"Just A Little Bit of History"
Anzio Beachhead Veterans of World War II
.jpg)
Once was the USS Coral Sea (CVE 57) and the name was changed to the USS Anzio
ANZIO (CVE-57)
dp. 9,570 (tl.);
l. 512' 3";
b. 65' 2";
ew. 108' 1";
dr. 20';
s. 19.3 k.;
cpl. 860;
a. 1 5', 16 40-mm., 20 20-mm.;
cl. CASABLANCA; T. S4-S2-BB3
Auxiliary aircraft carrier ACV-57 was laid down on 12 December 1942 by the Kaiser Shipbuilding
Co., Vancouver, Wash. under a Maritime Commission contract (MC hull 1094); named ALIKULA BAY
on 22 January 1943; renamed CORAL SEA on 3 April 1943; launched on 1 May 1943; sponsored by
Mrs. Frank J. Fletcher, wife of Vice Admiral Fletcher; redesignated CVE-57 on 15 July 1943,
Capt. Herbert W. Taylor in command.
On 24 September, CORAL SEA got underway for shakedown in Puget Sound. She arrived at San Diego,
Calif., on 8 October to load aircraft and hold flight operations off the California coast. The
carrier sailed for Hawaii on 25 October and, upon arrival at Pearl Harbor, joined sister ship LISCOME
BAY (CVE-56) for exercises off Oahu. On 10 November, CORAL SEA steamed southwest to join the
American forces about to invade the Gilbert Islands. She launched strikes on Makin Island from
20 through 28 November. When Tarawa had been captured, CORAL SEA headed for Pearl Harbor
and arrived there on 5 December. She paused to embark passengers and load aircraft for transport
to the United States and departed on 8 December. The carrier arrived at Alameda, Calif., on
14 December to take on new planes. She put to sea on 22 December and steamed back to Hawaii.
On 28 December, CORAL SEA anchored at Pearl Harbor and began preparations for the impending assault
on Kwajalein.
The escort carrier was underway on 3 January 1944 for a series of exercises in Hawaiian waters.
After final fitting out, she sailed on 22 January in Task Group (TG) 52.9 and arrived in the
vicinity of Kwajalein on 31 January, two days after planes of the Fast Carrier Task Force began
pounding airfields on the atoll. CORAL SEA provided direct and indirect air support for the amphibious
landings. On 24 February, the ship set course for Eniwetok, but was recalled to Hawaii and
arrived at Pearl Harbor on 3 March.
After a brief respite, CORAL SEA got underway again on 11 March and proceeded to the Solomon
Islands. She anchored at Tulagi on 21 March, topped off with fuel, and loaded stores. Sailing
again on 30 March, the escort carrier headed for Emirau Island. From 1 to 11 April she launched
planes in support of forces occupying Emirau and returned to Port Purvis on 15 April.
The next day, CORAL SEA left Tulagi to assist in the reconquest of New Guinea. On the 19th, she
joined TG 78.2, which was formed to support Allied footholds at Hollandia and Aitape.
Her planes joined in strikes on the 22nd of April, and on 26 April, the escort carrier sailed to
Seeadler Harbor for replenishment and on 7 May, headed for Espiritu Santo for Availability.
Her repair period completed, the ship got underway on 8 June for Kwajalein, the staging point for the
invasion of the Marianas. The American forces sortied on 10 June, and CORAL SEA helped to
provide air support for landings by the 2nd Marine Division on Saipan. She endured numerous Japanese
air attacks during the next few days but received only minor damage. The carrier had moved south to
Guam on 17 June to begin softening-up operations against that island but returned to Saipan the next
day to assist the bogged-down American forces. CORAL SEA and her escorts retired to Eniwetok
on 28 June but returned to Saipan on 4 July. Her planes made further air strikes before she put into
Eniwetok on 15 July for repairs to her engines. Ultimately, CORAL SEA received work
that her name had been changed to ANZIO as of 15 September.
ANZIO held sea trials off the California coast and was ready to sail for the western Pacific on
16 September and entered the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for a tender availability. On 8 October,
the carrier began a series of training exercises; and, on the 16th, she set out for
Eniwetok. There, ANZIO joined a hunter/killer group and carried out an antisubmarine
warfare (ASW) mission while she was en route to Ulithi. On 4 November, she was ordered to
assist RENO (CL-96) which had been torpedoed in the Philippine Sea. When ANZIO was relieved
by EXTRACTOR (ARS-15), she resumed her ASW patrols and worked at that task through
mid-February 1945, when she teamed to Iwo Jima.
ANZIO resumed combat support operations on 16 February. Three days later, she launched a
strike to the north on Chichi Jima in the Bonin Islands. From 19 February through 4 March,
ANZIO followed a schedule of launching her first flight just before sunset and recovering her last
just before dawn. During these nocturnal operations, she completed 106 sorties without a single
accident. ANZIO departed the Iwo Jima area on 8 March and entered San Pedro Bay
at Leyte on 12 March. After 10 days of upkeep, she sailed to join the invasion of
Okinawa. After providing air cover for an Okinawa-bound amphibious group, the escort carrier
joined other forces int he vicinity of Kerama Retto in seizing that island group to provide an
advanced base for the Fleet. The Okinawa attack began on 1 April, and ANZIO remained on line
until she retired to Ulithi on 30 April for repairs to her rudder bearings. On 21 May, the carrier
resumed ASW operations in the Okinawa area. This role ended 17 June, when ANZIO sailed to
San Pedro Bay, Leyte, for upkeep.
ANZIO left the Philippines on 6 July to begin what proved to be her last stint of combat duty.
She joined TG 30.8 and positioned herself about 600 miles east of Tokyo. ANZIO made ASW
patrols in support of Admiral Halsey's attacks on the Japanese home islands. She
received word of the Japanese capitulation on 15 August and sailed for Guam on 19 August.
After refitting and training new flight crews, the escort carrier headed for Okinawa. From that
point, she was to provide air cover and ASW patrol services for transports carrying occupation
troops to Korea. On 8 September, ANZIO anchored at Jinsen, Korea, whence she provided
air support for the landings of the occupation force. The escort carrier left Korea on 13 September and
returned to Okinawa. On 19 September, she broke her homeward-bound pennant, became a member of a
Magic-Carpet" group, and reached San Francisco on 30 September.
While at San Francisco, ANZIO was modified to provide maximum passenger accommodations.
The carrier made two trips to the western Pacific and back, one to Pearl Harbor and one to Shanghai,
China, to shuttle American troops home. ANZIO arrived at Seattle, Wash., on 23 December and ended
the year at that port.
On 18 January 1946, ANZIO sailed for Norfolk, VA. She paused at San Francisco then continued
southward to transit the Panama Canal before finally reaching the east coast. ANZIO was
placed out of commission on 5 August 1946 and became a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet
berthed at Norfolk. The ship was redesignated CVHE-57 on 15 June 1955.
ANZIO was struck from the Navy list on 1 March 1959 and sold to the
Master Metals Co. on 24 November 1959.
ANZIO received six battle stars for service on World War II.
"HOME" "MEMBERS INFORMATION" "MEDALS OF HONOR" "REUNIONS" "CALENDAR OF EVENTS"
"MEMORIAL DAY" "VETERANS DAY" "CHANGE OF COMMAND" "NEWS UPDATES"
"KREIGSERINNERUNGEN" "USS ANZIO HOMECOMING VIDEO" "ANZIO AT SEA VIDEO"
"BEAUTIFUL DAY AT SEA VIDEO" "CHAPLAINS DAY AT SEA VIDEO" "MAY 4, 2004 MEMORIAL"
"ANZIO TRIP 2004" "MESSAGE BOARD" "ANZIO REUNION APRIL 2005"