USS Lake Champlain (CV-39), starboard bow view, Norfolk Navy Yard. Official US Navy photo, serial 10742(45), June 15, 1945.

Underway at sea on 23 June 1945, less than three weeks after she went into commission.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-265465).

USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) at anchor in Aden harbor, 18 May 1953, while she was en route to take part in the Korean War. Among the planes on her flight deck are a few Douglas F3D Skyknight all-weather fighters, parked just in front of the carrier's island.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph (# NH 95918). Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation.

USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) catapults a pair of F2H-2 Banshee jet fighters for her first Korean War strikes, 15 June 1953.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97440).

Two F2H-2 Banshees of VF-62 "Gladiators" fly over Lake Champlain during operations with Task Force 77, 26 July 1953 (photo # USN-630627).

"A flight of (F2H-2) Banshees streaks over the USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) in a photo taken by an accompanying destroyer of Task Force 77. The Essex-class carrier, recently arrived in the Far East, is in her first tour of Korean duty." Quoted from original caption released with this photograph by Commander Naval Forces Far East, under date of 18 July 1953.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97435).

At anchor, Hong Kong harbor.

In port, Sasebo, Japan. USS Point Cruz (CVE-119) is in the background.

Recovering aircraft in the Sea of Japan.

Looking up through #3 elevator.

5-inch rockets waiting to be loaded. BuNo 123351 was an F2H-2 assigned to VF-22 "Cavaliers."

F2H-2 Banshee on #2 elevator, off Korea.

F4U-4 Corsairs (left) and F2H-2 Banshees being armed for sortie.

F4U-4 Corsairs of VF-44 "Hornets" being loaded with 5-inch rockets.

F9F-5 Panthers of VF-111 "Sundowners" on flight deck, Hong Kong harbor.

AD-4 Skyraider of VA-45 "Blackbirds" takes off.

VC-33 men besides an AD-4N Skyraider.

VC-33 ordnancemen loading an anti-submarine patrol AD Skyraider during Korean Cruise 1953.

Gerstel and Devaney loading 20-mm guns on Skyraider.

Gerstel loading 20-mm guns on Skyraider.

Cleaning 20-mm guns on Skyraider. Notice the painted over numbers of the aircraft. VC-33 was an all-weather, night attack squadron, hence the painted over white numbers.

Rearming anti-sub patrol. Believe it or not, that's Bill with the depth charge!

AD-4N Skyraider of VC-33 "Night Hawks" loaded with 265-lb fragmentation bombs. Take notice to the long rods on the ends of the bomb fuses. These are called "daisy cutters" and are used to explode the fragmentation bombs three feet above the ground to provide larger area of shrapnel!

VC-33 AD-4N Skyraider loaded with frags and flares.

VC-33 AD-4N Skyraider modex SS-803, with LT J.K. Gill piloting.

USS Lake Champlain in the South China Sea.

USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) underway, location and date (1954–1955?) unknown.

USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39), and USS Purdy (DD-734) refueling at sea from USS Neosho (AO-143), in the Mediterranean, 20 October 1955.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives (photo # 80-G-684504).

USS Lake Champlain in Gibraltar with F9F-8 Cougars assigned to VF-74 "Be-Devilers."

As above.

USS Lake Champlain in Gibraltar, 1955.

An AJ tanker had a wheel slip into the forward catwalk and it took the crew several days to get it back on the deck.

Piasecki HUP-2 Retriever helicopter (Bureau # 128533), of Helicopter Utility Squadron Two (HU-2) lowers guard mail to the foredeck of USS Salem (CA-139), during operations in the Mediterranean Sea, 29 April 1957. In the background, USS Caloosahatchee (AO-98) is refueling USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) and a destroyer.

USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) anchored at Cannes, France, on 17 June 1957, during her final deployment as an attack aircraft carrier. Among the planes on her flight deck are three large AJ Savage attack aircraft. Photographed by PH2 J.R. Sholar.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center (# NH 97436).