Displacement: 27,100 tons length: 855 feet 10 inches beam: 93 feet draft: 39 feet speed: 30 knots complement: 3,310 crew armament: 12 5-inch guns, 44 40mm guns class: Essex

USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass., on 19 August 1944. She was launched on 5 September 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Albert B. Chandler, and commissioned on 11 May 1946 under the command of Capt. D.S. Cornwell. In June 1946, the ship moved to Quonset Point, R.I., for initial crew training. By September 1946, she began her shakedown cruise in the Caribbean with Air Group 20 embarked.

Upon returning from shakedown exercises, Philippine Sea was ordered back to Boston to prepare for the Navy's Antarctic Expedition, Operation Highjump. On 29 January 1947, from a position 660 miles off the Antarctic continent, Philippine Sea launched the first of six R4D transport aircraft she had ferried from Norfolk, Va., as part of Operation Highjump. The first plane off, piloted by Cmdr. William M. Hawkes carried Rear Adm. Richard E. Byrd and his party from the ship to begin their polar explorations from Little America.

Throughout 1947, Philippine Sea operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean. In the spring of 1948, the ship was deployed to the Mediterranean to join Vice Adm. Forrest Sherman's 6th Fleet. With Air Group 9 on board, Philippine Sea displayed the American ensign in France, Greece, Tunisia, and Sicily. In June 1948, the carrier returned to the United States.

During the summer of 1948, the Philippine Sea developed a doctrine for carrier control approach landings, the seagoing equivalent of the ground control approach. By November 1948, she was exploring the lower rim of the Arctic Circle in a cold-weather operation to test planes, ships, and equipment.

In January 1949, the ship was ordered to the Mediterranean with Air Group 7 embarked. Returning at the end of May, she went into overhaul at the Boston Naval Shipyard. Early autumn found the ship back in the Caribbean, this time with Air Group 1. Operational development projects with jet fighters and task force exercises in the North Atlantic kept the ship and her air group busy until the end of the year.

Operating again from her base at Quonset Point, Philippine Sea qualified carrier pilots during the winter of 1950 and participated in extensive fleet exercises in the Atlantic and Caribbean in February and March. In April and May, she conducted demonstration cruises for guests of the Secretary of the Navy, the Armed Forces Industrial College, Air War College, and the Armed Forces Staff College.

On 24 May 1950, Philippine Sea sailed from Norfolk, Va., passed through the Panama Canal, and arrived at her new homeport of San Diego, Calif., becoming a welcome addition to the Pacific Fleet.

With the outbreak of the Korean War, Philippine Sea was ordered to Pearl Harbor. She sailed for Hawaiian waters on 5 July 1950 with Air Group 11 embarked. Departing for the forward area on 24 July, she reached Okinawa on 1 August. Responding to an urgent request from Lt. Gen. Walton H. Walker, commanding general of the U.S. Eighth Army, the carriers of Task Force 77 began providing tactical air support for Army forces holding the hard-pressed Pusan perimeter. Philippine Sea joined the combat operations on 5 August, along with the escort carrier USS Badoeng Strait (CVE 116), marking the beginning of extensive carrier deployments to the combat area.

Philippine Sea sailed into action off Korea as flagship of Task Force 77 on 5 August 1950, launching air strikes that delivered thousands of tons of bombs, rockets, and napalm on strategic targets. The carrier launched as many as 140 sorties a day. Except for brief periods for re-arming, refueling, or repairs, Philippine Sea was continuously in action for almost three years.

Operating with other carriers of Task Force 77, she targeted North Korean rail and communication centers from Seoul to Wonsan in September. In the Yellow Sea, she supported the Inchon invasion coast. On D-Day, 15 September 1950, Philippine Sea's planes ranged far inland to prevent enemy reinforcements. Following the initial assault, she provided close and deep support for the advance inland to Seoul. On 9 November 1950, Lt. Cmdr. W.T. Amen, flying an F9F-2 Panther from Philippine Sea, became the first Navy pilot to destroy an enemy jet fighter, downing a MiG-15.

During the long retreat from the Yalu River, Philippine Sea's planes provided crucial support for the trapped Marines. The carrier's Panther jets, Skyraider attack bombers, and Corsair fighter bombers cleared the way to Hungnam, where Task Force 77's carriers created an aerial umbrella for the evacuation. From 10 through 24 December, hundreds of carrier planes covered the evacuation perimeter, aiding in the rescue of 150,000 troops and civilians.

After rest and repairs at Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan, Philippine Sea exchanged Air Group 11 for Air Group 2 (CVG 2) from USS Valley Forge (CV-45) on 26 March 1951. On 28 March 1951, Philippine Sea became the flagship of Vice Adm. H.M. Martin, Commander 7th Fleet, and immediately departed with CVG 2 for another tour in Korea.

In April 1951, Philippine Sea led Task Force 77 and other 7th Fleet elements from the Sea of Japan through the Strait of Formosa to the South China Sea. The fleet demonstrated strength over Formosa before returning to Korea to support ground forces. Every Chinese offensive in spring 1951 suffered heavy losses as Philippine Sea's planes conducted repeated air strikes.

Returning to San Francisco on 9 June 1951, Philippine Sea underwent yard availability and west coast operations until departing from San Diego on 31 December 1951. On 19 December 1951, Philippine Sea tested emergency assembly capabilities for nuclear weapons, successfully introducing special weapons into the Pacific fleet. She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 January 1952 and continued to Yokosuka, Japan, on 20 January. Philippine Sea remained in action in Korea until relieved in late July 1952. On 23 June, Skyraiders and Panther jets from Philippine Sea, USS Boxer (CV 21), and USS Princeton (CV 37) joined Air Force Thunderjets in a successful attack on the heavily defended Suiho hydroelectric power plant in North Korea.

Returning to San Diego on 8 August 1952, Philippine Sea was reclassified as CVA in October. With Carrier Air Group 9 embarked, she departed for the Far East on 15 December 1952. The carrier conducted air strikes that cut Communist supply and transportation arteries, supporting frontline UN troops.

Arriving at Alameda Naval Air Station on 14 August 1953, Philippine Sea underwent overhaul at Hunter's Point and resumed training off San Diego on 9 January 1954. Heading west on 12 March for her fourth tour in the Far East, the carrier operated out of Manila.

On 26 July 1954, while searching for survivors of a Cathay-Pacific Airways passenger liner shot down by Communist planes near Hainan Island, two AD Skyraiders from Philippine Sea were attacked by Communist fighters. Under orders to fire only if attacked, the Skyraiders returned fire and shot down the attackers. This incident became known as the "Hainan Incident."

Returning to San Diego in November 1954, Philippine Sea conducted extensive training operations off the California coast. She began her fifth Far East cruise on 1 April 1955, operating in Japan, Okinawa, and Taiwan waters. Redesignated as CVS on 15 November, she returned to San Diego on 23 November 1955.

Following leave, upkeep, and operations off the southern California coast and in Hawaiian waters, Philippine Sea embarked on another WestPac tour in March 1957. After a brief deployment, she returned to San Diego for local operations. In January 1958, Philippine Sea steamed west for her final 7th Fleet deployment.

Returning to San Diego on 15 July 1958, Philippine Sea commenced inactivation. She was decommissioned on 28 December 1958 and berthed with the Reserve Fleet at Long Beach. Redesignated as AVT-11 on 15 May 1959, she was struck from the Navy List on 1 December 1969 and sold for scrapping in March 1971.