In 1953, the mainstay of carrier-based anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces in the Navy were represented by a pair of Grumman AF-2W and AF-2S Guardians flying as a hunter-killer team and operating from an escort carrier of the Commencement Bay(CVE-105) class. The Guardian's wingspan of 60 feet, length of 43 feet 5 inches and height of 16 feet 7 inches, made it the largest single-engine piston-driven airplane ever to operate from an aircraft carrier.