The Ship:
USS Cabot (CVL 28) was one of the so-called light carriers commissioned during World War II. These nine ships of the Independence class were converted from cruiser construction into aircraft carriers. Cabot was placed in commission on July 24, 1943. She displaced 11,000 tons, stretched nearly 623 feet in length and boasted a top speed of 32 knots. The carrier operated 35 aircraft and her crew numbered 1,569.

Wartime Service:
Cabot received the Presidential Unit Citation and nine battle stars for her World War II service. This included action at the famous Battles of the Philippine Sea and Leyte Gulf and support of the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. She suffered battle damage during a kamikaze attack on November 25, 1944, during which one suicide plane hit the ship and another hit the water close by, causing damage and killing 62 members of the crew. 

Postwar Service:
Placed out of commission and in reserve in 1947, Cabot was recommissioned in 1948 and served as the designated training carrier at NAS Pensacola for a time while also making cruises to the Caribbean and Mediterranean Sea. She was again placed out of commission and in reserve in 1955 and in 1967 was loaned (and eventually transferred) to Spain. The ship operated in the Spanish Navy with the named Dedalo until 1989. She was scrapped in 2002.

The Idea:
With planning for the construction of a new west wing for the National Naval Aviation Museum, Museum Director CAPT Robert Rasmussen, USN (Ret.) sought an impactful centerpiece for the new space, which would serve to tell the story of Naval Aviation during World War II. He chose Cabot because it not only had a distinguished war record, but spent time at NAS Pensacola. 

The Exhibit:
While the wooden deck is not as long as the original on board Cabot its width is accurate. The island is a replica, having been constructed using the original plans, but some components were removed from actual carriers, including USS Lexington (AVT 16). The scoreboard documenting the ship’s combat record was painted by a sailor who completed the original, this time with the assistance of his son. The island features a painting reflecting the ship’s wartime radio callsign “Mohawk” and ribbons noting it combat awards that are topped by a duck decoy. This reflects a wartime operation in which Cabot and other ships were used to draw and attack by Japanese aircraft on Formosa (now Taiwan).

Nickname:
Cabot’s nickname was the “Iron Woman,” which was bestowed on the ship by famed combat correspondence Ernie Pyle during a visit in 1945. His series of columns that captured life aboard a carrier appeared shortly before he was killed by a sniper on Ie Shima.