USS Albemarle ( AV - 5 ) USS " Albemarle " ( AV - 5 ) was one of only two " Curtiss " - class seaplane tender s built for the United States Navy just prior to the United States ' entry into World War II . Named for Albemarle Sound and Albemarle , North Carolina , and Albemarle County , Virginia , she was the third U . S . Naval vessel to bear the name . " Albemarle " was laid down on 12 June 1939 at Camden , New Jersey by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation , and launched on 13 July 1940 , sponsored by Mrs . Beatrice C . Compton , the wife of the Honorable Lewis Compton , Assistant Secretary of the Navy . She was commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 20 December 1940 , with Commander Henry M . Mullinnix in command . Service history . 1941 . " Albemarle " remained at Philadelphia , fitting out , through mid - January 1941 . Underway for Newport , Rhode Island on the morning of 28 January , the seaplane tender arrived at her destination on the 30th , and loaded torpedo es . She sailed the following day for Norfolk , Virginia , arriving on 1 February and , over the ensuing days , remained in that area , loading bomb s and pyrotechnic s and calibrating her degaussing gear , before she sailed on her shakedown cruise on the afternoon of 6 February , setting course for Guantanamo Bay Naval Base . The seaplane tender shifted thence to Havana on the morning of 18 February , and over the days which followed her captain made the usual formal calls dictated by diplomatic protocol . In Havana harbor , " Albemarle " dressed ship for Washington ' s Birthday , her 21 - gun salute to the American national holiday returned gun - for - gun by the Cuban gunboat " Yarn " . On the morning of 24 February , the ship got underway for the Panama Canal Zone . Diverted while en route , " Albemarle " anchored in the harbor at San Juan , Puerto Rico on the morning of 28 February , and that afternoon received the official call of Rear Admiral Raymond A . Spruance , Commandant of the 10th Naval District . That same day , she embarked 91 men from Patrol Squadron ( VP ) 51 and VP - 61 from VP - 52 for temporary duty and transportation , and sailed for Norfolk on the morning of 2 March . While en route , Commander Mullinnix was relieved as commanding officer by Commander H . B . Sallada . " Albemarle " moored at Pier 7 , Naval Operating Base ( NOB ) , Norfolk , on the afternoon of 5 March , but lingered there for less than a day , getting underway the following afternoon for Philadelphia . She returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and spent the rest of March there , undergoing post - shakedown repairs . The seaplane tender departed Philadelphia on 6 April , and arrived back at Norfolk the following afternoon ; there she took on board depth charge s and depth bombs . She sailed for Newport on the morning of 10 April , and soon after standing out into international waters past the Virginia Capes , met her escort for the trip – six " flush - deck " destroyers , one of which was the ill - fated . That afternoon she fueled two of her escorts , and at the same time , the former to starboard , the latter to port . " Albemarle " then anchored in the harbor of refuge , off Block Island , late on the afternoon of 11 April and , accompanied by the destroyer , calibrated her radio direction finder s . She then set out to finish her voyage up the eastern seaboard to Newport , arriving at her destination late on the afternoon of 13 April . She there joined a host of warships , ranging from the battleship and the heavy cruisers and , to old and new - type destroyers and the destroyer tender . While " Albemarle " had been on her shakedown , the U . S . determination to aid the British in the Battle of the Atlantic had resulted in the establishment , on 1 March , of the Support Force , commanded by Rear Admiral Arthur L . Bristol , to protect the vital lifeline between the U . S . and Great Britain in the North Atlantic . It was formed around destroyers and patrol plane squadrons ; the latter would be tended by small seaplane tenders ( ex - destroyers and ex - minesweepers ) and " Albemarle " . Over the next few days , the seaplane tender operated in local waters , at Narragansett Bay , off Martha ' s Vineyard and Quonset Point , running drills of various kinds and conducting target practices . Rear Admiral Bristol came on board briefly on 28 April and wore his flag in " Albemarle " ; that same day , she embarked her former commanding officer , now Captain Mullinnix , who was Commander , Patrol Wing , Support Force ; men of VP - 56 reported on board in connection with advanced base operations , as did men from VP - 55 . The following day , the planes from those two squadrons commenced night - flying operations . " Albemarle " , after again wearing Rear Admiral Bristol ' s flag on 2 May , departed Newport for Norfolk on 4 May , arriving the following day . The seaplane tender then cleared the Virginia Capes on the morning of 9 May for Newport , and arrived there the following morning . She embarked officers and men of VP - 52 on 12 May and then sailed the following morning ( 13 May ) for Naval Station Argentia , Newfoundland . Ultimately anchoring in Little Placentia Bay , Argentia , on the morning of 18 May , " Albemarle " was soon laying 13 seaplane moorings and gathering data on the weather of the region , establishing the advanced base for VP - 52 ' s operations from Argentia . Over the days that followed , in addition to tending the planes assigned to her , she also fueled a succession of destroyers . On 20 May , she received a visit from not only Rear Admiral Bristol – his first visit to Argentia , which he later made his headquarters – but Rear Admiral John H . Towers , the Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics , who both arrived separately in planes from VP - 56 . Both flag officers departed the following morning . Twelve PBY Catalina s of VP - 52 arrived at Argentia from Quonset Point on 18 May , and immediately commenced familiarization flights in the region – activities which were suddenly cancelled on 24 May . On that day , the , which had left Norwegian waters shortly before in company with the on what was to be a raiding cruise into the Atlantic , encountered and destroyed the British battle cruiser . An anxious Prime Minister Winston Churchill , concerned over the convoy routes that lay open to the powerful German battleship , immediately cabled President Franklin D . Roosevelt and requested American help . " Albemarle " quickly refueled the aircraft that had been flying training missions that morning and readied others for the urgent mission . At 14 : 40 the first group of four PBYs lifted off , followed a little less than three hours later , at 17 : 20 , by a second flight of seven . The pilots of the Catalinas were briefed for a long reconnaissance mission that would take them some southeast of Cape Farewell , Greenland . They encountered foul weather and very dangerous flying conditions in the course of their extensive searches , did not find their quarry in the murk , and were compelled by the fog and darkness to seek haven at various bays in Newfoundland , Labrador , Quebec , and adjoining islands . " Albemarle " remained at Argentia until 12 June , when she sailed for Norfolk , arriving on the 15th . There she loaded supplies , stores , ammunition and gasoline , before getting underway to return to Newfoundland on 20 June . Escorted there by the destroyer , " Albemarle " touched at Halifax " en route " ( 22 June ) , and then proceeded on to Argentia , screened by " MacLeish " and , arriving on 24 June . The seaplane tender supported the operations of VP - 71 , VP - 72 and VP - 73 until she sailed again for Norfolk on 19 July , in company with . Mooring at Pier 7 , NOB Norfolk on the morning of the 25th , she shifted to the Norfolk Navy Yard later that same day and remained there , undergoing an availability , until 12 August . Underway on the day , " Albemarle " , screened by the destroyer , sailed for Argentia once more , and reach her destination on the 16th , resuming her support of VP - 73 . She provided support for seaplane and flying boat operations out of Argentia through October 1941 . Clearing Little Placentia Harbor on 1 November , " Albemarle " sailed for Casco Bay , Maine , arriving there on the 3rd ; she then pushed on for Norfolk , arriving there on the 7th . On the day that Japan ese planes attacked the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor , 7 December 1941 , " Albemarle " lay at NOB Norfolk , embarking passengers before she was scheduled to get underway for anchorage at Lynnhaven Roads . On Christmas Day , 1941 the seaplane tender got underway for Newport and Argentia . 1942 . Ultimately , the ship proceeded to Reykjavík , Iceland , where she would encounter the most severe weather she would see in her career . One particular day , 15 January 1942 , was memorable . She set her special sea , anchor and steaming watches and put out both anchors with 120 fathoms ( 219 m ) of chain on the starboard and 60 fathoms ( 110 m ) to port , with her main engines turning over and steam up on all boilers . The winds were clocked at , with occasional gusts of 95 , forcing the tender to drag anchor . The gale lasted until 19 January , and caused heavy damage among the ship ' s patrol planes . The ship nearly collided with the heavy cruiser on one occasion , and was in danger of fouling several other ships during that time . Her starboard anchor was fouled once , and she lost the port anchor . She ultimately left Reykjavík on 19 January , steaming initially at greatly reduced speed because of the tempest , shaping course for Argentia , where she would embark passengers for transportation to Norfolk . Reaching Norfolk on 29 January , " Albemarle " then proceeded to Narragansett Bay , and there provided tender services to VP - 73 as that squadron worked with torpedoes there . On 5 March , Admiral Royal E . Ingersoll , Commander in Chief , Atlantic Fleet , made an unofficial call and inspected the ship informally . " Albemarle " completed her work with VP - 73 and remained at anchor in Narragansett Bay until 3 April , when she proceeded to the Boston Navy Yard South Annex for an availability . Her overhaul lasted until 1 May . Upon completion of her refit , " Albemarle " got underway for Newport , on 5 May , and there , over the next few days , degaussed , calibrated her direction finders , and loaded aircraft for transportation to Bermuda . Underway on 15 May with and as escorts , the seaplane tender reached her destination on the 17th , unloaded the planes she had brought , and immediately set sail for Narragansett Bay . Relieving in connection with aircraft torpedo and submarine familiarization training , on the 19th , " Albemarle " remained anchored in Narragansett Bay until 12 August , providing torpedo services for a succession of squadrons : VP - 94 , VP - 34 , VP - 33 and Torpedo Squadron 4 . Underway on 12 August and escorted by the destroyers , and , the submarine tender sailed for Norfolk . After her arrival there , " Albemarle " conducted gunnery exercises in the Chesapeake Bay operating area . Shortly thereafter , escorted by and , " Albemarle " sailed for the Canal Zone on 5 September 1942 . Damaging her starboard screw at Coco Solo , the seaplane tender was ordered drydocked for repairs ; after transiting the Panama Canal for the first time on 15 September , she entered dry dock at Balboa on the following day . Upon completion of repairs , she transported Army troops and marines to Rio Hato , Panama , for two days of joint Army - Navy maneuvers . Over the next several months , " Albemarle " acted as fast transport of aeronautical material and men to naval air bases in the Caribbean and the Pacific coast of South America , as well as in the northern South Atlantic . During this time ( September – November 1942 ) , she visited Salinas , Ecuador ; the air base at Seymour Island , in the Galápagos Islands ; San Juan and Bermuda , primarily operating out of Colon and Balboa and escorted by the seaplane tender . Relieved on station by the seaplane tender " Pocomoke " , " Albemarle " sailed from the Canal Zone on 13 November escorted by " Goldsborough " and the small seaplane tender . Proceeding via San Juan , Trinidad and Tobago and Bermuda , the seaplane tender reached Hampton Roads on 30 November having completed her longest sustained tour of duty outside the continental limits of the U . S . 1943 . Over the next seven months , " Albemarle " shuttled between Norfolk and Guantanamo Bay , Trinidad , San Juan , and Bermuda , on eight round - trip voyages . She varied this routine only slightly on the sixth and eighth of these , visiting Recife , Brazil for the first time ( 17 – 21 April 1943 ) on the sixth cruise and putting into the Canal Zone on the eighth . Her cargo included aviation gasoline and ammunition . Upon completion of that cycle of operations , she underwent repairs and alterations at the Boston Navy Yard between 15 June and 23 July 1943 , departing on the latter date for Norfolk , whence she resumed her cargo - carrying and transport run to Trinidad , Recife , San Juan and Guantanamo Bay . On this voyage , her last on this run , she brought back 27 German prisoners of war , survivors of a sunken U - boat . Underway from Norfolk on 16 September , " Albemarle " sailed for the British Isles , escorted by the destroyers and . Proceeding via Argentia , the seaplane tender reached Swansea , Wales with aeronautical cargo and passengers on 28 September , the men and freight she carried to support the newly inaugurated antisubmarine operations by patrol squadrons operating from the British Isles . Underway from Swansea on 4 October , she scraped a screw while leaving the harbor , and , after sailing via Argentia , reached Boston on 15 October . She was drydocked the following day , and the damaged propeller was repaired . " Albemarle " returned thence to Norfolk via the Cape Cod Canal , arriving at Norfolk on 18 October . Underway on 22 October as part of a task group formed around the escort carrier and three destroyers , " Albemarle " sailed for Casablanca . Routed via Bermuda , the group reached its destination on 3 November . After discharging her cargo and disembarking her passengers , the seaplane tender then sailed for the U . S . on 10 November with another convoy , this one larger and formed around the escort carrier " Croatan " and the light cruiser , escorted by seven destroyers , and containing the and three transports . " Albemarle " made a second cruise to Casablanca before the year 1943 was out , underway on 28 November and escorted by the destroyers and , and arriving on 7 December . She sailed on the 13th for Reykjavík , and reached that Icelandic port on the 19th . There she embarked men from VB - 128 for transportation back to the U . S . , and proceeded out of Reykjavík on 22 December for Norfolk . Battling heavy seas on the return voyage ( making only five knots on Christmas Day ) , " Albemarle " returned to NOB , Norfolk , on the last day of the year 1943 . 1944 . Proceeding thence to Bayonne , New Jersey on 4 January 1944 for upkeep and availability , " Albemarle " returned to Norfolk on 17 January and prepared for a voyage to San Juan . While outward - bound , however , on 18 January , the seaplane tender fouled a buoy in a thick fog and put about for repairs . Drydocked on 20 January , " Albemarle " sailed again for her original destination , San Juan , the following day . Subsequently touching at Trinidad and Recife , and retracing her path calling at Trinidad and San Juan on the return leg of the passage , " Albemarle " returned to Norfolk on 23 February for availability . She then steamed to Casablanca in company with the amphibious command ship and two destroyers , and , among her passengers on the westward bound trip , were 20 German U - boat sailors , prisoners of war . She arrived back at Norfolk on 1 April . After upkeep at NOB , Norfolk , " Albemarle " proceeded up to the Naval Supply Depot at Bayonne , where she loaded aviation cargo , between 7 and 13 April . She then sailed , via Norfolk , to Guantanamo Bay , Trinidad , the Brazilian ports of Recife and Bahia , and San Juan , ultimately making arrival back at Norfolk on 27 May for voyage repairs and upkeep . Loading cargo at the end of that period , including 29 dive bomber s , " Albemarle " again shaped a course for North African waters , the seaplane tender making arrival at Casablanca on 20 June . She proceeded thence to Avonmouth , England , where she loaded cargo and embarked passengers for return to the United States . Underway for Boston on 6 July , she reached her destination on the 13th . " Albemarle " spent the next month undergoing a 30 - day availability for repairs and alterations at the Boston Navy Yard . Emerging from the yard on 15 August , the seaplane tender proceeded to Bayonne , to load cargo . Sailing via Norfolk , the ship visited the familiar bases at San Juan , Trinidad , Recife and Guantanamo Bay before returning to NOB , Norfolk , on 29 September . After loading cargo at Bayonne ( 12 – 17 October ) , " Albemarle " headed south for the supply run to San Juan , Trinidad and Recife . Outward - bound the voyage proved uneventful ; however , while loading ammunition and cargo at San Juan for the return leg of the voyage , an electrical fire damaged the ship ' s main distribution board , putting " Albemarle " s lighting and ventilation systems out of commission . Underway for Hampton Roads on 22 November , the seaplane tender reached Hampton Roads on the 25th , and moored at NOB , Norfolk , on the 26th to commence an availability . 1945 . Underway for Guantanamo Bay on the last day of 1944 , " Albemarle " dropped anchor there on 4 January 1945 . Reporting to Commander , Fleet Air Wing 11 , for temporary duty , she tended Patrol Bombing Squadrons ( VPB ) 201 and 210 at " Gitmo " until 17 January , when the seaplane tender sailed for Coco Solo , arriving at her destination on the 19th . Thence she sailed for Trinidad where she tended VPB - 213 from 1 – 11 February . Shifting back to the Canal Zone soon thereafter , " Albemarle " commenced tending operations for VPB - 214 at Almirante Bay , Panama , on 18 February , and remained engaged in that duty until Washington ' s Birthday . On 25 February , the ship was designated as flagship for Commander , Air Force , Atlantic Fleet , the day after she cleared Limon Bay for the Galápagos group . There , " Albemarle " tended VPB - 74 and VPB - 209 from 27 February – 6 March , when the seaplane tender got underway to return to the Canal Zone . She steamed thence to Guantanamo Bay and Norfolk , arriving at the latter place on 17 March for an availability that lasted through mid - May 1945 . " Albemarle " cleared Norfolk on 18 May for New York , laden with cargo , escorted by the destroyers and " Dallas " . Two days later , the seaplane tender sailed for the British Isles in CU - 71 , a convoy formed around the venerable . " Albemarle " s mission was to bring back to the United States those patrol squadrons whose task in the Atlantic had been completed with the end of the War in Europe , and whose presence was required in the still - active Pacific theater . Ultimately , " Albemarle " reached her destination , Avonmouth , on 30 May , and brought her passengers – men of Fleet Air Wing 7 – back to Norfolk on 14 June . " Albemarle " made a second voyage to Avonmouth , sailing from Hampton Roads on Independence Day 1945 and reaching her destination on 13 July . There she embarked 772 sailors and soldiers , the majority of the latter repatriated prisoners of war . Underway on the 17th , the seaplane tender arrived back at Norfolk on the 26th . Entering the Norfolk Navy Yard on 28 July for repairs and alterations to fit her out for duty in the Pacific , " Albemarle " was in the midst of this availability when the Pacific War ended in mid - August 1945 . The Japanese capitulation suspended the work ; and , soon thereafter , the orders to the Pacific to tend seaplanes were cancelled . Shortly thereafter , however , " Albemarle " underwent alterations of a different kind , to fit her out for different duty . With repairs carried out to the ventilation and berthing arrangements , the seaplane tender departed Norfolk on 25 September with 2 , 000 Navy replacements embarked , bound for the Canal Zone . She soon reported for duty as a transport under the Naval Transport Service . " Albemarle " cleared Coco Solo , for Pearl Harbor , but while transiting the Panama Canal suffered damage to her port screw . Reduced to proceeding with a single propeller , the seaplane tender put into San Francisco for repairs . Assigned to the " Magic Carpet " fleet – the ships given the job of returning American veterans home for rotation or discharge – upon completion of her repairs , " Albemarle " sailed westward , arriving at Pearl Harbor on 1 November before pushing on for New Caledonia , arriving there on 13 November , eventually arriving at NAS Alameda , on 28 November . Following a second round - trip voyage to Samar , in the Philippines , and back , " Albemarle " underwent a three - month overhaul at the Naval Shipyard , Terminal Island , California in preparation for her participation in Operation Crossroads . 1946 . The seaplane tender arrived at the Marshall Islands on 4 May 1946 to provide laboratory and base facilities for the technical staff for the operation . On the date of the first test ( " Able " ) , an air detonation of an atomic device , " Albemarle " lay to the southeast , moored in Kwajalein lagoon . Departing there on 3 July , the ship reached Bikini Atoll the following day , and , except for a rehearsal exercise on 19 July , remained moored at Bikini until she departed the lagoon there on the 25th . She observed the second test ( " Baker " ) on that day , and after spending a brief period at Bikini departed Kwajalein Atoll for Pearl Harbor , reaching her destination on 5 August , her part in " Crossroads " completed . She continued on to the west coast , reaching San Pedro , California on 12 August , and remained there until she sailed for Norfolk on 29 October . Arriving at Norfolk via the Panama Canal on 15 November , " Albemarle " underwent a six - week overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard . 1947 . She remained in the Norfolk area until she sailed on 3 March 1947 with Commander , Training Command , Atlantic , embarked . Stopping briefly at Key West , Florida from 6 – 8 March , " Albemarle " proceeded on down to Guantánamo Bay , reaching her destination on 10 March for a week ' s operations there . Clearing " Gitmo " on 18 March , the seaplane tender returned to Norfolk on the 21st . Departing the Hampton Roads area on 9 April , " Albemarle " sailed for Boston , arriving at the naval shipyard there on the 11th . She remained there until 21 April , at which time she sailed for Newport , making arrival the same day . Departing Newport on the 23rd with ComTraComdLant embarked , " Albemarle " returned to Norfolk on the 24th , remaining in that vicinity , conducting refresher training and routine upkeep , until 30 June , when she sailed for Boston . Spending the 4 July at Boston , " Albemarle " remained at that port for over a month , shifting to Newport on 5 August and then back to Boston on the 14th , remaining until 2 September , when she sailed for Norfolk . She then conducted one more trip to Newport ( 22 to 31 October 1947 ) before coming back to Norfolk on 1 November . She then underwent a restricted availability at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard from 1 December 1947 – 15 January 1948 for " special temporary alterations " in connection with her next operation . 1948 . " Albemarle " sailed from Norfolk on 16 January 1948 for the Canal Zone , and upon completing the transit of the isthmian waterway reported for duty with Commander in Chief , Pacific Fleet , for temporary duty with Joint Task Force " Switchman " . Steaming thence to Terminal Island for final fitting out for her next task at hand , and arriving there on 4 February , " Albemarle " sailed for Pearl Harbor on 1 March , in company with the radar picket destroyer , proceeding thence to the Marshall Islands , arriving at Eniwetok on 16 March , to take part in Operation Sandstone . Specially altered for the task , " Albemarle " served as the laboratory ship during " Sandstone " — a three - detonation nuclear atmospheric test series – shots " X - Ray " ( 15 April ) , " Yoke " ( 1 May ) and " Zebra " ( 15 May ) . Departing Eniwetok on 21 May , " Albemarle " arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 27th , " en route " to Oakland , California , which she reached on 4 June . Sailing for Norfolk on 11 June , she transited the Panama Canal on 20 – 21 June , and reached her ultimate destination on the 26th . She remained there undergoing overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard until 23 August , when she sailed for Guantanamo Bay , reaching " Gitmo " on the 27th for a three - day stay . Over the two weeks following her departure from Cuban waters , " Albemarle " visited Key West , Boston , and Newport before returning to Norfolk on 14 September . 1949 . Following an overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard , " Albemarle " stood out of Hampton Roads on 8 February , and over the ensuing weeks visited a succession of ports and operating areas : Key West ; Port - au - Prince , Haiti ; Kingston , Jamaica ; and Bermuda , interspersing these port visits with training out of Guantanamo Bay . Returning to the Norfolk Naval Base on 19 March , she remained there into the summer , ultimately sailing for Boston on 13 July for a port visit . Subsequently visiting Newport and New York , " Albemarle " returned to Norfolk on 27 July , and worked in the local operating areas into September . Further operations late in the summer and early fall of 1949 took the ship to Newport , New York , and the Norfolk local operating areas . 1950 – 1956 . Standing out of Lynnhaven Roads on 2 March 1950 , " Albemarle " subsequently worked out of Vieques , Puerto Rico , and Roosevelt Roads before she visited Martinique ( 15 – 17 March 1950 ) , Grenada ( 17 – 19 March ) , Willemstad , Curaçao ( 20 – 22 March ) , and Ciudad Trujillo , Dominican Republic ( 23 – 25 March ) . Stopping briefly at Guantanamo Bay , the ship returned to Norfolk on 31 March and remained there until 11 May , when she got underway for the New York Naval Shipyard , arriving there the following day . While docked at Norfolk she appeared in the opening scene of the 1951 film " You ' re in the Navy Now " . Attached to the New York Group , Atlantic Reserve Fleet , the ship was decommissioned on 14 August 1950 and berthed at Brooklyn . 1956 – 1960 . Shifted to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in February 1956 , " Albemarle " was earmarked for conversion to tend Martin P6M Seamaster jet flying boats . She was reassigned from the Atlantic Reserve Fleet to the Commandant , 4th Naval District , for conversion , effective 6 February 1956 . Equipped with stern ramps and servicing booms to handle the " Seamaster " , as well as a semi - sheltered area and a service drydock , the ship emerged from the conversion possessing the capability to serve as a highly mobile seadrome capable of supporting jet seaplanes anywhere . " Albemarle " was recommissioned at Philadelphia on 21 October 1957 , Capt . William A . Dean in command . After fitting out , she sailed for Norfolk on 7 December , and arrived there on the 10th . The ship then sailed for Guantanamo Bay on 3 January 1958 , made port there on the 7th , remaining there for ten days and carrying out shakedown training , before dropping down to Montego Bay , Jamaica . Proceeding thence back to Guantanamo , concluding her shakedown on 21 January , " Albemarle " steamed thence to San Juan and Trinidad , carrying out tending operations with four squadrons of Martin P5M Marlin flying boats and participating in " Springboard " exercises . " Albemarle " arrived back at Norfolk on 9 April , remaining there only five days before proceeding back to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , where she remained under overhaul through mid - July . Returning to Norfolk on 20 July , the ship got underway for operations in the North Atlantic on 14 August to take part in Operation Argus , and ranged as far as the Azores before returning to Norfolk on 16 September . Over the next two months , " Albemarle " operated between Norfolk and Bermuda ; she rounded out the year at Norfolk , arriving there on 19 November and remaining until 2 March 1959 . " Albemarle " continued to operate out of Norfolk through 1959 and into 1960 , although the cancellation of the " Seamaster " program meant that the ship would never service the aircraft for which she had been reconfigured . Her ports and places visited in 1959 encompassed the naval air facility at Patuxent River , Maryland ; Pillsbury Sound , in the Virgin Islands ; San Juan , and Savannah , Georgia ; Halifax and Nova Scotia , Canada ; New York City ; Yorktown , Virginia , Port - au - Prince ; Guantanamo Bay and Bermuda . The ship commenced the year , 1960 , operating out of San Juan , then moved in succession to Bermuda , back to San Juan , thence to Pillsbury Sound and Grand Turk Island , in the West Indies , thence to Guantanamo Bay and Pillsbury Sound again ; thence to San Juan and Guantanamo , into March . Unloading ammunition at the Naval Weapons Station Yorktown , between 12 and 15 July , " Albemarle " moored at Norfolk , commencing preparations for inactivation , from 15 – 18 July , before she proceeded to Philadelphia to unload material . Returning thence to Norfolk on 30 July , she continued inactivation preparations through the summer . Placed out of commission , in reserve , on 21 October 1960 , " Albemarle " was initially berthed with the Norfolk group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet pending her transfer to the Maritime Administration ( MARAD ) James River Fleet at Fort Eustis , Virginia . Placed in the custodial care of MARAD , " Albemarle " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 September 1962 . USNS " Corpus Christi Bay " ( T - ARVH - 1 ) , 1965 – 1973 . On 7 August 1964 , MARAD transferred the ship – earmarked for conversion to a floating aeronautical maintenance facility for helicopters – back to the Navy . On 27 March 1965 , the ship was reinstated on the Navy Vessel Register and received the new name and classification USNS " Corpus Christi Bay " ( T - ARVH - 1 ) , named for Corpus Christi Bay in the southern Texas Coastal Bend ; the ship was transferred to the Military Sealift Command ( MSC ) on 11 January 1966 . Converted at the Charleston Naval Shipyard to an Aircraft Repair Ship , Helicopter , " Corpus Christi Bay " emerged from the yard only faintly resembling her former self . Gone was the prominent seaplane ramp , aft , replaced by a built - up superstructure topped by a helicopter landing pad measuring by . Previously , damaged helicopters had to be transported back to the U . S . for refit ; with the advent of this " new " ship type , repairs could be accomplished near the forward areas , damaged " helos " barged out to the ship and lifted on board by two capacity cranes . Accepted by MSC in January 1966 , " Corpus Christi Bay ' s " first commander was Captain Harry Anderson , who had a crew of 129 men , a fraction of the ship ' s original complement , under him . Accompanying the ship on her first deployment in support of forces in Vietnam was the Army ' s 1st Transportation Corps Battalion ( Seaborne ) , 308 aircraft technicians and specialists under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Harry O . Davis , USA . The ship operated out of Cam Ranh Bay , South Vietnam , during 1966 . During the Vietnam War " Corpus Christi Bay " participated in several campaigns from 1966 – 1969 . Ultimately determined by MSC to be " in excess of current and future requirements " . " Corpus Christi Bay " was taken out of service in 1973 and berthed in ready reserve status at Corpus Christi , Texas . " Corpus Christi Bay " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 31 December 1974 . On 17 July 1975 , the ship was sold to Brownsville ( Texas ) Steel and Salvage , Inc . for scrapping .