U.S.S. SHANGRILA CV-38

• Unique Name Origin: The USS Shangri-La (CV-38) was named after the mythical place "Shangri-La" from James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously referred to the secret origin of the Doolittle Raid as "Shangri-La", inspiring the ship's name. • Essex-class Carrier: Shangri-La was one of the 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built during World War II, becoming a vital part of the U.S. Navy's fast carrier forces. • Launched in 1944: The ship was launched on February 24, 1944, with Mrs. James H. Doolittle (wife of Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle) serving as the ship's sponsor. • World War II Service: Shangri-La joined the Pacific Fleet in 1945, participating in the final operations against Japan, including strikes on Tokyo and Okinawa. • Kamikaze Attack: On May 4, 1945, the carrier suffered a direct hit from a kamikaze attack. Despite damage and casualties, the crew managed repairs, and flight operations resumed within hours. • Postwar Service: After World War II, Shangri-La was decommissioned in 1947, but recommissioned in 1951 due to the Korean War and Cold War tensions. • Angled Flight Deck: In 1952, Shangri-La underwent major modernization, receiving an angled flight deck, making it one of the first U.S. carriers with this advanced design for safer jet operations. • Cuban Missile Crisis: Shangri-La played a role during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, joining the naval quarantine and providing air support. • Vietnam War Service: The carrier served off Vietnam in the mid-1960s, providing air support and flying combat sorties during the conflict. • Decommissioning and Fate: USS Shangri-La was decommissioned in 1971 and eventually sold for scrap in 1988, but her legacy is remembered as a unique symbol of World War II ingenuity and Cold War adaptation.