Aug. 1, 1943 the USS Bataan CVL-29 was launched at New York Shipbuilding Corp. in Camden, NJ. Bataan was one of the Independence Class light aircraft carriers that were built from converted Cleveland Class light cruisers. Laid down as Buffalo her name was changed on June 2, 1942 when she was reordered as a carrier. Bataan was the first US ship to be named for a World War 2 battlefield.