In the waters of the South China Sea, one ship carried no fighter jets and fired no missiles.
But the USNS Corpus Christi Bay became one of the most important weapons America had.
Originally built as the Navy seaplane tender USS Albemarle, the vessel was transformed in 1965 into the world’s first floating aircraft repair depot. Renamed after the city of Corpus Christi, the 538-foot ship was outfitted with 32 specialized repair shops and staffed by nearly 400 Army technicians…