After World War II's end she was converted into an anti-submarine carrier and placed in reserve on 11 February She was reactivated on 13 May at Philadelphia in order to participate in the Korean War. After the war she returned to Pearl Harbor, and reported for a preinactivation overhaul on 26 August Although she was reclassified an auxiliary aircraft transport and redesignated AVT-4 on 15 May , her name was struck from the Navy List on 1 September She was sold to Nicolai Joffe Corp.
The vessel that eventually became the light aircraft carrier Bataan was originally planned as the Cleveland -class light cruiser Buffalo CL Following the December attack on Pearl Harbor , the need for more carriers became urgent. In response, the Navy ordered the conversion of nine Cleveland -class light cruisers then under construction to completion as light aircraft carriers.
These became known as the Independence -class aircraft carriers. She was further reclassified as CVL on 15 July Bataan displaced 11, long tons 11, t light and 16, long tons 16, t at full load. She had an overall length of feet 6 inches Her extreme beam was feet 2 inches Her draft was 26 feet 7. For armament she was equipped with 24 Bofors 40 mm gun and 22 Oerlikon 20 mm cannon for anti-aircraft protection. She normally carried 30 aircraft.
She had a design speed of The vessel was ordered 16 December as a light cruiser and reordered as a light aircraft carrier on 2 June She was commissioned on 17 November Bataan was named after Bataan Peninsula and the Battle of Bataan where American and Filipino troops were besieged by Japanese forces from 24 December until 9 April when the remaining 78, troops surrendered to avoid unnecessary slaughter.
After fitting out at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , Bataan conducted preliminary shakedown training in Chesapeake Bay before sailing to the West Indies on 11 January Two days later, while en route to Trinidad, she suffered her first loss when a Grumman F6F Hellcat fighter crashed into her number 2 stack and burst into flames, killing three crewmen. Returning to Philadelphia on 14 February, she underwent post-shakedown repairs and inspections until 2 March when she got underway for the Pacific.
