The fourth USS Independence (or fifth, if you count the brigantine used by the Massachusetts State Navy in 1776) was the first in a new class of light carriers converted from cruiser hulls. The Independence was converted from the USS Amsterdam, CL-59, and was launched on August 22, 1942. After a shakedown cruise in the Caribbean, the Independence sailed west, first to San Diego and then to Pearl Harbor. Once in the Pacific, the Independence took part in many battles and managed to survive the war. Post-war, the Independence was one of the vessels in the Operation Magic Carpet fleet. Taken to Bikini Atoll, the Independence took part in a couple of atomic blasts. Highly radioactive, the hulk was sunk off the coast of San Francisco, where contamination continues to be a concern