The Official Chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II

Chronology of the USN in WWII

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  United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38)

Asisbiz USS Shangri La (CV-38) transporting replacement aircraft January 1945 UA 47642   Asisbiz USS Shangri La (CVS 38) underway in the Caribbean Sea on 11th February 1970 K 81800

 USS Shangri-La (CV-38, CVA-38, CVS-38)

Name: Shangri-La
Namesake: Shangri-La
Ordered: 7 August 1942
Builder: Norfolk Naval Shipyard
Laid down: 15 January 1943
Launched: 24 February 1944
Commissioned: 15 September 1944
Decommissioned: 7 November 1947
Recommissioned: 10 May 1951, 10 January 1955
Decommissioned (final): 14 November 1952, 30 July 1971
Reclassified: CVA-38, 1 October 1952; CVS-38, 30 June 1969
Stricken: 15 July 1982
Fate: Scrapped, 1988

General characteristics (as built)

Class and type: Essex-class aircraft carrier
Displacement: 27,100 long tons (27,500 t) standard
Length: 888 feet (271 m) overall
Beam: 93 feet (28 m)
Draft: 28 feet 7 inches (8.71 m)
Installed power: 8 × boilers, 150,000 shp (110 MW)
Propulsion: 4 × geared steam turbines, 4 × shafts
Speed: 33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Complement: 3,448 officers and enlisted
Armament: 12 × 5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber guns; 32 × Bofors 40 mm guns; 46 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons
Armor: Belt: 4 in (102 mm); Hangar deck: 2.5 in (64 mm); Deck: 1.5 in (38 mm); Conning tower: 1.5 inch
Aircraft carried: 90–100 aircraft

 

USS Shangri-La (CV-38/CVA-38/CVS-38) was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers completed during or shortly after World War II for the United States Navy.

Commissioned in 1944 and named after the mythical paradise of the same name, Shangri-La participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II, earning two battle stars. Like many of her sister ships, she was decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, but was modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s, and redesignated as an attack carrier (CVA). She operated in both the Pacific and Atlantic / Mediterranean for several years, and late in her career was redesignated as an anti-submarine carrier (CVS). She earned three battle stars for service in the Vietnam War.

Shangri-La was decommissioned in 1971 and sold for scrap in 1988.

 USS Shangri La (CV-38) at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth Virginia 24th Feb 1944

1. USS Shangri La (CV-38) being prepared for launching at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth Virginia 17th Feb 1944
2, USS Shangri La (CV-38) upon launching at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth Virginia 24th Feb 1944
3. USS Shangri La (CV-38) christening on 24th February 1944
4. USS Shangri La (CV-38) after launching at Norfolk Navy Yard Portsmouth Virginia 24th Feb 1944

Mrs. James H. Doolittle christens Shangri-La at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, 24 February 1944

Description and construction

Name - The naming of the ship was a radical departure from the general practice of the time, which was to name aircraft carriers after battles or previous US Navy ships. After the Doolittle Raid, launched from the aircraft carrier Hornet, President Roosevelt answered a reporter's question by saying that the raid had been launched from "Shangri-La", the fictional faraway land of the James Hilton novel Lost Horizon.[1][2]

Shangri-La was one of the "long-hull" Essex-class ships. She was laid down by the Norfolk Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, Virginia, on 15 January 1943, and was launched on 24 February 1944, sponsored by Josephine Doolittle (wife of Jimmy Doolittle). Shangri-La was commissioned on 15th September 1944, with Captain James D. Barner in command.[3]

Flight deck arrangements

The USS Shangri-La featured a robust and versatile flight deck designed to support its role as an Essex-class aircraft carrier. The flight deck spanned the length of the ship, measuring 888 feet (271 meters), providing ample space for launching, landing, and managing aircraft. It was reinforced with 1.5 inches (38 mm) of armor plating to withstand the rigors of combat, including bomb and shell impacts. Below the flight deck, a hangar deck with 2.5 inches (64 mm) of armor provided protected storage for up to 90–100 aircraft. Aircraft operations were streamlined with hydraulic elevators that transported planes between the hangar and flight decks. The deck also included a catapult system to assist in launching heavier aircraft and arresting wires for controlled landings, enabling efficient, high-tempo operations even during intense engagements.

Propulsion

The propulsion system of the USS Shangri-La was a testament to engineering excellence. Powered by eight oil-fired boilers, the ship's system generated steam to drive four geared steam turbines. Together, these turbines delivered an impressive 150,000 shaft horsepower (110 MW), enabling the carrier to reach a maximum speed of 33 knots (61 km/h or 38 mph). Four shafts connected to the turbines transferred this immense power to the ship's propellers. This propulsion arrangement gave the Shangri-La exceptional maneuverability and speed, critical for repositioning in battle zones or outrunning threats. The reliable and efficient system allowed the ship to operate over long distances without frequent refueling, making it a versatile asset in both World War II and Cold War conflicts.

Armament

The USS Shangri-La was equipped with a formidable array of weaponry designed for both offensive and defensive operations. The primary battery consisted of 12 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber dual-purpose guns, capable of engaging both surface targets and enemy aircraft at range. For close-in defense, the ship featured 32 Bofors 40 mm anti-aircraft guns and 46 Oerlikon 20 mm cannons. These rapid-fire weapons created a layered defense system, capable of repelling swarms of enemy aircraft. The strategic placement of these guns around the ship provided 360-degree coverage, ensuring no approach vector was left vulnerable. This armament allowed the Shangri-La to defend itself effectively while also providing fire support for its aircraft and nearby vessels.

Fire control and electronics

To ensure the effectiveness of its weapons and enhance its operational capabilities, the USS Shangri-La was outfitted with advanced fire control systems and electronics for its time. Radar systems provided early warning of incoming aircraft or surface threats, enabling the crew to respond proactively. These systems also assisted in navigation and coordination with other ships in the fleet. Fire control directors linked to the ship's guns allowed precise targeting, even under challenging combat conditions. Communication systems ensured seamless coordination with other units, while electronic countermeasures enhanced survivability against radar-guided threats. As technology advanced, the ship's systems were periodically upgraded to maintain its edge in detection and targeting capabilities.

Armor

The USS Shangri-La was designed with a layered armor system to provide protection against a variety of threats. The ship's belt armor was 4 inches (102 mm) thick, shielding the vital engineering spaces and machinery from direct hits. The hangar deck, with 2.5 inches (64 mm) of armor, protected the aircraft and personnel stored below the flight deck. The flight deck itself had 1.5 inches (38 mm) of armor, offering resistance to aerial bombs and strafing runs. The conning tower, where key command decisions were made, was protected with 1.5 inches of armor to ensure the safety of leadership during battle. This comprehensive armor scheme balanced protection with the need to maintain speed and maneuverability, ensuring the Shangri-La could survive and operate effectively in hostile environments.

Service history World War II

Shangri-La completed fitting out at Norfolk and took her shakedown cruise to Trinidad, between 15 September and 21 December 1944, at which time she returned to Norfolk. On 17 January 1945, she stood out of Hampton Roads, formed up with large cruiser Guam and destroyer Harry E. Hubbard, and sailed for Panama. The three ships arrived at Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone on 23 January and transited the canal the next day. Shangri-La departed from Balboa on 25 January and arrived at San Diego, California, on 4 February. There she loaded passengers, stores, and extra planes for transit to Hawaii and got underway on 7 February. Upon her arrival at Pearl Harbor on 15 February, she commenced two months of duty, qualifying land-based Navy pilots in carrier landings.[3]

On 10 April, she weighed anchor for Ulithi Atoll where she arrived 10 days later. After an overnight stay in the lagoon, Shangri-La departed Ulithi in company with destroyers Haggard and Stembel to report for duty with Vice Admiral Marc A. Mitscher's Task Force 58 (TF 58). On 24 April, she joined Task Group 58.4 (TG 58.4) while it was conducting a fueling rendezvous with TG 50.8. The next day, Shangri-La and her air group, CVG-85, launched their first strike against the Japanese. The target was Okino Daito Jima, a group of islands several hundred miles to the southeast of Okinawa. Her planes successfully destroyed radar and radio installations there and, upon their recovery, the task group sailed for Okinawa. Shangri-La supplied combat air patrols for the task group and close air support for the 10th Army on Okinawa before returning to Ulithi on 14 May.[3]

While at Ulithi, Shangri-La became the flagship of Carrier Task Force 2. Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Sr. hoisted his flag on Shangri-La on 18 May. Six days later, TG 58.4, with Shangri-La in company, sortied from the lagoon. On 28 May, TG 58.4 became TG 38.4 and McCain relieved Mitscher as Commander, TF 38, retaining Shangri-La as his flagship. On 2–3 June, the task force launched air strikes on the Japanese home islands – aimed particularly at Kyūshū, the southernmost of the major islands. Facing the stiffest airborne resistance to date, Shangri-La's airmen suffered their heaviest casualties.[3]

On 4–5 June, she moved off to the northwest to avoid a typhoon; then, on 6 June, her planes returned to close air support duty over Okinawa. On 8 June, her air group hit Kyūshū again, and, on the following day, they came back to Okinawa. On 10 June, the task force cleared Okinawa for Leyte, conducting drills en route. Shangri-La entered Leyte Gulf and anchored in San Pedro Bay on 13 June. She remained at anchor there for the rest of June, engaged in upkeep and recreation.[3]

On 1 July, Shangri-La got underway from Leyte to return to the combat zone. On the 2nd, the oath of office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air was administered to John L. Sullivan on board Shangri-La, the first ceremony of its type ever undertaken in a combat zone. Eight days later, her air group commenced a series of air strikes against Japan which lasted until the capitulation on 15 August.[3]

Shangri-La's planes ranged the length of the island chain during these raids. On the 10th, they attacked Tokyo, the first raid there since the strikes of the previous February. On 14–15 July, they pounded Honshū and Hokkaidō and, on 18 July, returned to Tokyo, also taking part in an attack against the battleship Nagato, moored close to shore at Yokosuka. From 20 to 22 July, Shangri-La joined the logistics group for fuel, replacement aircraft, and mail. By 24 July, her pilots were attacking shipping in the vicinity of Kure. They returned the next day for a repeat performance, before departing for a two-day replenishment period on 26–27 July. On the following day, Shangri-La's aircraft damaged light cruiser Ōyodo and battleship Haruna, the latter so badly that she beached and flooded. She later had to be abandoned. They pummeled Tokyo again on 30 July, then cleared the area to replenish on 31 July and 1 August.[3]

Shangri-La spent the next four days in the retirement area waiting for a typhoon to pass. On 9 August, after heavy fog had caused the cancellation of the previous day's missions, the carrier sent her planes aloft to bomb Honshū and Hokkaido once again. The next day, they raided Tokyo and central Honshū, then retired from the area for logistics. She evaded another typhoon on 11–12 August, then hit Tokyo again on 13 August. After replenishing on 14 August, she sent planes to strike the airfields around Tokyo on the morning of 15 August 1945. Soon thereafter, Japan's capitulation was announced; and the fleet was ordered to cease hostilities. Shangri-La steamed around in the strike area from 15 to 23 August, patrolling the Honshū area on the latter date. From 23 August – 16 September, her planes sortied on missions of mercy, air-dropping supplies to Allied prisoners of war in Japan.[3]

Shangri-La entered Tokyo Bay on 16 September, almost two weeks after the surrender ceremony onboard battleship Missouri, and remained there until 1 October. Departing Japan, she arrived at Okinawa on 4 October staying until 6 October, and then headed for the United States in company with Task Unit 38.1.1. She sailed into San Pedro Bay, on 21 October and stayed at Long Beach for three weeks. On 5 November, she shifted to San Diego, departing that port a month later for Bremerton, Washington. She entered Puget Sound on 9 December, underwent availability until 30 December, and then returned to San Diego.[3]

Post-war

 Shangri-La after her SCB-125 refit in 1956

USS Shangri La (CVA-39) F9F-8 of VA-63 after barrier landing circa 1957

Shangri-La after her SCB-125 refit in 1956

Upon her return, Shangri-La began normal operations out of San Diego, primarily engaged in pilot carrier landing qualifications. In May 1946, she sailed for the Central Pacific to participate in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests conducted at Bikini Atoll. Following this, she made a brief training cruise to Pearl Harbor, then wintered at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. In March 1947, she deployed again, calling at Pearl Harbor and Sydney, Australia. When she returned to the United States, Shangri-La was decommissioned and placed in the Reserve Fleet at San Francisco on 7 November 1947.[3]

Shangri-La recommissioned on 10 May 1951, Captain Francis L. Busey in command. For the next year, she conducted training and readiness operations out of Boston, Massachusetts. Reclassified as an attack carrier (CVA-38) in 1952, she returned to Puget Sound that fall and decommissioned again on 14 November, this time for modernization at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. During the next two years, she received an angled flight deck and twin steam catapults, and her aircraft elevators and arresting gear were overhauled. At a cost of approximately $7 million, she was virtually a new ship when she commissioned for the third time on 10 January 1955, Captain Roscoe L. Newman commanding; she was the second (after USS Antietam (CVA-36)[4]) operational U.S. carrier with an angled flight deck. She conducted intensive fleet training for the remainder of 1955, then deployed to the Far East on 5 January 1956. Until 1960, she alternated western Pacific cruises with operations out of San Diego. On 16 March 1960, she put to sea from San Diego en route to her new home port, Mayport, Florida. She entered Mayport after visits to Callao, Peru; Valparaíso, Chile; Port of Spain, Trinidad; Bayonne, New Jersey; and Norfolk, Virginia.[3]

After six weeks of underway training in the local operating area around Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, she embarked upon her first Atlantic deployment, a NATO exercise followed by liberty in Southampton, England. Almost immediately after her return to Mayport, Shangri-La was ordered back to sea-this time to the Caribbean in response to trouble in Guatemala and Nicaragua. She returned to Mayport on 25 November and remained in port for more than two months.[3]

Between 1961 and 1970, Shangri-La alternated between deployments to the Mediterranean and operations in the western Atlantic, out of Mayport. She sailed east for her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet on 2 February 1961. She returned to the United States that fall and entered the New York Naval Shipyard. Back in Mayport by the beginning of 1962, Shangri-La stood out again for the Mediterranean on 7 February. After about six months of cruising with the 6th Fleet, she departed the Mediterranean in mid-August and arrived in Mayport on 28 August.[3]

Following a month's stay at her home port, the aircraft carrier headed for New York and a major overhaul. Shangri-La was modified extensively during her stay in the yard. Four of her 5 in (127 mm) mounts were removed, but she received a new air search and height finding radar and a new arrester system. In addition, much of her electrical and engineering equipment was renovated. After sea trials and visits to Bayonne and Norfolk, Shangri-La returned to Mayport for a week in late March 1963; then put to sea for operations in the Caribbean. Eight months of similar duty followed before Shangri-La weighed anchor for another deployment. On 1 October 1963, she headed back to the 6th Fleet for a seven-month tour.[3]

 USS Shangri La (CVA 38) in the 1960's

USS Shangri La (CVA-38) at sea with AD Skyraiders of VA-176 on deck 25th Nov 1960

Vietnam War

Asisbiz USS Shangri La (CVS 38) underway in the Caribbean Sea on 11th February 1970 K 81800

Shangri-La in 1970 on her last deployment

Shangri-La continued her United States Second Fleet and Sixth Fleet assignments for the next six years. From 15 February 1965 to 20 September 1965, she made a Mediterranean deployment with Carrier Air Wing 10 embarked.

In the fall of 1965, Shangri-La collided with the destroyer Newman K. Perry off Sardinia. Shangri-La was struck below the waterline, breaching the hull. On the destroyer, one man was killed and another injured.[5] The ship itself suffered a bent hull. There were no casualties on the carrier and the hole was quickly patched at sea by the crew of the tender ship Shenandoah.[citation needed] As a result of this incident, Shangri-La underwent an extensive overhaul during the winter of 1965 and the spring of 1966, this time at Philadelphia, then resumed operations as before. On 30 June 1969, she was redesignated an antisubmarine warfare carrier (CVS-38).[3]

In 1970, Shangri-La returned to the western Pacific after an absence of 10 years. She got underway from Mayport on 5 March, stopped at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 13 to 16 March, and headed east through the Atlantic and Indian oceans. She arrived in Subic Bay, Philippines on 4 April, and during the next seven months launched combat sorties from Yankee Station. Her tours of duty on Yankee Station were punctuated by frequent logistics trips to Subic Bay, by visits to Manila and Hong Kong, in October, and by 12 days in drydock at Yokosuka, Japan, in July.[3]

On 9 November, Shangri-La stood out of Subic Bay to return home. En route to Mayport, she visited Sydney, Australia; Wellington, New Zealand; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She arrived in Mayport on 16 December and began preparations for inactivation. After inactivation overhaul at the Boston Naval Shipyard, South Annex, Shangri-La decommissioned on 30 July 1971. She was placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and berthed at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.[3]

Fate

Asisbiz USS Iowa (BB-61) USS Wisconsin (BB-64) and USS Shangri La (CVS-38) laid up in 1978

Shangri-La (left), Wisconsin (center), and Iowa mothballed at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, July 1978

Shangri-La remained in the reserve fleet for the next 11 years, and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 July 1982. She was retained by MARAD for several years to provide spare parts for the training carrier Lexington. On 9 August 1988, she was sold for scrap and later towed to Taiwan for demolition.[3]

One of Shangri-La's four propellers is on display outside Meding's Seafood in Milford, Delaware.[6]

On 6 September 2017, USS Shangri-La's bell was placed on display at Jacksonville University NROTC Building as a permanent loan. The bell was found by a farmer in his field at Hudson, Florida, in June 2017. He notified the USS Shangri La Reunion Group, who repaired and restored the bell before loaning it to the NROTC unit.[7]

Awards

Shangri-La earned two battle stars for World War II service and three battle stars for service in the Vietnam War.[8]

USS Shangri-La (CV/CVA/CVS-38) Awards
Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation Navy Expeditionary Medal American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2 battle stars) World War II Victory Medal Navy Occupation Medal (with Asia clasp)
China Service Medal (extended) National Defense Service Medal (2) Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Vietnam Service Medal (3 battle stars) Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal  

 

 

  United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV/CVA/CVS-38)

United States Navy aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La CV-38
From Till Operation Force Action
45/01/24       joinPac-Panama Canal
45/02/04 45/02/07     San Diego - load provisions, passengers, extra planes
45/02/07 45/02/15     sail San Diego > P.H.
45/02/15 45/04/10     P.H. - land based Navy squardons carrier qualifications
45/04/10 45/04/20     sail P.H. > Ulithi
45/04/21 45/04/24     sail Ulithi > Okinawa area to join TF 58
45/04/24 45/05/28 Iceber 58.4 CVG-85
45/05/28 45/05/10 Iceber 38.4/FF od 44/05/28 CVG-85
45/07/01 45/07/30   38.4 raid Home Islands

Shangri-La, an aircraft carrier, was laid down by the Norfolk Navy Yard, at Portsmouth, Va., on 15 January 1943, launched on 24 February 1944, sponsored by Mrs. James H. Doolittle, and commissioned on 15 September 1944, Capt. James D. Barner in command.

Shangri-La completed fitting out at Norfolk and took her shakedown cruise to Trinidad, B.W.I., between 15 September and 21 December 1944, at which time she returned to Norfolk. On 17 January 1945, she stood out of Hampton Roads, formed up with the large cruiser USS Guam (CB-2) and USS Harry E. Hubbard (DD-748), and sailed for Panama. The three ships arrived at Cristobal, C.Z., on the 23d and transited the canal on the 24th. Shangri-La departed from Balboa, C.Z., on 25 January and arrived at San Diego, Calif., on 4 February. There she loaded passengers, stores, and extra planes for transit to Hawaii and got underway on 7 February. Upon her arrival at Pearl Harbor on 15 February, she commenced two months of duty, qualifying land-based Navy pilots in carrier landings.

On 10 April 1945, she weighed anchor for Ulithi Atoll where she arrived ten days later. After an overnight stay in the lagoon, Shangri-La departed Ulithi in company with USS Haggard (DD-555) and USS Stembel (DD-644) to report for duty with Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher's Fast Carrier Task Force. On 24 April, she joined Task Group 58.4 while it was conducting a fueling rendezvous with TG 50.8. The next day, Shangri-La and her air group, CVG-85, launched their first strike against the Japanese. The target was Okino Daito Jima, a group of islands several hundred miles to the southeast of Okinawa. Her planes successfully destroyed radar and radio installations there and, upon their recovery, the task group sailed for Okinawa. Shangri-La supplied combat air patrols for the task group and close air support for the 10th Army on Okinawa before returning to Ulithi on 14 May.

While at Ulithi, Shangri-La became the flagship of the 2d Carrier Task Force. Vice Adm. John S McCain hoisted his flag in Shangri-La on 18 May 1945. Six days later, TG 58.4, with Shangri-La in company, sortied from the lagoon. On 28 May, TG 58.4 became TG 38.4 and Vice Adm. McCain relieved Vice Adm. Mitscher as Commander, Task Force 38, retaining Shangri-La as his flagship. On 2 and 3 June, the task force launched air strikes on the Japanese home islands — -aimed particularly at Kyushu, the southernmost of the major islands. Facing the stiffest airborne resistance to date, Shangri-La's airmen suffered their heaviest casualties.

On 4 and 5 June, she moved off to the northwest to avoid a typhoon; then, on the 6th, her planes returned to close air support duty over Okinawa. On the 8th, her air group hit Kyushu again, and, on the following day, they came back to Okinawa. On 10 June 1945, the task force cleared Okinawa for Leyte, conducting drills en route. Shangri-La entered Leyte Gulf and anchored in San Pedro Bay on 13 June. She remained at anchor there for the rest of June, engaged in upkeep and recreation. On 1 July, Shangri-La got underway from Leyte to return to the combat zone. On 2 July, the oath of office of Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air was administered to John L. Sullivan on board Shangri-La, the first ceremony of its type ever undertaken in a combat zone. Eight days later, her air group commenced a series of air strikes against Japan which lasted until the capitulation on 15 August.

Shangri-La's planes ranged the length of the island chain during these raids. On 10 July, they attacked Tokyo, the first raid there since the strikes of the previous February. On 14 and 15 July, they pounded Honshu and Hokkaido and, on the 18th , returned to Tokyo, also bombing battleship Nagato, moored close to shore at Yokosuka. From 20 to 22 July, Shangri-La joined the logistics group for fuel, replacement aircraft, and mail. By the 24th, her pilots were attacking shipping in the vicinity of Kure. They returned the next day for a repeat performance, before departing for a two-day replenishment period on the 26th and 27th. On the following day, Shangri-La's aircraft damaged cruiser Oyoda, and battleship Haruna, the latter so badly that she beached and flooded. She later had to be abandoned. They pummeled Tokyo again on 30 July, then cleared the area to replenish on 31 July and 1 August.

Shangri-La spent the next four days in the retirement area waiting for a typhoon to pass. On 9 August, after heavy fog had caused the cancellation of the previous day's missions, the carrier sent her planes aloft to bomb Honshu and Hokkaido once again. The next day, they raided Tokyo and central Honshu, then retired from the area for logistics. She evaded another typhoon on 11 and 12 August, then hit Tokyo again on the 13th. After replenishing on the 14th, she sent planes to strike the airfields around Tokyo on the morning of 15 August 1945. Soon thereafter, Japan's capitulation was announced; and the fleet was ordered to cease hostilities. Shangri-La steamed around in the strike area from 15 to 23 August, patrolling the Honshu area on the latter date. Between 23 August and 16 September, her planes sortied on missions of mercy, air-dropping supplies to Allied prisoners of war in Japan.

Shangri-La entered Tokyo Bay on 16 September, almost two weeks after the surrender ceremony on board USS Missouri (BB-63), and remained there until 1 October. Departing Japan, she arrived at Okinawa on 4 October stayed until the 6th, and then headed for the United States in company with Task Unit 38.1.1. She sailed into San Pedro Bay, Calif., on 21 October and stayed at Long Beach for three weeks. On 5 November, she shifted to San Diego, departing that port a month later for Bremerton, Wash. She entered Puget Sound on 9 December, underwent availability until the 30th, and then returned to San Diego.

Upon her return, Shangri-La began normal operations out of San Diego, primarily engaged in pilot carrier landing qualifications. In May 1946, she sailed for the Central Pacific to participate in Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests conducted at Bikini Atoll. Following this, she made a brief training cruise to Pearl Harbor, then wintered at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. In March 1947, she deployed again, calling at Pearl Harbor and Sydney, Australia. When she returned to the United States, Shangri-La was decommissioned and placed in the Reserve Fleet at San Francisco on 7 November 1947.

Shangri-La recommissioned on 10 May 1951, Capt. Francis L. Busey in command. For the next year, she conducted training and readiness operations out of Boston, Mass. Reclassified an attack aircraft carrier, CVA-38, in 1952, she returned to Puget Sound that fall and decommissioned again on 14 November, this time for modernization at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

During the next two years, she received an angled flight deck, twin steam catapults, and her aircraft elevators and arresting gear were overhauled. At a cost of approximately $ 7 million, she was virtually a new ship when she commissioned for the third time on 10 January 1955, Capt. Roscoe L. Newman commanding.

She conducted intensive fleet training for the remainder of 1955, then deployed to the Far East on 5 January 1956. On 2 September 1956, the second day of the National Air Show, Lt. (j.g.) R. Carson, flying an F3H-2N Demon of VF-124, captured the McDonnell Trophy with a non-stop, non-refueling flight from Shangri-La off the coast of San Francisco to Oklahoma City. Lt.(j.g.) Carson covered the 1,436 miles in two hours 32 minutes 13.45 seconds for an average speed of 566.007 mph.

On 16 March 1960, she put to sea from San Diego en route to her new home port, Mayport, Fla. She entered Mayport after visits to Callao, Peru; Valparaiso, Chile; Port of Spain, Trinidad; Bayonne, N.J.; and Norfolk, Va.

After six weeks of underway training in the local operating area around Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she embarked upon her first Atlantic deployment, a NATO exercise followed by liberty in Southampton, England. Almost immediately after her return to Mayport, Shangri-La was ordered back to sea, this time to the Caribbean in response to trouble in Guatemala and Nicaragua. She returned to Mayport on 25 November 1960 and remained in port for more than two months.

Between 1961 and 1970, Shangri-La alternated between deployments to the Mediterranean and operations in the western Atlantic, out of Mayport. She sailed east for her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet on 2 February 1961. On 1 June 1961, Shangri-La, along with USS Intrepid (CV-11) and USS Randolph (CV-15), was ordered to stand by off southern Hispaniola when a general uprising seemed about to follow the assasination of President Trujillo of the Domincan Republic.

She returned to the United States that fall and entered the New York Naval Shipyard. Back in Mayport by the beginning of 1962, Shangri-La stood out again for the Mediterranean on 7 February 1962. After about six months of cruising with the 6th Fleet, she departed the Mediterranean in mid-August and arrived in Mayport on the 28th.

Following a month's stay at her home port, the aircraft carrier headed for New York and a major overhaul. Shangri-La was modified extensively during her stay in the yard. Four of her 5-inch mounts were removed, but she received a new air search and height finding radar and a new arrester system. In addition, much of her electrical and engineering equipment was renovated. After sea trials and visits to Bayonne, N.J., and Norfolk, Va., Shangri-La returned to Mayport for a week in late March 1963; then put to sea for operations in the Caribbean. Eight months of similar duty followed before Shangri-La weighed anchor for another deployment. On 1 October 1963, she headed back to the 6th Fleet for a seven-month tour.

Shangri-La continued her 2d and 6th Fleet assignments for the next six years. During the winter of 1964 and the spring of 1965, she underwent another extensive overhaul, this time at Philadelphia, then resumed operations as before. On 30 June 1969, she was redesignated an antisubmarine warfare aircraft carrier CVS-38.

In 1970, Shangri-La returned to the western Pacific after an absence of ten years. She got underway from Mayport on 5 March, stopped at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from the 13th to the 16th, and headed east through the Atlantic and Indian oceans. She arrived in Subic Bay, R.P., on 4 April and, during the next seven months, launched combat sorties from Yankee station. Her tours of duty on Yankee station were punctuated by frequent logistics trips to Subic Bay, by visits to Manila, R.P., and Hong Kong, B.C.C., in October, and by 12 days in drydock at Yokosuka, Japan, in July.

On 9 November 1970, Shangri-La stood out of Subic Bay to return home. En route to Mayport, she visited Sydney, Australia; Wellington, N.Z.; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She arrived in Mayport on 16 December and began preparations for inactivation. After pre-inactivation overhaul at the Boston Naval Shipyard, South Annex, Shangri-La decommissioned on 30 July 1971. She was placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and berthed at Philadelphia

Shangri-La remained in the reserve fleet for the next 11 years, and was stricken from the Navy List on 15 July 1982. On 9 August 1988, she was disposed of by the Marine Administration.

Source: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships and United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995,

 Flight Simulators
 

   IL-2 Sturmovik 'Cliff's of Dover' Blitz - has no 3D model

   IL-2 Sturmovik Battle of Stalingrad - has no 3D model

   DCS World - has no 3D model

 

USN Top Fighter Pilot by Squadron and Leading Commanding Officer including Unit Total Kills
Squadron # Nickname Start End A/C Carrier/Base Top Ace (kills w/ sqn) CO (kills w/ sqn) Kills # Aces
VF-1 High Hatters Nov-43 Aug-44 F6F Yorktown CV-10 Richard Eastmond (9) B.M. Strean 100 3
VF-2 Rippers Mar-44 Sep-44 F6F Hornet CV-12 Cdr. William A. Dean (10)   240 28
VF-3 Felix the Cat Dec-41 May-42 F4F Lexington CV-2 Butch O'Hare (5) Jimmy Thach 18 1
  May-42 Jun-42 F4F Yorktown CV-5 Elbert McCuskey (5) Jimmy Thach 34.5 1
VF-5 Aug-42 Oct-42 F4F Saratoga CV-3 H. M. Jensen (7) Leroy Simpler 78 4
  Oct-43 Apr-44 F6F Yorktown CV-10 Robert Duncan (7) Ed Owens (5) 93.5 7
VF-6 Shooting Stars Dec-41 Oct-42 F4F Enterprise CV-6 Donald E. Runyon (8) James S. Gray 63 1
VF-6 Aug-43 Feb-44 F6F various CV's Alexander Vraciu (9) H.W. Harrison 37.5 0
VF-7 Sep-44 Jan-45 F6F Hancock CV-19 Lt. Cdr. L. J. Check (10)   72 2
VF-8 Dec-41 Jun-42 F4F Hornet CV-8 Merrill Cook (2) Sam Mitchell 5 0
  Mar-44 Oct-44 F6F Bunker Hill CV-17 Cdr. William Collins (9)   156 13
VF-9 Cat o' Nines Oct-43 Mar-44 F6F Essex CV-9 Hamilton McWhorter (10) Phil Torrey 116 10 est.
  Mar-45 Jun-45 F6F Yorktown CV-10 Eugene Valencia (23) John S. Kitten 129 10 est.
VF-10 Grim Reapers Oct-42 May-43 F4F Enterprise CV-6 Swede Vejtasa (7.25) J.H. Flatley 43 1
  Jan-44 Jun-44 F6F Enterprise CV-6 Richard Devine (8) William Kane 88 5
  Feb-45 Apr-45 F4U Intrepid CV-11 P. L. Kirkwood (8) Walter E. Clarke 87 7
VF-11 Sundowners May-43 Jul-43 F4F Guadalcanal Charles Stimpson (6) Charles White 52 2
  Oct-44 Jan-45 F6F Hornet CV-12 Charles Stimpson (10) E. G. Fairfax 106 5
VF-12 Sep-43 Jun-44 F6F Saratoga CV-3 John Magda (4) R.G. Dose 20 0
  Jan-45 Jun-45 F6F Randolph CV-15 Lt. Cdr. Frederick H. Michaelis (5)   51 2
VF-13 Black Cats Jul-44 Nov-44 F6F Franklin CV-13 Albert Pope (7) Wilson Coleman (6) 86 3
VF-14 Iron Angels May-44 Nov-44 F6F Wasp CV-18 William Knight (7.5) R. Gray 146 8
VF-15 Fighting Aces May-44 Nov-44 F6F Essex CV-9 McCampbell, Duncan, Rushing, Strane, Twelves James Rigg (11) 310 26
VF-16 Fighting Airedales Oct-43 Jun-44 F6F Lexington CV-16 Alexander Vraciu (10) Paul D. Buie (9) 136.5 7
VF-17 Jolly Rogers Oct-43 Mar-44 F4U Solomons Ike Kepford (16) Tom Blackburn (11) 152 11
VF-18 Oct-43 Mar-44 F6F Bunker Hill CV-17 Lt. Cdr. Sam Silber (6)   74 1
  Aug-44 Nov-44 F6F Intrepid CV-11 Cecil Harris (22) Ed Murphy 176.5 13
VF-19 Satan's Kittens Jul-44 Nov-44 F6F Lexington CV-16 William Masoner Jr. (10) T. Hugh Winters (8) 155 11
VF-20 Aug-44 Jan-45 F6F Enterprise CV-6/etc. Douglas Baker (16.33) Fred Bakutis (7.5) 158 9
VF-21 Feb-43 Jul-43 F4F Guadalcanal Ross Torkelson (6) John Hulme 69 3
  Jul-44 Oct-44 F6F Belleau Wood CVL-24 Bob Thomas (5) V. F. Casey 40 1
VF-22 Sep-44 Jan-45 F6F Cowpens CVL-25 Clement Craig (12) Thomas Jenkins 49.5 3
VF-23 Aug-43 May-44 F6F Princeton CVL-23 L.H. Kerr (4.83) H.L. Miller 35 0
VF-26 Apr-44 Oct-44 FM2 Santee CVE-29 Kenneth Hippe (6) Harold Funk 31 1
VC-27 Oct-44 Jan-45 FM2 Savo Island Ralph Elliott (9) P. W. Jackson 61 1
VF-27 May-44 Oct-44 F6F Princeton CVL-23 James Shirley (12) Fred Bardshar (7.5) 134 10
VF-28 May-44 Dec-44 F6F Monterey CVL-26 Oscar Bailey (5) Roger Mehle 55 2
VF-29 Oct-44 Apr-45 F6F Cabot CVL-28 Robert Murray (10.3) William Eder (6.5) 113 12
VF-30 Jan-45 Jun-45 F6F Belleau Wood CVL-24 James Reber (11) Douglas A. Clark 110 7
VF-31 Meat Axers Jan-44 Sep-44 F6F Cabot CVL-28 Cornelius Nooy (19) Bob Winston 165.5 14
VF-32 Outlaw's Bandits Mar-44 Oct-44 F6F Langley CVL-27 Lt. Cdr. Eddie Outlaw (6)   44 2
VF-33 Aug-43 Jan-44 F6F Solomons Frank Schneider (7) Hawley Russell 74.5 3
VF(N)-41 Aug-44 Jan-45 F6F Independence CVL-23 William Henry (9.5) T. F. Caldwell 46 2
VF-42 Dec-41 May-42 F4F Yorktown CV-5 Art Brassfield (4.83) Oscar Pedersen 25 0
VF-44 Crusaders Oct-44 Feb-45 F6F Langley CVL-27 Cdr. Malcolm T. Wordell (7)   47 3
VF-45 Nov-44 May-45 F6F San Jacinto CVL-30 James B. Cain (8) Gordon Schechter 81.5 6
VF-47 Fighting Cocks Mar-45 Aug-45 F6F Bataan CVL-29 Samuel Hibbard (7.33) Albert Clancy 67.5 1
VF-50 Devil Cats Apr-44 Jul-44 F6F Bataan CVL-29 Daniel Rehm (6) J.C. Strange 61 4
VF-51 Apr-44 Nov-44 F6F San Jacinto CVL-30 William Maxwell (7) C. L. Moore 50.5 1
VF-60 Nov-43 Oct-44 F6F Suwanee CVE-27 R. Singleton (3.25) H.O. Feilbach 25 0
VF-72 Jul-42 Oct-42 F4F Hornet CV-8 George Wrenn (5.25) Henry Sanchez 38 1
VF-80 Vorse's Vipers Nov-44 Jan-45 F6F Ticonderoga CV-14 Patrick Fleming (19) Leroy Keith 159.5 10
VF-82 Jan-45 Jun-45 F6F Bennington CV-20 Robert Jennings (7) Edward Hassell 85 5
VF-83 Kangaroos Mar-45 Sep-45 F6F Essex CV-9 Thaddeus Coleman (8) H.A. Sampson 137 11
VBF-83 Mar-45 Sep-45 F4U Essex CV-9 Thomas Reidy (10) Frank Patriarca 91 3
VF-84 Wolf Gang Jan-45 Jun-45 F4U Bunker Hill CV-17 Doris Freeman (7) Roger R. Hedrick 137 4

 

 Naval Base Kitsap Bremerton, Washington Map

 

    USS Shangri-La (CV/CVA/CVS-38) citations notes:

    USS Shangri-La (CV/CVA/CVS-38) citations:

  1. Hamilton, Curtiss (6 August 1943). 'He Flew From 'Shangri-La' to Bomb Tokyo - The War Illustrated'. The War Illustrated. J.C. Koppes. For a year the world knew no more than that U.S. planes had bombed Japan from a base which President Roosevelt called 'Shangri-La' in playful allusion to the mythical country of James Hilton's novel, Lost Horizon.
  2. 'Revenge of the Shang' http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/457/Revenge-of-the-Shang.aspx
  3. 'Shangri-La (CV-38)'. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. 19 May 2020.
  4. 'USS Antietam (CV-36)'.
  5. Arkin, William M.; Handler, Joshua (June 1989). 'Neptune Paper No. 3: Naval Accidents 1945-1988' (PDF). Washington, D.C.: Greenpeace/Institute for Policy Studies. p. 34. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  6. 'Propeller from Aircraft Carrier Shangri-La, Milford, Delaware'.
  7. Eppinger, Mike (13 October 2017). 'Famous WWII ship's bell finds new life after found rusting in field'. Military Trader/Vehicles.
  8. 'Aircraft Carrier Photo Index: USS SHANGRI-LA (CV-38)'.

    Bibliography:

  • Anderson, Richard M. & Baker, Arthur D. III (1977). 'CV-2 Lex and CV-3 Sara'. Warship International. XIV (4): 291–328. ISSN 0043-0374.
  • Berhow, Mark A., ed. (2004). American Seacoast Defenses, A Reference Guide (Second ed.). CDSG Press. ISBN 0-9748167-0-1.
  • Brown, J. D. (2009). Carrier Operations in World War II. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1-59114-108-2.
  • Friedman, Norman (1983). U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-739-9.
  • Friedman, Norman (1984). U.S. Cruisers: An Illustrated Design History. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-718-6.
  • Fry, John (1996). USS Saratoga CV-3: An Illustrated History of the Legendary Aircraft Carrier 1927–1946. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing. ISBN 0-7643-0089-X.
  • Lundstrom, John B. (2005). The First Team: Pacific Naval Air Combat from Pearl Harbor to Midway. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-471-X.
  • Lundstrom, John B. (1994). The First Team and the Guadalcanal Campaign. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-526-8.
  • Nofi, Albert A. (2010). To Train the Fleet for War: The U.S. Navy Fleet Problems. Naval War College Historical Monograph. Vol. 18. Newport, Rhode Island: Naval War College Press. ISBN 978-1-884733-69-7.
  • Polmar, Norman; Genda, Minoru (2006). Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events. Vol. 1, 1909–1945. Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books. ISBN 1-57488-663-0.
  • Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
  • 'Saratoga V'. Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History & Heritage Command (NH&HC).
  • Stahura, Barbara (2003). U.S. S. Saratoga: CV-3 & CVA/CV-60 (Revised ed.). Paducah, Kentucky: Turner Publishing. ISBN 1-56311-855-6.
  • Stern, Robert C. (1993). The Lexington Class Carriers. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-503-9.
  • Stille, Mark (2005). US Navy Aircraft Carriers 1922–1945: Prewar Classes. New Vanguard. Vol. 114. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 1-84176-890-1.
  • Tully, Anthony P.; Casse, Gilbert (March 2012). 'IJN Ryujo: Tabular Record of Movement'. Combinedfleet.
  • Wadle, Ryan David (August 2005). United States Navy Fleet Problems and the Development of Carrier Aviation, 1929–1933 (PDF). College Station, Texas: Texas A & M University.

    Magazine References: +

  • Airfix Magazines (English) - http://www.airfix.com/
  • Avions (French) - http://www.aerostories.org/~aerobiblio/rubrique10.html
  • FlyPast (English) - http://www.flypast.com/
  • Flugzeug Publikations GmbH (German) - http://vdmedien.com/flugzeug-publikations-gmbh-hersteller_verlag-vdm-heinz-nickel-33.html
  • Flugzeug Classic (German) - http://www.flugzeugclassic.de/
  • Klassiker (German) - http://shop.flugrevue.de/abo/klassiker-der-luftfahrt
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://boutique.editions-lariviere.fr/site/abonnement-le-fana-de-l-aviation-626-4-6.html
  • Le Fana de L'Aviation (French) - http://www.pdfmagazines.org/tags/Le+Fana+De+L+Aviation/
  • Osprey (English) - http://www.ospreypublishing.com/
  • Revi Magazines (Czech) - http://www.revi.cz/

    Web References: +

  • Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Shangri-La
  • Naval History and Heritage Command https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/shangri-la.html
  • Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isoroku_Yamamoto
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