Displacement: 14,500 tons length: 684 feet beam: 76 feet 9 inches; extreme width: 115 feet draft: 28 feet speed: 33 knots complement: 1,721 crew armament: 40 40mm guns class: Saipan

The first Saipan (CVL-48) was laid down on 10 July 1944 by the New York Shipbuilding Corp., Camden, N.J.; launched on 8 July 1945, sponsored by Mrs. John W. McCormack; and commissioned on 14 July 1946, with Capt. John G. Crommelin in command.

Commissioned eleven months after the close of World War II, Saipan trained student pilots out of Pensacola from September 1946 to April 1947. She was then reassigned to Norfolk as her homeport. After participating in exercises in the Caribbean, she proceeded to Philadelphia for overhaul. In November, she returned to Pensacola, but in late December, after training midshipmen, she steamed back to the east coast to serve with the Operational Development Force.

In February 1948, her work in jet operational techniques, carrier support tactics, and electronic instrument evaluation was briefly interrupted. From 7 to 24 February, she transported the United States delegation to the Venezuelan Presidential inauguration and back. Upon her return, she conducted local operations off the Virginia Capes, and in April, after a visit to Portsmouth, N.H., she resumed work for the Operational Development Force. On the 18th, she also relieved USS Mindoro (CVE-120) as flagship of Carrier Division 17 (CarDiv 17).

On 19 April 1948, she departed Norfolk for Quonset Point, R.I., where, on 3 May, she embarked Fighter Squadron 17A. Three days later, all squadron pilots had qualified in FH-1 Phantom jets, marking the first carrier-based jet squadron. By the end of the month, Saipan returned to Norfolk and was relieved of flagship duties. In June, she returned to New England waters, and in July, she commenced an overhaul at Norfolk. In December, she resumed local operations. On the 24th, she was ordered to embark two of the Navy's latest type helicopters, the XHJS-1, and three Marine Corps HRP-1 helicopters, and proceeded north to Greenland to assist in the rescue of eleven airmen downed on the ice cap. Departing Norfolk on Christmas day, the CVL arrived off Cape Farewell on 28 December 1948 and prepared to launch the helicopters as soon as weather allowed. On the 29th, however, a C-47, equipped with jet assist takeoff and skis, landed on the ice, rescued the marooned airmen, and made it out again.

Saipan returned to Norfolk on 31 December and sailed again on 28 January 1949. Steaming south, she conducted exercises out of Guantanamo Bay until March, then returned to Hampton Roads on the 10th. From the 11th to the 19th, she conducted operations for the development force, followed by a reserve training cruise to Canada. At the end of May, she again commenced work for the Operational Development Force. Three months later, she conducted her second reservist cruise of the year, then qualified Royal Canadian Navy pilots in carrier landings.

From November 1949 to March 1951, Saipan operated from the Virginia Capes to the south. On 6 March 1951, she got underway as flagship, CarDiv 14, and sailed for duty with the 6th Fleet. Deployed for three months, she operated in the western Mediterranean until the end of May, then headed for home. On 8 June, she returned to Norfolk and resumed operations in the western Atlantic, from Greenland to the Caribbean.

For over two years, Saipan continued Second Fleet operations, interrupting them for midshipman cruises during the summers of 1952 and 1953 and for an overhaul. In October 1953, she departed the east coast, transited the Panama Canal, and steamed for the Pacific. On 30 October, she arrived at San Diego, then continued to Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka, and Korea for support of the uneasy truce agreement.

Assigned to TF 95, she conducted surveillance and reconnaissance missions along the coast and patrolled islands south of the 38th Parallel. In January 1954, she provided air support for Japanese-manned LSTs ferrying former Chinese POWs from Inchon to Formosa. In early February, she participated in amphibious exercises in the Ryukyus, then returned to Inchon to stand by for a possible evacuation of Indian troops from Panmunjom. In March, she conducted amphibious exercises in the Bonins, then returned to Japan. Instead of resuming truce patrols, she took on 25 AU-type aircraft and five H19A helicopters at Yokosuka, which she delivered to French forces in Tourane (later Danang) Air Base, French Indo-China. She then proceeded to Manila, delivered the helicopters to Air Force personnel, and resumed operations off Korea at the end of April.

On 8 May, she put into Sasebo, then operated in Japanese waters until returning to Norfolk via the Suez Canal. On 20 July, she completed her round-the-world cruise. In October 1954, she sailed south to the Caribbean, arriving as hurricane "Hazel" hit the Greater Antilles. From 13 to 20 October, she delivered relief supplies and personnel to isolated areas of Haiti, then returned to Norfolk.

After an overhaul, Saipan resumed operations in April 1955 with a cruise to the Caribbean. In June 1955, she was reassigned to the aviation training center at Pensacola, conducting qualification exercises. In late September, she assisted in hurricane relief efforts in Mexico, evacuating 5,439 people and distributing supplies in the flooded Tampico area. She returned to Pensacola on 12 October, remaining there until April 1957, when she sailed to Bayonne, N.J., for inactivation and decommissioning on 30 September 1957.

Reclassified AVT-6 on 15 May 1959, Saipan remained in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until March 1963. She then entered the Alabama Dry Dock and Shipbuilding Co. yard in Mobile for conversion to a command ship. Briefly designated CC-3, she was reclassified as a Communications Major Relay ship (AGMR-2) on 1 September 1964 while still undergoing conversion. On 8 April 1965, she was renamed Arlington in honor of Arlington County, Va., and on 12 August 1966, she completed her conversion. As Arlington (AGMR-2), she sailed for Norfolk and was recommissioned on 27 August 1966.

Fitting out occupied the remainder of the year. In January 1967, she conducted shakedown exercises in the Caribbean, and in February, she sailed for the Bay of Biscay and exercises off northern Europe. At the end of March, she returned to Norfolk. In April, she again steamed to the Caribbean. On her return to the Hampton Roads area, she prepared for deployment to the western Pacific.

Departing Norfolk on 7 July 1967, the communications ship transited the Panama Canal and proceeded to Pearl Harbor, Yokosuka, and Subic Bay. With USS Annapolis (AGMR-1), she rotated on station off Vietnam. During her first patrol in Tonkin Gulf from 21 August to 18 September, she provided reliable message handling facilities for ships of the Seventh Fleet in support of combat operations and assisted in repairing electronic equipment. After receiving a new satellite communications terminal, she departed Subic for Taiwan on 2 October, continued to Tonkin Gulf, and resumed her communications relay duties. After a brief visit to Hong Kong, she returned to Subic Bay, then to Tonkin Gulf in early December for her third "Yankee Station" communications patrol. She departed the area on 27 December and headed north, arriving at Yokosuka on 4 January 1968, and returned to Vietnam on 24 January.

Participating in exercises in the Sea of Japan, she returned to "Yankee Station" from 13 February to 10 March 1968, then returned to Yokosuka on 14 March. She resumed operations in Tonkin Gulf on 10 April, visited Sydney, and then returned to station in mid-June. She completed two more tours on "Yankee Station" between the end of August and mid-November and headed for Pearl Harbor in early December. Acting as primary landing area communications relay ship, she participated in the recovery of Apollo 8, then returned to Pearl Harbor and sailed for the Philippines. On 17 January 1969, she resumed direct communications support in Tonkin Gulf.

Arlington participated in further Apollo mission recoveries and various exercises until returning to her homeport of Long Beach on 21 August 1969. Decommissioned on 14 January 1970, she was berthed with the Inactive Fleet at San Diego. Stricken from the Navy List on 15 August 1975, she was sold for scrapping on 1 June 1976. Arlington (AGMR-2) earned seven campaign stars for service off Vietnam.