The USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) was a Commencement Bay-class escort carrier laid down on November 29, 1943, and launched on July 20, the following year. It was commissioned for the first time on February 5, 1945, with the hull number CVE-107 under Capt. L. K. Rice’s command and served in the US Navy for 10 years until it was decommissioned for the last time on December 20, 1969, as USS Annapolis. During its activity, the ship carried a complement of 1066 men on board and had its main missions in San Diego, Leyte, Borneo, Okinawa, Saipan, Pearl Harbor, Japan, New England, Cuba, and Vietnam. For the services brought to the country during World War II, the USS Gilbert Islands received 3 battle stars and another 7 campaign stars for the activity during the Vietnam War. Because of its incombustibility, low thermal conductivity, tensile strength, and high resistance to heat and chemical damage, it was most popularly used for insulation and was implemented in a number of U.S. Navy ships and naval yards during World War II. If you have mesothelioma, asbestosis, or lung cancer and are a veteran of the U.S. Navy, you may be entitled to receive certain benefits through the VA.
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