USS Anzio

USS Anzio (ACV/CVE/CVHE-57), known as USS Coral Sea until September 1944, was the third of fifty Casablanca-class escort carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first U.S. Navy vessel to be named after the Battle of the Coral Sea, a major naval engagement in the Pacific War, as well as the first to be named for the Battle of Anzio, an amphibious landing in the Italian campaign.
In December 1942, she was laid down in Vancouver, Washington, by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company. She was named Alikula Bay in January 1943, renamed Coral Sea in April, launched in May, and commissioned in August. She participated in the Battle of Makin, the Battle of Kwajalein, the Western New Guinea campaign, and the Battle of Saipan. While she was conducting preparatory airstrikes for the Battle of Guam, her engines failed, forcing her to return to the West Coast for repairs. In September 1944, she was renamed Anzio, and took part in the Philippines campaign, the Battle of Iwo Jima, and the Battle of Okinawa. During this period, in December 1944, she weathered Typhoon Cobra and aided in the search for survivors. As Anzio, she operated primarily in an anti-submarine role...