From: Dictionary of American Fighting Ships, Vol. III, 1968, Navy  
Department, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Naval History  
Division, Washington, D.C.

KULA GULF (CVE-108)

The night naval battle of 6 July 1943 between an American cruiser-
destroyer task group under Rear Admiral W. L. Ainsworth and a powerful 
Japanese destroyer force in a 5-mile wide gulf between Kolobangara and 
New Georgia, Solomon Islands. The task group sank one enemy destroyer 
and drove a second ashore, while Japanese torpedoes sank cruiser HELENA.

dp. 11,373;
l. 557' 1";
b. 75';
ew. 105' 2";
dr. 32';
s. 19 k.;
cpl. 1,066;
a. 2 5", 36 40-mm., 20 20-mm., ac. 34; 
cl. COMMENCEMENT BAY

VERMILLION BAY (CVE-108) as renamed KULA GULF 6 November 1943; laid down 
by Todd-Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Tacoma, Wash., 16 December 1943; 
launched 15 August 1944- sponsored by Miss Dorothy Mott; completed by 
Williamette Iron & Steel Corp., Portland, Oreg.; and commissioned at 
Portland 12 May 1945, Captain J. W. Ring in command.

After shakedown and night carrier training off the West Coast, KULA GULF 
departed San Diego 5 August for operations with the 7th Fleet in the 
Western Pacific. Steaming via Pearl Harbor and the Marshalls, she 
arrived Leyte Gulf, Philippines, 14 September. During the net 2 months 
she patrolled the East China Sea out of Okinawa and shuttled planes 
between Saipan and Guam. Assigned to "Magic-Carpet" duty, she departed 
Guam 17 November with 600 veterans of the Pacific fighting embarked and 
steamed to San Francisco, arriving 4 December. Between 10 December and 
10 January 1946 she returned to the Far East, and, after embarking 1,520 
returning veterans at Tientsin and Tsingtao, China, she sailed to the 
West Coast, reaching San Diego 26 January. She departed San Francisco 
for the East Coast 26 February, arrived Norfolk 16 March, decommissioned 
at Boston 3 July, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

When the Korean conflict brought an urgent need for a greatly expanded 
need throughout the world, KULA GULF recommissioned at Boston 15 
February 1951, Captain Alden D. Schwarz in command. After shakedown out 
of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the escort carrier departed Norfolk 6 August 
and carried a cargo of airplanes ,to Casablanca, French Morocco. 
Following her return to Norfolk 1 September, she spent the next 15 
months training pilots of helicopter, air-antisubmarine, and fighter 
squadrons to strengthen U.S. forces in Korea.

During May 1952 KULA GULF supported Marine helicopter maneuvers on 
Vieques Island, Puerto Rico; and in October she operated as ASW screen 
to troop transports bound for Labrador. Following a modernization 
overhaul from January to July 1953, she resumed air-antisubmarine 
maneuvers in the Caribbean and off the Atlantic coast.

From 1953 to 1955 KULA GULF helped perfect ASW techniques by 
participating in search and kill exercises with ships of the Atlantic 
Fleet. She played an important role in the development of more effective 
antisubmarine warfare tactics that help the Navy control the seas. In 
addition to ASW development, she also aided the advancement of 
helicopter warfare tactics, which are now so important during the 
struggle to repel Communist aggression in South Vietnam. KULA GULF 
supported Marine vertical assault landing exercises at Vieques Island 
between February and April 1955. After returning to Norfolk 26 April, 
she entered Boston Naval Shipyard 13 May and Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 
19 August for inactivation overhauls. She decommissioned at Philadelphia 
15 December 1955 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was 
reclassified AKV-8 on 7 May 1959.

As Communist aggression in South Vietnam increased, the United States 
expanded efforts to protect the integrity and independence of the 
Republic of South Vietnam. This assistance posed vast logistic demands 
and created the need for additional sea power. Because of this urgent 
need, KULA GULF was transferred to MSTS 30 June 1965 for use as an 
aircraft ferry. During the summer of 196 she carried helicopters and 
troops of the 1st Cavalry Division from the East Coast to Vietnam. Since 
then she has continued aircraft shuttle operations between West Coast 
ports and American bases along the coast of South Vietnam into 1967.