Accepted by Commander, 19th Fleet (Pacific Reserve Fleet), Rabaul was berthed at Tacoma. Reclassified CVHE-121 in June 1955, she was transferred to the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet in June 1958 and reclassified AKV-21 in May of the following year. She remained in reserve at San Diego until 1 September1971 when she was struck from the Naval Vessel Register. Rabaul was sold to the Nicolai Joffe Corporation of Beverly Hills, California, for scrapping.
Procedure was to fly Wildcats in tight groups of three, which limited the Wildcat's maneuverability and left it at a disadvantage against the Zeke.
Later in the month, the carrier LEXINGTON attempted to launch a strike on Rabaul, the Japanese stronghold far to the south on the island of New Britain.
The Japanese were at a disadvantage, since Guadalcanal was distant from their main base at Rabaul, giving them a long supply line that would prove painfully vulnerable to attack, as well as stretching the range of their ground-based aircraft to the limit.
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