Photographed in 1948. Coral Sea, as shown in this and the above photo, was completed with 14, rather than 18, 5"/54 guns: note the absence of two of the after mounts on each side, as compared to her sister ships Midway and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (photo #: NH 97648).

A nice view of USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) probably taken during her shakedown cruise, 19 January–5 April 1948, to Cuba and Panama Canal, with Battle Carrier Air Group (CVBG) 5 embarked.

"The crew of USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) stands at attention on the flight deck." From All Hands magazine, November 1950 issue.

Vought F4U-5 Corsair fighter takes off from USS Coral Sea (CVB-43), while she was operating in the Mediterranean Sea, November 1950. This is a U.S. Marine Corps aircraft. Note radar antennas atop the island, and flag signal reading "085 turn".

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-423543).

Med Cruise Book, September 9, 1950–February 1, 1951, with Carrier Air Group 17 (CVG-17).

Map, pages 1–8 and 10–17.

USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) as seen from USS Baltimore (CA-68) in 1952.

(See also photos NS0406819 and NS0406840).

USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) and USS Salem (CA-139) during Med. exercises, 1952. Note helo between Coral Sea and Salem.

USS Coral Sea (CVB-43) during 1952 Med Cruise.

Aerial view of USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) with Carrier Air Group 10 (CVG-10) aboard, probably in 1954. Lightship in the background appears to be USCG LV 84/WAL 509, which was stationed at the entrance of the St. Johns River, near Jacksonville, FL from 1929–1954.

Maneuvers at high speed in the Mediterranean Sea, 28 July 1955.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo #: 80-G-K-18394).

"Column Left..." The Seaforth Highlanders of Canada parade down the flight deck of the USS Coral Sea. The Highlanders, commanded by LCOL Ian Bell-Irving, were guests of Coral Sea during the ship's visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, March 1960. US Navy photo now in the Seattle Branch of the National Archives.

Underway circa 1960–1963, after SCB-110A modernization. Official US Navy photo.

Official US Navy Photograph, USN 1061345, dated January 12, 1962, officially released. US Naval Photographic Center. Caption on back reads: "USS Coral Sea (CVA 43) leaving Subic Bay, Phillipines. British ships in background."

USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) steams alongside USS Bellatrix (AF-62) during underway replenishment in Western Pacific waters. USS Duncan (DDR-874) is at left. Photo was released by USS Coral Sea under date of 16 April 1962. Among the planes on the carrier's flight deck are seven A3D Skywarrior heavy attack aircraft.

Official U.S. Navy photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (photo #: NH 97649).

Mattaponi (AO-41) refueling Rowan (DD-782) to starboard, Coral Sea (CVA-43) to port. US Navy photo, likely taken in 1964–1965.

Photograph taken by Commander Jim Waldron in 1965, off the coast of Vietnam.

Paricutin (AE-18) rearming Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the South China Sea, 26 February 1965. US Navy photo.

Paricutin (AE-18) rearming Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the South China Sea, 26 February 1965. US Navy photo.

Paricutin (AE-18) rearming Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the South China Sea, 26 February 1965. US Navy photo.

Paricutin (AE-18) rearming Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the South China Sea, 26 February 1965. US Navy photo.

Paricutin (AE-18) rearming Coral Sea (CVA-43) in the South China Sea, 26 February 1965. US Navy photo.

USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) steams past USS Ranger (CVA-61) in the South China Sea, 24 March 1965, during the early days of the air campaign against North Vietnam.

Aircraft in the foreground is a North American RA-5C Vigilante reconaissance plane (BuNo 149313) assigned to RVAH-5 "Savage Sons." Planes parked beyond it include McDonnell F-4B Phantom II fighters and Douglas A-1 Skyraider attack aircraft. Photographed by JOC R.D. Moeser, USN.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph (# USN 1110187-C).

Task Force 77 operating in the South China Sea, March 1965. It had recently launched strikes against North Vietnam. Carriers present are (clockwise from bottom): Ranger (CVA-61), Yorktown (CVS-10), Coral Sea (CVA-43) and Hancock (CVA-19). The guided missile cruiser Canberra (CAG-2) is in the center of the formation. The destroyer screen includes: England (DLG-22), Gurke (DD-783), Rogers (DD-876), Walker (DD-517), O'Bannon (DD-450), Somers (DD-947), Jenkins (DD-447), John A. Bole (DD-755), Higbee (DD-806), Buck (DD-761), Joseph Strauss (DDG-16) and Ernest G. Small (DD-838). This photograph was specially posed, and does not represent a normal operating formation.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph (# USN 1109915).

James Shriver, PHCM, USN (Ret), notes: "The photo [...] was taken in an exercise we called 'Operation Candid Camera.' On day one it was tried by a Vigilante photo plane. They missed. So the next day it was tried again and the photos were taken with a hand held camera from a HS-8 helicopter. The photographer was PH1 Elvin C. Conarty (now deceased). I was there... I processed the film and printed the photos."

Two views of USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) taken at 11AM on July 26, 1967 as she left San Francisco headed for WestPac and her third Vietnam deployment — an eventful cruise, involving many of the heaviest strikes of the war. Air Wing was CVW-15.

Aerial view of the San Francisco Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point, sometime between April and July 1968. USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) and USS Hancock (CVA-19) are easily identifiable. Also visible in this photo are Midway (CVA-41), undergoing her SCB-101.66 modernization in the drydock just aft of Coral Sea, and USS Oriskany (CVA-34), undergoing an 8-month overhaul in the background.

Chester Morris comments: "The two A shaped structures (painted with stripes) next to the large overhead crane at the bottom of the photo, are a part of the system used to test the new Polaris missile during the 60's at Hunters Point. They would fire a missile with what I assume was compressed air, and they were a part of the catching apparatus."

F-4B Phantom II BuNo 151487, VF-161 "Chargers," probably during the ship's fifth Vietnam cruise, 23 September 1969 – 1 July 1970.

Departing Alameda.

F-4B Phantom IIs BuNo 150466, "Old Nick 204" from VF-111 "Sundowners," and BuNo 149457, "Screaming Eagle 113" from VF-51 "Screaming Eagles" drop Mk.82 500-lb bombs over North Vietnam, March 8, 1972.

F-4B Phantom II, VF-111 "Sundowners."

SH-3G Sea King, HC-1 Det. 6 "Pacific Fleet Angels."

Underway replenishment.

Sweethearts (and a VF-111 "Sundowners" F-4B Phantom II).

USS Coral Sea (CVA-43), as seen from USS Schenectady (LST-1185), probably off California in the early 1970s.

Aerial view of Naval Air Station Alameda, summer of 1974. Left to right: USS Coral Sea (CVA-43), USS Hancock (CVA-19), USS Oriskany (CVA-34), and USS Enterprise (CVAN-65).

Left to right: USS Enterprise (CVN-65), USS Coral Sea (CV-43), USS Kansas City (AOR-3), USS Wabash (AOR-5), and USS Oriskany (CV-34) at NAS Alameda, CA, July-August 1975.

Official US Navy photo from the Naval Photographic Center, Washington, D.C.

Underway on 10 September 1977, during a WESTPAC cruise. Little altered since her SCB-110A refit, by this time she had only three 5"/54 guns left; within three years, all were gone.

Note UH-46 helicopter over the carrier's flight deck, amidships, with cargo suspended below. Two of the F-4 fighters visible (parked aft of the starboard after aircraft elevator) are wearing camouflage paint schemes.

Official U.S. Navy photograph by PH1 Don Hanson; Naval Historical Center photo #: NH 97650.

With Carrier Air Wing 14 (CVW-14) aboard, USS Coral Sea (CV-43) departs San Francisco for WestPac and the Indian Ocean, November 13, 1979.

The large harbor tug USS Acconac (YTB-812) nudges the starboard bow of USS Coral Sea (CV-43) during docking operations. The aircraft carrier was returning to Naval Air Station Alameda, CA, after a Western Pacific (WESTPAC) deployment, March 23, 1982. US Navy photo by PHAA Kathy Moss (DVIC id: DNST8205152).

Note Coral Sea was, at the time, fitted with Phalanx CIWS, SPS-30 and SPS-43A radars.

At 1948 Thursday, April 11, 1985 USS Coral Sea (CV-43) collided with the Ecuadorean tanker Napo about 45 miles southeast of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The carrier had been in the area since April 3 on refresher training and was conducting flight operations when the collision occurred. Eleven aircraft airborne at the time of the accident were diverted to the Naval Air Station at Guantanamo Bay. There was a Soviet intelligence gathering ship shadowing Coral Sea, since her embarked Carrier Air Wing 13 (CVW-13) was equipped with the then new F/A-18A Hornet aircraft. There were no injuries to crew members of either ship, but the carrier's bow had a 30-foot hole punched in and some radar and communications equipment damaged, and had to return to Norfolk. The Napo was holed above the waterline and spilled 7,600 barrels of oil before reaching Guantanamo for repairs.

This series of three photos was taken by Bill Fessenden from the bridge wing of USS Charleston (LKA-113). At the time LKA-113 was moored to the South Wall of US Naval Station Norfolk's Destroyer and Submarine (D&S) piers. Bill was using a 35-mm camera equipped with a 200-mm telephoto lens and Kodak 400 speed color film. Coral Sea is seen traveling south bound in Hampton Roads, heading towards the Elizabeth River, and eventually, to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, VA. Damage to the ship's bow area, as the result of the recent collision with Napo, is clearly visible.

In the first photo, Coral Sea can be seen passing by two unidentified Sturgeon-class submarines, as well as the after area of USS Glover (FF-1098).

In the second photo, the ship at the extreme right is USS Milwaukee (AOR-2), while the object on the left of third photo, is the forward "H" frame of Charleston.

Underway at sea in 1986.

Official U.S. Navy photograph by PH2 Robert Chouinard; Naval Historical Center photo #: NH 97652-KN.

An F/A-18 Hornet of VFA-137 taxis forward through catapult steam, during flight operations on 18 January 1988. Photographed by PH2(AW) Wayne Edwards.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97654-KN).

Making over 30 knots, during a high speed run on 1 March 1989.

Official U.S. Navy photograph by PH2 Michael Skeens; Naval Historical Center photo #: NH 97651-KN.

USS Coral Sea (CV-43) silhouetted against a low sun, as she arrives at Palma, Spain, during her final Mediterranean deployment, June 1989. Photographed by PH2 Michael Skeens.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97653-KN).

Underway in formation off the coast of Lebanon are, from left, the guided missile cruiser USS Belknap (CG-26), the battleship USS Iowa (BB-61), the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CV-43) and the amphibious assault ship USS Nassau (LHA-4), 16 Aug 1989.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph # DN-SC-90-11755, by PH3 Michael Skeens.

An anchor from Coral Sea donated to the "Citadel" Military Academy/University, South Carolina. It sits on the outside of the parade grounds along with several other military artifacts. March 2008.

(Note that Coral Sea was actually awarded the Navy Unit Commendation, the Meritorious Unit Commendation, and 12 Campaign Stars for her Vietnam, not World War II, war service.)

Model on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, Florida. Photos taken on 13 June 2008.