USS Antietam CV 36-1
The USS Antietam CV 36-1 was an Essex-class Aircraft Carrier that was laid down on March 15th, 1943 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was ultimately launched on August 20th, 1944. The ship was sponsored by a Mrs. Millard E. Tydings who was the wife of Senator Tydings of Maryland. The Antietam was officially commissioned on January 28th, 1945 under the command of Capt. James R. Tague. With the new aircraft carrier completed and ready for action she departed the Philadelphia Navy Yard on March 2nd and embarked on her first ocean voyage. The Antietam finally arrived in Pearl Harbor on June 19th and remained stationed among the Hawaiian Islands while she conducted training exercises until August 12th.
Upon her arrival at Eniwetok Atoll on August 19th, her mission had changed from a combat to occupational support. Two days later on August 21st she decidedly departed from the lagoon in the company of the USS Cabot as well as a screen of destroyers heading for Japan. The USS Antietam remained at her post in the Far East for a more than three years afterwards. During this time the Yellow Sea had constituted her primary Pacific theater while its air group had provided additional support for the Allied occupational forces of North China, Manchuria, as well as Korea. She then concluded her missions in and around Asia and steamed back to the United States for deactivation in early 1949.
The USS Antietam CV 36 had remained within the special reserves unit positioned in Alameda, California until the enemy combatants from the North invaded South Korea in mid- 1950. At that point she began procedures to initiate reactivation on December 6th and was fully re-commissioned on January 17th, 1951 with Capt. George J. Dufek in command. While in service after reactivation, the ship accomplished four cruises along with Task Force 77 off the coast of Korea. The USS Antietam CV 36 finally returned to the island of Yokosuka on March 21st, 1952 upon the completion of her fourth and final cruise with TF 77. The Antietam eventually returned to the United States in April to rejoin with the Pacific Reserve Fleet. Twice she provided humanitarian aid to victims of hurricane damage. The USS Antietam earned two battle stars for service in Korea and was decommissioned on May 8th, 1963.
The crewmembers of the USS Antietam CV 36 faced many dangers on a daily basis during their tours of duty. The ship was constructed during a period when the dangers of asbestos exposure weren’t known to the world and the crew aboard the Antietam may have unknowingly been inhaling these deadly asbestos particles. They were being put at serious risk of respiratory problems because these fibers were utilized inside internal piping systems within the ship’s insulation during construction. Mesothelioma cancer has been directly linked to asbestos and any crewmember of the USS Antietam CV 36 who is at all concerned about possible exposure should be evaluated by a medical physician immediately for treatment.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
