Kitty Hawk makes final port call to Hong Kong

United States Navy ^ | 28 April 2008

[A.A. Cunningham]

080428-N-7883G-683 SOUTH CHINA SEA (April 28, 2008) The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) prepares to anchor in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. Hong Kong is Kitty Hawk's last scheduled overseas port visit before its return to the United States later this year. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle D. Gahlau (Released)

[A.A. Cunningham]

080428-N-7883G-186 HONG KONG (April 28, 2008) The aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) anchors in Victoria Harbor for a port visit to Hong Kong. Kitty Hawk and Carrier Air Wing 5 arrived for a port visit, which will give Sailors an opportunity to take advantage of Hong Kong's shopping and cultural attractions. This is Kitty Hawk's last port visit into a foreign country before she is replaced in the summer by USS George Washington (CVN 73). Kitty Hawk operates from Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kyle D. Gahlau (Released)

[Vision]

Surprised to see the rust under the holes below her deck in the bow. Kind of thought that was the stuff regular maintenance took care of.

[fredhead]

The old Kitty is looking pretty beat up and long in the tooth. It will be another sad ending for a gallant warrior. I had to look at the stripped out hulk of the USS John F. Kennedy (my 2nd ship) for 6 months here at Norfolk before they towed her away to mothball her in Philly. A depressing sight.

[cuz_it_aint_their_money]

Surprised to see the rust under the holes below her deck in the bow.

Now you know why she was also refered to as the "Sh!tty Kitty" decades ago when I was station on her sister ship the USS Midway (CV-41).

[Adder]

Has it been so long?

I remember when she left Philly down the Delaware River for the first time:It was so momentous and impressive that we actually had a school field trip to the river to watch her pass.

Wow.

[Krep...now I feel old.]

[Kitanis]

I read a small article in a magazine at Barnes and Noble (Sea Classics) that talked about a probe and investigation about the Kitty Hawks maintenance records for the last ten years.. but never did find out what came of it.

The article hinted that the officers of the ship over the year and higher level command deffered some standard upkeep on the ship over the years..

[IGOTMINE]

I was in the MARDET 86-88. Capt D.W. Hoffman would have become completely unfreakin’ glued over those rust spots

[Moose4]

Man, the old girl’s looking rode hard and put up wet.

In the second picture, to the left and right aft...is that some sort of slick behind her? Sure looks like something floating on the water.

}:-)4

[Vroomfondel]

ping

[magslinger]

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[GitmoSailor]

Seems just like yesterday I shipped out on the Kitty Hawk’s first voyage around the Horn to the west coast in 1961.............

[Aggie Mama]

Here’s a silly question: What on earth do they do with all the aircraft during a bad storm? Are they stored underneath or do they fly out? There seem to be quite a bit on the deck in that first picture.

[Non-Sequitur]

Here’s a silly question: What on earth do they do with all the aircraft during a bad storm?

Aircraft are tied down on the flight deck and below decks in the hanger bay. But as a rule the Navy goes out of its way to avoid bad storms with its carriers.

[Knitebane]

Here’s a silly question: What on earth do they do with all the aircraft during a bad storm? Are they stored underneath or do they fly out? There seem to be quite a bit on the deck in that first picture.

They chain them down to the deck.

NORLANT cruises are always fun. The deck watch is issued a flashlight (with a red lens that makes it largely useless) and a hammer.

The hammer is for busting ice off of the chains so the weight of the ice doesn't tear the wings off of the aircraft.

[Non-Sequitur]

...is that some sort of slick behind her? Sure looks like something floating on the water.

In the first photo she's at a dead stop as she drops the hook. After it hits the bottom, the ship needs to move ahead or astern to play out the anchor chain. I'm guessing it could be mud or some sort of pollution stirred up by the ships propellers.

[Broker]

Seems like yesterday I flew C-1A CODs to her. Hong Kong was good liberty. The old YMCA in Kowloon and Bottoms Up club were great. HK Island had the tram and Victoria Peak. Always got off at Bowen Road for a good run around the mountain.

[cva66snipe]

Now you know why she was also refered to as the "Sh!tty Kitty" decades ago when I was station on her sister ship the USS Midway (CV-41).

Kitty did real well all things considered. She was the oldest carrier of her class surviving the other two in it {the newest Kitty Hawk class carrier by over a 12 years} and even outlasted the newest conventional JFK as well. The truth is though her age is what makes her unsafe now. A 1200 PSI steam system 60 years old is dangerous. A leak in the steam lines the size of a number 2 pencil lead will dismember ya real quick. You won't see it, you won't hear it. Snipes use broom handles to test the lines with. If the broom handle gets cut in half you found a leak.

Believe it or not the worse leak will cause the engine room to go silent. The leak is beyond human hearing range and if you go down there and can't hear anything including equipment running just silence, then get out. Go to the ECO switches and trip it off line.

[Nailbiter]

for later read

[A.A. Cunningham]

Either stowed in the hangar bay or chained to the flight deck.

080319-N-0555B-015 PACIFIC OCEAN (March 19, 2008) Aircraft assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 14 fill the hangar bay of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) to full capacity for the first time in more than three months. Reagan is conducting carrier qualifications with CVW-14 in preparation for an upcoming deployment. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Christopher D. Blachly (Released)