<p>The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS <i>Shangri-La</i> (CV-38) is christened by Mrs. Josephine "Joe" E. Doolittle, wife of (then) U.S. Army Air Forces Major General James H. Doolittle, during launching ceremonies at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia (USA), 24 February 1944. Rear Admiral Felix X. Gygax, the Navy Yard Commandant, is in the foreground, holding a microphone close to the sponsor's champagne bottle as it smashes into the new carrier's bow.<br></p>
The aircraft carrier was named <i>Shangri-La</i>, because in April 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt said that the famous "Doolittle Raid" on Tokyo was flown from Shangri-La, a fictional paradise from the popular novel "Lost Horizon" by James Hilton. In reality, Lt.Col. Doolittle had led sixteen USAAF Martin B-25B <i>Mitchell</i> bombers to bomb targets in Japan after taking off from the aircraft carrier USS <i>Hornet</i> (CV-8).
U.S. Navy
Official U.S. Navy photo <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/numerical-list-of-images/nhhc-series/nh-series/NH-96000/NH-96329.html">NH 96329</a> from the U.S. Navy <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.history.navy.mil">Naval History and Heritage Command</a>