Click on pic for past Navair pings.
Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.
Posted on 05/21/2008 3:14:04 PM PDT by neverdem
Getting stuck in the mud on its first attempt to leave Manhattan was not the last or the least of the troubles that the aircraft carrier Intrepid has encountered in the past 18 months.
The military museum the ship houses was at risk of going out of business last year, as the costs of overhauling the carrier and rebuilding its home pier spiraled past $100 million, almost double the original estimate, said Bill White, president of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. To keep the work going and to stay on schedule to reopen this fall, the museum’s directors borrowed against the museum’s $15 million endowment, a move they had promised never to make, Mr. White said.
“This museum and this whole project was in danger of shutting down,” Mr. White said. “If we hadn’t taken this drastic measure to use the endowment, which I consider sacred, for this purpose, there would be no more Intrepid — unless someone was willing to write a check for 15, 20 million bucks.”
Now, with an electronic timer on a pier on the West Side counting down the days to the Intrepid’s return, museum officials are still pleading for additional public and private financing to complete the renovations on time. On the schedule that the museum set, the ship is due to be towed back from Staten Island on Oct. 2 — 134 days from Tuesday — and to have its official reopening on Veterans Day, Nov. 11.
For most of the past year, the 900-foot-long carrier has been the only warship moored at the Homeport on the north shore of Staten Island. But this week, it will have company when some active military ships sail in for Fleet Week, an event that revolved around the Intrepid until last year...
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Funny - the carrier was nicknamed ‘USS Decrepid’ during the war because it always seemed problem-plagued.
Yeah, but she sure could take a beating. Hit numerous times by kamikazes. She lost 800 men in one day.
I toured her back in 1987. Pretty impressive, even back then.
ping
Intrepid bump!
That's from the Associated Press. I know it's not the best source.
We took the kids up to New York a couple of years ago, and toured Intrepid shortly before the renovations began. It was a great experience.
You may be right. My number seems to be from the entire Task Force 38. 30 + ships.
Looks like Intrepid lost 65 men on 11-25-1944 during that engagement.
I toured on the Kitty Hawk’s maiden voyage around the Horn and was paid $88.00 a month. Room and board was free!!!!!
270 KIA out of 800 total casualties is not unreasonable either. I was wondering if you had a source better than the AP, which I don’t regard too highly.
No, I looked all over. But, if the AP is quoting from its archives, they may be right. AP and UPI were highly regarded during the war. They knew when to be silent and they seemed to be on the level as far as political persuasion (well, at least more so than today.)
Click on pic for past Navair pings.
Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.
Actually, the 800 in one day I believe was the Franklin
Thanks.
Franklin lay dead in the water, took a 13° starboard list, lost all radio communications, and broiled under the heat from enveloping fires. Many of the crew were blown overboard, driven off by fire, killed or wounded, but the hundreds of officers and enlisted who voluntarily remained saved their ship through sheer valor and tenacity. The casualties totaled 724 killed and 265 wounded, and would have far exceeded this number except for the heroic work of many survivors.
From Wikipedia.
By the way, welcome to Free Republic. You will enjoy it. I’ve made many FRiends here.
Indeed they are. So are a few others.
Going aboard - USS Lexingston
Hood ornaments - USS Texas
Fire one (volkswagen) - USS Wisconsin
I don't have pictures, but I have been aboard her...
Thank you.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.