USS Sicily
The USS Sicily was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier that was officially launched from the Brooklyn Navy Yard on April 14th, 1945 and sponsored by a Mrs. Julius Vanderwiele and was commissioned on February 27th, 1946 under the command of Captain B. W. Wright. The Sicily was actually named after the Italian island of Sicily because of the fact that it was the site of a major invasion during World War II and around the same time the Sicily was being built in Brooklyn, NY. The USS Sicily's initial procedural training took place in San Diego Bay, California and in the following month the ship was ordered to set sail.
The USS Sicily had been given orders to steam towards Newfoundland to take part in cold weather training exercises. The initial planning was for the USS Sicily to participate during summer exercises as well dealing with training for anti-submarine warfare along with other ships of the fleet but the North Korean invasion of South Korea drastically interrupted any pre-scheduled events. The ship had been dispatched immediately and the Sicily quickly set sail for the Pacific and towards Korea where she was then designated as the flagship of Carrier Division 15. During the same year, she also joined forces along with the rest of the 7th Fleet and constantly traveled along Korea's west and east coastal borders.
The final voyage took place for nine months of the following year where her tour of duty was based on serving the United Nations Escort and Blockading Force in whatever they required. That particular deployment had found the USS Sicily trialing and qualifying Marine helicopters running exercises for sea-based vertical envelopment maneuvers and techniques. Following that tour of duty the USS Sicily was ordered back to the Far East for one more year after which she was placed into reserve along with the Pacific Reserve Fleet and then reclassified as an aircraft transport. The USS Sicily was officially struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 1st, 1960. The USS Sicily was awarded five battle stars for service the Korean War.
The USS Sicily CVE 118 has been declared to be toxic, asbestos was used as a construction material in items commonly found on large ships. Asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, so the asbestos on board the USS Sicily could have been inhaled by the members of her crew. Exposure to asbestos is very dangerous and can lead to potentially deadly diseases, such as mesothelioma cancer. Any crewmember who may have been exposed to dangerous asbestos should seek medical attention and a respiratory evaluation from their physician. If diagnosed with mesothelioma cancer, it is advisable to begin mesothelioma treatment immediately.
Last modified: December 28, 2010.
