USS ''Palau'' (CVE–122) was a of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. She was laid down by the Todd-Pacific Shipyards Inc.,

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, Washington, Olympia, and northwest of Mount ...

, 19 February 1945; launched 6 August 1945; sponsored by Mrs. J. P. Whitney; and commissioned 15 January 1946. Commissioned as the Navy began its post-war demobilization, ''Palau'' completed shakedown off California, transited the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

, underwent post shakedown availability at Boston, and on 11 May moved down the coast to Norfolk where she was immobilized until May 1947. On 22 May she steamed south to

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

for refresher training, after which she headed north to Norfolk and New York, whence she steamed to

Recife That it may shine on all ( Matthew 5:15) , image_map = Brazil Pernambuco Recife location map.svg , mapsize = 250px , map_caption = Location in the state of Pernambuco , pushpin_map = Brazil#South A ...

, thence to West Africa. She returned to the east coast 16 August and after another availability at Boston was again immobilized at Norfolk, December 1947 – March 1948. During the spring of 1948 she conducted operations off the east coast and on 3 June departed for the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

to deliver planes, under the Turkish Aid Program, to representatives of that country at Yesilkoy. During this mission the ship and crew helped in th
evacuation of U.N. delegation and officials from Haifa
on 8 July during the second phase of the Arab–Israeli War. Transiting to Isle of Rhodes and staying there until 24 July with their return to Haifa after a truce was negotiated in the war. Returning to Norfolk 7 August, she remained in the western Atlantic, ranging from the Maritime Provinces to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

, until April 1952. Then departing Norfolk she returned to the Mediterranean to operate with the 6th Fleet until late June, when she resumed duties with the 2nd Fleet on the east coast. USS Palau (CVE-122) with HRPs NAN8-51

''Palau'', which was designated for inactivation in early 1953, was retained in commission to perform one final ferry assignment, planes to

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

(8 August – 22 October). On her return she entered the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

, decommissioning 15 June 1954. Berthed with the Philadelphia Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, ''Palau'' remained a unit of that fleet until struck from the Navy List 1 April 1960 and sold, 13 July 1960, to Jacques Pierot, Jr. and Sons, New York. Some parts were salvaged from the scrapyard in

Sestao Sestao is a town and municipality of 27,296 inhabitants located in the province of Biscay, in the autonomous community of Basque Country, northern Spain. It is in the left bank of the Estuary of Bilbao and part of Bilbao's metropolitan area. Se ...

, and installed in

Picos de Europa The Picos de Europa ("Peaks of Europe", also the Picos) are a mountain range extending for about , forming part of the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. The range is situated in the Autonomous Communities of Asturias, Cantabria and Castil ...

as a mountaineers' hut.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palau (CVE-122) Commencement Bay-class escort carriers Cold War auxiliary ships of the United States 1945 ships