USS Monterey (CVL-26)

USS Monterey (CVL-26)
Photographed by Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. · Public domain · source
Ship name	USS Monterey (CVL-26)
Ship caption	Monterey underway, 1945
Ship builder	Newport News Shipbuilding
Ship launched	17 April 1943
Ship commissioned	17 June 1943
Ship decommissioned	9 November 1956
Ship struck	1 June 1970
Ship displacement	11,000 tons (standard)
Ship length	622 ft
Ship beam	71 ft
Ship propulsion	Steam turbines
Ship speed	31 knots
Ship complement	1,569 officers and men
Ship aircraft	~40 aircraft

USS Monterey (CVL-26) was a light aircraft carrier of the United States Navy commissioned during World War II. Converted from a Cleveland-class cruiser hull under the CVL program, Monterey served in the Pacific Theater of World War II and participated in major operations including raids on the Marshall Islands, the Marianas campaign, and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. After wartime service she operated during the early Cold War era before being decommissioned and eventually sold for scrap.

Design and construction

Monterey was one of the Independence-class light carriers, a class created by converting Cleveland-class cruiser hulls to accelerate carrier construction under the Two-Ocean Navy Act mobilization. Designed at Newport News Shipbuilding, Monterey featured a flush-deck flight deck, island superstructure, and a compact hangar to operate a complement of F6F Hellcat, F4U Corsair, and TBF Avenger aircraft. The conversion emphasized speed and maneuverability derived from the cruiser hull, sacrificing armor and large air groups found on Essex-class carriers. Her propulsion plant of steam turbines gave her a top speed near 31 knots, enabling integration with fast carrier task forces centered on Fast Carrier Task Force formations commanded by officers such as Admiral William F. Halsey Jr. and Admiral Raymond A. Spruance.

Service history

After commissioning in June 1943 under Captain A. C. Read, Monterey completed shakedown and carrier qualifications at Norfolk and in the Caribbean Sea. She transited the Panama Canal to join Pacific Fleet operations, integrating into carrier task groups that supported Operation Flintlock and subsequent offensive actions across the Central Pacific Campaign. Throughout her service Monterey embarked composite squadrons drawn from Carrier Air Group organizations and operated alongside carriers such as Enterprise, Lexington, and Essex in coordinated air strikes, reconnaissance, and antisubmarine actions.

World War II operations

Monterey's wartime operations included participation in the Marshall Islands campaign, where her air groups supported invasions of atolls like Kwajalein and conducted strikes against Truk. She joined carrier raids supporting the Marianas campaign, contributing to strikes on Saipan, Tinian, and Guadalcanal-adjacent bases, and provided air cover during the Battle of the Philippine Sea phase actions associated with the Great Marianas Turkey Shoot. During the Philippines campaign Monterey supported strikes in the lead-up to the Battle of Leyte Gulf, operating in conjunction with Task Force 38 elements under Admiral William Halsey Jr. and Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid. Her air groups attacked shipping, provided close air support for amphibious landings on Leyte and Luzon, and conducted night and day anti-shipping missions against Imperial Japanese Navy logistics and Kamikaze threats. Monterey also participated in strikes against the Ryukyu Islands and Okinawa support operations, supporting Operation Iceberg by suppressing enemy airfields and shipping.

Postwar status and decommissioning

Following Japan's surrender in August 1945, Monterey conducted Operation Magic Carpet repatriation cruises, transporting servicemen and returning veterans from Pacific Ocean bases to the continental United States. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve during the rapid postwar demobilization, reflecting widespread reductions in the United States Navy carrier force. Reactivated briefly for training and reserve duties during the early Cold War period, Monterey eventually entered long-term reserve berthing at Philadelphia before being struck from the Naval Vessel Register and sold for scrap in 1971.

Awards and honors

Monterey earned multiple battle star recognitions for her wartime service, reflecting participation in major Pacific campaigns and engagements. Her air groups received unit citations and squadron commendations for actions during the Marianas and Philippines operations. Crew members were eligible for personal decorations including the Navy Cross, Silver Star, and Bronze Star Medal for individual acts of valor while serving aboard carriers in the Pacific.

Legacy and preservation

Although Monterey was not preserved as a museum ship, her legacy endures in naval histories, veteran associations, and scholarly works on light carrier development and carrier aviation tactics. The Independence-class conversions represented an important wartime innovation linking cruiser construction at yards like New York Shipbuilding and Bethlehem Steel to carrier force expansion. Monterey is remembered in oral histories, unit histories, and records held by institutions such as the Naval History and Heritage Command and naval museums that document carrier operations alongside the stories of ships like San Jacinto and Cowpens. Monterey's wartime service contributed to the evolution of carrier doctrine that influenced postwar carrier design and United States Navy carrier aviation into the jet age.

Category:Independence-class aircraft carriers Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia Category:1943 ships