This model depicts USS Shangri-La (CVA-38), named after the mythical place from the James Hilton novel Lost Horizon, as she appeared after her 1952-1954 modernization, which included the installation of an angled deck and hurricane bow. Shangri-La launched combat missions in both World War II and the Vietnam War, during the former serving for a time as flagship of Vice Admiral John S. McCain, and later in support of Operation Crossroads, the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in 1946. Also on display is Shangri-La's ship bell from World War II.