A bay, frequently spelled Vermilion, with only one "L," located in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Louisiana, southeast of Vermilion Parish and southwest of Iberia Parish.
Vermillion (ACV-52) was laid down on 10 May 1943 by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Co. as a Prince William-class auxiliary aircraft carrier; redesignated an escort aircraft carrier, CVE-52, on 10 June 1943; assigned to Great Britain on 23 June 1943; launched on 27 September 1943; and accepted by Great Britain on 20 January 1944. Commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Smiter (D.55) a "Ruler-class" escort carrier, she served the British throughout the remainder of World War II. She returned to the United States at Norfolk on 20 March 1946 and was officially transferred back to the United States Navy on 6 April 1946. She was immediately determined to be surplus to the needs of the Navy and was designated for sale. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 6 May 1946. On 28 January 1947, she was sold to the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Norfolk, Va., for conversion to mercantile service. She was subsequently resold to Compania Argentina de Navigation Dodero, S.A., and entered mercantile service in 1948 at Buenos Aires as SS Artillero.
