The aircraft carrier Leyte lay peacefully in her berth in a Boston navy yard, all but ready to go back to sea again. After four months (and two battle stars) in Korean waters, the "busiest ship in the fleet" had been in the yard for ten months for an extensive overhaul. Most of her 1,400 officers and men were aboard, and helmeted civilian workmen swarmed over her decks. Officers had just completed the weekly stem-to-stern inspection, had pronounced the "Leading Lady" (the crew's name for the Leyte) shipshape. Then, suddenly, the big...
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