(Click map for a high resolution image)
Posted on 07/12/2013 7:42:25 AM PDT by Jeff Head
Currently (July 2013) there are five US Navy Aircraft Carrier museums. Four are of Essex class carriers commissioned during World War II which underwent the SBC-125 refit in the 1950s to modernize them. All were commissioned in 1943 & served into modern times. The last, the USS Lexington, was decommissioned in 1991 after 48 years service. The other is the USS Midway, namesake of a larger class carrier built at the end of the war. She underwent two major refits, in the 1950s & in 1970 greatly enlarging her flight deck for modern aircraft. She was commissioned in 1945 & decommissioned in 1992 after 47 years service.
Name: USS Yorktown
Designation: CV-10
Class: Essex
Displacement: 41,200 tons (after modernization)
Commissoned: 1943
Decommissioned: 1970
Mueum Web Site: http://www.patriotspoint.org/
Location: Charleston, SC (Click HERE for a map)
Name: USS Intrepid
Designation: CV-11
Class: Essex
Displacement: 41,200 tons (after modernization)
Commissoned: 1943
Decommissioned: 1974
Mueum Web Site: http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/
Location: New York, NY (Click HERE for a map)
Name: USS Hornet
Designation: CV-12
Class: Essex
Displacement: 41,200 tons (after modernization)
Commissoned: 1943
Decommissioned: 1970
Mueum Web Site: http://www.uss-hornet.org/
Location: Alameda, CA (Click HERE for a map)
Name: USS Lexington
Designation: CV-16
Class: Essex
Displacement: 48,300 tons (after modernization)
Commissoned: 1943
Decommissioned: 1991
Mueum Web Site: http://usslexington.com/
Location: Corpus Christi, TX (Click HERE for a map)
Name: USS Midway
Designation: CV-41
Class: Midway
Displacement: 74,000 tons (after modernization)
Commissoned: 1945
Decommissioned: 1992
Mueum Web Site: http://www.midway.org/
Location: San Diego, CA (Click HERE for a map)
Currently, none of the more modern "super carriers," meaning none of the Forrestal Class, Kitty Hawk Class, or later aircraft carriers, have been saved and set aside as museums. However, there is an active effort underway to get the John F. Kennedy, CV-67, set up as an aicraft carrier museum in the New England area, She was a "super carrier," built to a modified Kitty Hawk standard, and was the last conventionally powered (meaning non-nulcear) aircraft carrier the United States built.
Name: USS John F. Kennedy
Designation: CV-67
Class: Kitty Hawk
Displacement: 82,700 tons
Commissoned: 1968
Decommissioned: 2007
Mueum Web Site: http://www.ussjfkri.org/
Location: (Proposed Rhode Island)
WORLD-WIDE AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
THE RISING SEA DRAGON IN ASIA
AEGIS & AEGIS-LIKE VESSELS OF THE WORLD
THE US NAVY IN THE 21ST CENTURY
AMERICA AT THE CROSSROADS OF HISTORY
So we hit the Concrete Deck for our T-28 carrier quals.
Whoop de do!
HT-18 CQ was in an UH-1E, not much difficulty there.
Later on, putting a CH-53 down on the back of an underway LPD was a bit more fun, 45 degree approach angle to the ships heading and all. Really messes with your mind with the sea surface going by at an angle.
Nothing like a rainy night trap in a fast mover, though. I really have to hand it to you, even if you can't hover.
:-)
I stand corrected! Thanks Gunner. I’ve been by Groton and seen the sail. Wonder what the circumstances were that they have an “extra” sail? One on the sub, one on separate display? Maybe they installed a re-inforced sail for the polar mission?
Dunno?
Anyway, the point I made about Nuke vessels generally holds true. ENTERPRISE will likely be scrapped out. After they get done removing 8 nuclear reactors and associated piping & machinery from below decks — there isn’t going to be much left undisturbed.
That’s really neat...!
My dad served on the USS Essex during the Cuban missile Crisis. He also served on the Midway for two cruises on Yankee Station during the Vietnam War.
What did you do on the Midway at that time? My dad was also on that cruise?
My dad served on the USS Block Island (CVE-106) which was only 557 feet long. The Intrepid is 872 feet long. Just a fun fact: the Block Island carried all Marine pilots flying Corsairs.
The legend goes that Rickover never wanted a nuclear powered carrier but Congress forced him to build one. With eight reactors and an armored stern amongst other extremely expensive features Rickover won, at least temporarily. The next couple of carriers were conventional.
There are a number of battleships and other ships preserved in museums also. This list is only of aircraft carriers.
Well they are defueling the reactors here in Newport News right now. I don’t think they so scrapping here though. so they will have to at least weld it back up to float it out of here.
At the bottom of the Atlantic(She was sunk around 2003 or 2004).
I was LOX crew and Seat Shop AME-3
Clamper1797 on the USS Midway somewhere in the Tonkin Gulf 1972-1973
Ah, OK, thanks. ;^)
What squadron?
VA-93
Ameerica was sunk in a SINKEX, live fire exercise. She took a LOT to go down, in fact rumor has it that IED personnel had to go onboard and wire her to sink. She taught the Navy a lot.
Thanks!
I did not know that. Mooored in the same slip the original Hornet used to leave for Tokyo?
Great info that!
Agreed 100%...it was a complete travesty. My Dad used to talk about it. He was a combat US Naval officer vet of the PTO.
There were only two of those deisel SSGN’s built, using the Regulus missile.
The other was converted to an amphibipous assault sub in the mid 60s for special forces and used until around 1980 I believe, then decommissioned and scrapped. The USS Growler is the only one left.
It is...but it is a battleship. These are all aircraft carriers.
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