Commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 8 th of May 1944 with Captain Dixie Kiefer in command, USS Ticonderoga embarked on a shakedown cruise to the West Indies. Four months later, she passed through the Panama Canal. During the next few months, Ticonderoga transported aircraft to Hawaii, took part in underway ordnance replenishment experiments and trained her crew and air group for participation in the war against Japan. From November to December 1944, she took part in action around the northern Philippines as part of Task Force 38. Towards the end of WWII, the Ticonderoga suffered damage and had to return to the US for repairs after being by hit by a "Kamikaze" attack off Formosa on the 21^st of January 1945.

In August 1964, during her sixth WestPac cruise, her planes participated in air strikes against North Vietnamese targets during the "Tonkin Gulf Incident"

In 1965, an A-4 Skyhawk of VA-56 squadron, deployed aboard the Ticonderoga, and carrying a B43 nuclear bomb was lost off the coast of Japan on 5 December. The aircraft, the pilot, and the bomb were never found.

VF-191 was deployed twice aboard the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) with CVW-19 to Vietnam, from the 15th October 1966 to 29th May 1967 and from the 28th December 1967 to the 17th August 1968. In both cases VF-191 flew the F-8E Crusader. Most missions being part of the continuing attempts to interdict the enemy lines of supply.
During the second deployment, on the 9th of July 1968, Lt. Comdr. John B. Nichols III shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17. This was the only kill for the squadron for the US involvement in Vietnam.

In her final years, she took part in the recovery of astronauts from the last two lunar landing Apollo missions.
In September 1973, a board of inspection and survey found her to be unfit for further naval service resulting in her being decommissioned.
USS Ticonderoga was struck from the Navy list on the 16^th of November 1973. She was scrapped in the September of 1975.

USS Ticonderoga (CV-14, CVA-14, CVS-14 ) received five battle stars during World War II and three Navy Unit Commendations, one Meritorious Unit Commendation, and 12 battle stars during the Vietnam War.