori on 25 September . After steaming to Yokosuka , she departed Tokyo Bay 30 September , touched at Guam and Pearl Harbor , and arrived San Francisco 23 October . Assigned to " Magic Carpet " duty from 3 – 19 November , " Matanikau " steamed to Saipan , where she embarked more than 1 , 000 returning veterans . Departing for the west coast on the 21st , she reached San Pedro , California on 5 December . Six days later , she again sailed for the Marianas . She arrived Guam on 27 December , embarked 795 troops of the 3rd Marine Division , and departed the next day for China . Arriving Taku Forts on 3 January 1946 , " Matanikau " debarked the marines who were part of an American force supporting the Chinese Nationalists in their struggle against the Communists for control of China . Decommissioning . " Matanikau " sailed for the United States on 9 January and entered San Diego harbor on the 29th . From 1 – 5 February , she steamed to Tacoma , Washington , where she remained during the next 8 months in an inactive status . She decommissioned on 11 October and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet . While berthed at Tacoma , " Matanikau " was reclassified CVHE - 101 on 15 June 1955 , and again reclassified AKV - 36 on 7 May 1959 . Ordered disposed of in March 1960 , " Matanikau " was struck from the Navy list on 1 April 1960 . She was sold to Jacq . Pierot , Jr . & Sons of New York on 27 July 1960 .