Built at
Camden, New Jersey,
Langley was originally ordered as the
light cruiser USS
Fargo (CL-85), but by the time her
keel was laid in April 1942, she had been redesigned as an
aircraft carrier, using the original cruiser hull and machinery. Commissioned in August 1943,
Langley served in the Pacific theatre during World War II. The carrier was decommissioned at
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in February 1947.
Langley was taken out of "mothballs" early in 1951, refurbished and transferred to
France under the
Mutual Defense Assistance Program. Based in
Toulon,
La Fayette carried out many missions in the Far East until June 1953. During this action, her airgroup included
Grumman F6F Hellcats and
Curtiss SB2C Helldivers. Modernized in 1953–1954, she served in the Mediterranean and on the African coasts. In early 1956 she returned to Indo-China (which had been partitioned after the cease fire) equipped with
Vought F4U Corsairs and
Grumman TBF Avengers. She was involved in the
Suez Crisis air and landing operations along with and British carriers beginning in October 1956. In March 1960,
La Fayette participated in the rescue operations in the Moroccan city of
Agadir, damaged by an
earthquake. It then took part in the repatriation of the first refugees from Algeria. After more than a decade of
French Navy service, she was returned to the
United States in March 1963 and was sold for scrap a year later. In French service,
La Fayette sailed nearly , her planes having carried out 19,805 landings.
La Fayette was awarded the
Military Cross for its first missions in Indo-China. The name of
La Fayette is now carried by the
frigate . ==References==