USS Lake Champlain was laid down on March 15th, 1943 and launched on November 2nd, 1944. As she was not commissioned until June 3rd, 1945, she missed out on combat actions in the war altogether. However, she still proved vital in "Operation Magic Carpet", the bringing home of U.S. troops en mass. With no more World War to fight, USS Lake Champlain was decommissioned for the first time on February 17th, 1947.
When war broke out in the Korean Peninsula in August of 1950, USS Lake Champlain was called into action. She underwent a period of modernization (SCB-27 conversion) that placed her back into service on September 19th, 1952. Her revised features included a new island superstructure and flight deck - though she still maintained the straight-through deck unlike some of her sisters having been given angled flight decks.
Once in Korean waters, Lake Champlain serves as part of Task Force 77 (TF77). Her aircraft were charged with general attacks on enemy infrastructure and supply points as well as support of allied ground forces and bomber escort. She served in this role until July 1953 when warring actions ceased. She was returned stateside to Florida waters before the end of the year.
USS Lake Champlain continued in service during the Cold War period, undertaking various deterrent and humanitarian actions. During July of 1957, she was converted to serve as an Anti-Submarine (AS) carrier and thusly reclassified as CVS-39 that August. She recovered the space capsule of "Project Mercury" thereafter and assisted in the Cuban blockade during the "Cuban Missile Crisis" (October 16th - 28th, 1962). She then served as the recovery ship for the "Gemini 5" space mission. An attempt to modernize her for the new age was rebuffed and she was struck from the Naval Register on December 1st, 1969. Her hulk was sold off in April of 1972.
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