In 1941, as United States participation in World War II became increasingly likely, the US Navy embarked on a construction program for escort carriers, which were converted from transport ships of various types.

These proved to be very successful ships, and the Commencement Bay class, authorized for Fiscal Year 1944, were an improved version of the Sangamon design.

[1] They proved to be the most successful of the escort carriers, and the only class to be retained in active service after the war, since they were large enough to operate newer aircraft.

Given the very large storage capacity for oil, the ships of the Commencement Bay class could steam for some 23,900 nautical miles (44,300 km; 27,500 mi) at a speed of 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph).

She then went on a shakedown cruise and completed training exercises, including for night carrier operations, off the West Coast of the United States.

She conducted a shakedown cruise south to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before sailing from Norfolk on 6 August with a load of aircraft to be transferred to Casablanca in French Morocco.

[6] Kula Gulf took part in Marine Corps helicopter training exercises held at Vieques Island, Puerto Rico in May 1952.

These maneuvers continued for the following two years, during which time Kula Gulf helped to develop anti-submarine tactics to counter the threat of Soviet submarines.

She took part in a major exercise to test the so-called "vertical assault" doctrine at Vieques Island that lasted from February to April 1955.

[6] The doctrine envisioned using escort carriers to launch helicopters carrying marines and heavy equipment to seize strategic crossroads inland from the invasion beach, while traditional amphibious forces went ashore.

[6] By this time, the Navy had begun replacing the Commencement Bay-class ships with much larger Essex-class aircraft carriers, since the former were too small to operate newer and more effective anti-submarine patrol planes.

Proposals to radically rebuild the Commencement Bays either with an angled flight deck and various structural improvements or lengthen their hulls by 30 ft (9.1 m) and replace their propulsion machinery to increase speed came to nothing, as they were deemed to be too expensive.