USS Wasp (CV-7) - Wasp Class Aircraft Carrier Ordered Laid down Launched Commissioned Decommissioned Stricken 19 Sep 1935 1 Apr 1936 4 Apr 1939 25 Apr 1940 2 Nov 1942 Builder: Bethlehem Steel Corp., Quincy, Mass. Named to commemorate seven US warships which had previously borne the name. A "Wasp" is "any of numerous winged hymenopterous insects possessing smooth, slender bodies, and an abdomen attached by a narrow stalk. They have well-developed wings, biting mouthparts,
