USS Shangri La
The USS Shangri La was an Essex-class aircraft carrier that was launched from the Norfolk Navy Yard in Portsmouth, Virginia on February 24th, 1944 was sponsored by Josephine Doolittle who was the wife of Jimmy Doolittle. The Shangri La was commissioned on September 15th under the command of Captain James D. Barner. Upon finally completing her shakedown voyage to the island of Trinidad on December 21st the USS Shangri La had returned to Norfolk, Virginia prior to departure to the coast of California traveling through the Panama Canal. She arrived at San Diego Bay on February 24th, 1945 where she then loaded additional aircraft for transport to Pacific.
The USS Shangri La left Leyte on July 1st to and headed out to the warzone. On the day following the Shangri La’s departure, a Mr. John L. Sullivan had the distinct honor of taking the oath of office as the new Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air while aboard the Shangri La. The USS Shangri La had launched her fighter pilots against Tokyo on June 10th and began with calculated series of strikes against the islands that continued on until the Japanese capitulation. The Shangri La dealt her last assaults of the war against the enemy airfields surrounding the Japanese capital of Tokyo during the early morning of August 15th, 1945. The USS Shangri La then began patrolling the strike area with her pilots providing support to ground forces as well as air-dropping supplies to prisoner of war camps for the following month. The USS Shangri La finally departed from Tokyo Bay on October 1st heading for San Diego.
She then began conducting training operations off the coast of San Diego which mainly involved pilot carrier landing qualifications. The Shangri La also took part in the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in May of 1946. The USS Shangri La was officially decommissioned on July 30th, 1971 and finally struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 15th, 1982. The USS Shangri-La was sold for scrap on August 9th, 1988 and then towed to Taiwan for complete demolition. The USS Shangri La earned and was awarded two battle stars for honorable service during World War II as well as three battle stars for service during Vietnam War.
The USS Shangri La and her crewmembers served their country well and she carried many thousands of soldiers across the seas. Unfortunately, the ship also carried materials that were made with the deadly substance asbestos. Asbestos is a dangerous material that can lead to respiratory diseases, more specifically the dangerous and rare cancer known as mesothelioma. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, so it can be easily inhaled and can cause great harm. Crewmember who spent time on the USS Shangri La was put at risk of exposure to this toxic material. Anyone who has sailed aboard the USS Shangri La should receive evaluations from a medical physician, and take steps towards initiating respiratory illness treatment if they are diagnosed with mesothelioma, often referred to asbestos cancer.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
