Watch USS Gilbert Islands CVE-107 Shakedown Operations Footage from March 1945

In March 1945, the USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) took part in shakedown training operations just off the U.S. coast before heading to Pearl Harbor. These exercises took place from March 16 through 19 and were designed to prepare the crew and aircraft for service in the Pacific. The training included takeoffs and landings of F4U Corsairs, F6F Hellcats, and TBM Avengers from the carrier’s flight deck. The planes launched, performed mock attacks against the water behind the ship, and then returned to land safely on deck.

This video footage captures those training scenes, showing how carrier crews learned to coordinate air operations under real conditions. The Marine squadrons on board were among the first to operate from escort carriers during the Pacific campaign. At the time, this was a new development in the war effort, and only a few carriers were involved in the program.

The Start of Marine Carrier Operations

Four escort carriers played a role in starting this initiative. The USS Block Island (CVE-106) carried VMTB-233 and VMF-511. The USS Gilbert Islands (CVE-107) carried VMTB-143 and VMF-512. USS Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) hosted VMTB-132 and VMF-351, while USS Vella Gulf (CVE-111) included VMTB-234 and VMF-513. These squadrons helped develop the skills needed for Marine Corps aviation to operate at sea and later contributed to combat missions in the Pacific.

The films were preserved by the U.S. Marine Corps History Division and digitized with help from the University of South Carolina. They are part of a larger effort to save over 19,000 reels of historic footage. The full collection is available through digital.library.sc.edu.

Keep going for the video below: