Home > USS Corregidor (CVE-58)

USS Corregidor (CVE-58) was laid down as Auguilla Bay (AVG-58) was reclassified ACV-58, 20 August 1942 and launched as Corregidor on 12 May 1943 by Kaiser Co., Inc., Vancouver, Wash., under a Maritime Commission contract; sponsored by Mrs. J. Hallett; reclassified CVE-58 on 15 July 1943 acquired by the Navy 31 August 1943; and commissioned the same day, Captain R. L. Bowman in command.

Clearing San Diego 26 October 1943, Corregidor joined Carrier Division 24 at Pearl Harbor for air strikes in the Gilbert Islands invasion from 10 November to 6 December. She returned to San Diego to undergo repairs and load aircraft and men, then resumed operations out of Pearl Harbor with her division. From 22 January to 3 March 1944 she sailed in the Marshalls operation, providing air cover for the invasion of Kwajalein.

Corregidor put to sea 11 March 1944 for Guadalcanal, arriving 21 March. With the 3d Fleet, she sortied 30 March to provide air cover for the landings on Emirau Island , returning to Port Purvis 14 April. Two days later she sailed to join the 7th Fleet for air operations at Hollandia between 22 and 26 April, then put in to Manus Island for replenishment and antisubmarine patrols until 4 May. Embarking Commander, Carrier Division 24 for the Marianas operation, Corregidor provided combat air patrols and antiaircraft support for the invasion of Saipan from 15 to 25 June, accounting for at least eight enemy planes. She covered the logistics force off Eniwetok from 1 to 3 July, then aided in the softening up bombardment of Guam and provided air cover for the invasion until 28 July when she returned to San Diego for overhaul.

After qualifying pilots in carrier operations at Pearl Harbor from 12 October until 21 November 1944, Corregidor joined a hunter-killer group patrolling east of the Hawaiian Islands. On 2 January 1945 this group moved to patrol the area between Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok to protect heavy Allied shipping, returning to Pearl Harbor 13 February.

Corregidor sailed from Pearl Harbor 27 February to search for an overdue plane carrying Lieutenant General M. F. Harmon, USA, arriving at Majuro 20 March. From 21 March to 27 April, she conducted an antisubmarine patrol in the vicinity of Japanese-held Wotje and Maloelap in the Marshalls, then off Eniwetok.

Returning to Pearl Harbor 4 May 1945, Corregidor was assigned duty as a training ship in HawaiiFor the 1959 novel and 1966 movie, see Hawaii (novel). Hawaii ( Hawaiian/ Hawaiian English: Hawai‘i with the ‘okina is the archipelago of the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean. Hawaii constitutes the 50th state of the United States, and as of the 2000, conducting carrier pilot qualifications until the end of the war. From 2 October 1945 to 10 January 1946 she alternated this duty with three voyages from Pearl Harbor to San Diego to return homeward-bound servicemen. Corregidor cleared San Diego 18 January 1946 for Norfolk, arriving 4 February. Here she was placed out of commission in reserve 30 July 1946.

Recommissioned 19 May 1951 Corregidor was assigned to operate with the Military Sea Transportation Service . She ferried men, aircraft and aviation cargo to NATO nations under the Mutual Defense Assistance Plan but also made five voyages through the Panama CanalThe Panama Canal is a large canal, 51 miles (82 kilometers) long, that cuts through the isthmus of Panama, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Because of the S shape of Panama, the Atlantic lies to the west of the canal and the Pacific to the east to bring men and cargo to the United Nations forces in KoreaKorea is a formerly unified country, situated on the Korean Peninsula in north East Asia adjacent to China in the west and Russia in the north. When World War II ended in 1945, the country was divided into two: the Republic of Korea ( South Korea) and the in 1952, 1953, and 1954. Corregidor was reclassified CVU-58 on 12 June 1955. When the Lebanon crisis broke in the summer of 1958, Corregidor was at BrindisiBrindisi (in Latin Brundusium Brundisium is an ancient city in the Italian region of Puglia. It had 100,000 inhabitants and was important because of its large natural harbor. In 245 BC or 267 BC it was conquered by the Romans. The famous Roman poet Virgil, ItalyThe Italian Republic or Italy ( Italian: Italia is a country in the south of Europe, consisting mainly of a boot-shaped peninsula together with two large islands in the Mediterranean Sea: Sicily and Sardinia. To the north, where it borders France, Switzer, and immediately lifted two reconnaissance planes of the 24th Infantry, USA, and 10 helicopters to support the landings in LebanonAlternate uses: see Lebanon (disambiguation The Lebanese Republic or Lebanon is a country in Southwest Asia, bordering the Mediterranean Sea. It is considered to be one of the fifteen lands that comprise the so-called " Cradle of Humanity". Lebanon is bor. Returning to the United States, Corregidor was decommissioned 4 September 1958 and sold 28 April 1959.

Corregidor received four battle stars for World War II service.

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.