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26°06′13″N97°10′08″W / 26.1034852°N 97.1689342°W /26.1034852; -97.1689342
_underway_at_sea%2c_circa_in_1971_(NH_97714-KN).jpg) USSIndependence in 1971 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Independence |
| Namesake | Independence[1] |
| Ordered | 2 July 1954 |
| Builder | New York Navy Yard |
| Cost | $182.3 million[2] |
| Laid down | 1 July 1955 |
| Launched | 6 June 1958 |
| Acquired | 3 April 1959 |
| Commissioned | 10 January 1959 |
| Decommissioned | 30 September 1998 |
| Reclassified | CV-62, 28 February 1973 |
| Stricken | 8 March 2004 |
| Identification |
|
| Motto | Freedom's Flagship |
| Nickname(s) | Indy[3] |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1 February 2019 |
| Badge | _insignia_1961.png) |
| General characteristics[4] | |
| Class & type | Forrestal-classaircraft carrier |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 1,070 ft (326.1 m) |
| Beam |
|
| Draft | 37 ft (11.3 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 34knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) |
| Range |
|
| Complement |
|
| Sensors & processing systems |
|
| Electronic warfare & decoys |
|
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried |
|
The fifthUSSIndependence (CV/CVA-62) was an aircraft carrier of theUnited States Navy. She was the fourth and final member of theForrestal class of conventionally poweredsupercarriers. She entered service in 1959, with much of her early years spent in the Mediterranean Fleet.
Independence was decommissioned in 1998 after 39 years of active service. After 19 years stored atPuget Sound Naval Shipyard,Bremerton,Washington, it was towed toBrownsville, Texas in 2017 with scrapping completed by early 2019.
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TheForrestal-classaircraft carriers were designed in the early 1950s as a smaller version of the cancelledUnited States-class "supercarriers". Unlike theUnited States class, they were to operate in both the nuclear strike and conventional roles, and were therefore intended to carry a mixed fleet of fighters, light attack and heavy attack aircraft, all of which were to be jets. The carriers were designed around the large newDouglas A3D Skywarrior bomber, with four deck-edge aircraft elevators large enough to handle the new bomber. As jet aircraft needed much more fuel than piston-engined aircraft, theForrestal class had a much greater aviation fuel capacity than existing carriers, with 750,000 US gallons (2,800,000 L) ofAvgas and 789,000 US gallons (2,990,000 L) of jet fuel, more than double that carried in theMidway-class aircraft carriers.[5][6]
Independence was built with anangled flight deck with four C-7steam catapults, two on the bow and two on the angled deck. She was fitted withAN/SPS-37 long-range search radar and AN/SPS-8B height finding radar. Defensive armament consisted of eight5"/54 caliber Mark 42 guns mounted on sponsons jutting out from the sides of the ship so they did not interfere with the flight deck.[6][7] The initial air wing of theForrestal-class carriers was about 90 aircraft, although this varied with the composition of the airwing.[8]
The contract to buildIndependence, the fourthForrestal-class carrier was awarded to theBrooklyn Navy Yard on 2 July 1954,[9] with the ship beinglaid down on 1 July 1955.[4] She was launched on 6 June 1958 by the wife ofThomas S. Gates, theSecretary of the Navy,[1][10] and commissioned on 10 January 1959.[4]
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Independence conducted shakedown training under her first captain, Captain R. Y. McElroy, with the first landing-on being carried out by aGrumman Tradercarrier onboard delivery aircraft on 2 March 1959. She arrived at her new homeport ofNaval Station Norfolk,Virginia on 30 June 1959, and then carried out a ten-week training cruise in theCaribbean.[1][11] During these trials, while carrying out compatibility tests aboard the new carrier, aDouglas A3D Skywarrior was catapulted offIndependence at a gross weight of 84,000 pounds (38,000 kg), the heaviest aircraft to take off from a carrier at the time.[12]
%2c_USS_Saratoga_(CVA-60)%2c_and_USS_Intrepid_(CVA-11)_underway_in_1961%2c_with_crewmen_paraded_on_deck_in_a_spellout_commemorating_the_50th_birthday_of_U.S._naval_aviation_(NH_97716).jpg)
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Independence operated off theVirginia Capes for the next year on training maneuvers, and departed 4 August 1960 for her first cruise to theMediterranean. There, she added to the power of the6th Fleet in the region, remaining in the eastern Mediterranean until her return to Norfolk 3 March 1961. On 4 August 1961, she departed again for the Mediterranean to join the US 6th fleet for another cruise and returned on 19 December 1961 to Norfolk.
Independence sailed on 19 April 1962 forSixth Fleet duty in support of PresidentJohn F. Kennedy's firm stand onBerlin during a recurrence of stress in a critical area. She returned to Norfolk 27 August and sailed 11 October for theCaribbean Sea. Called on by President Kennedy on 24 October during the 1962Cuban Missile Crisis,Independence acted as a key participant in the U.S. naval blockade ofCuba. She arrived offPuerto Rico in response to the presence ofSoviet missiles in Cuba and took part in the quarantine operations until the resolution of the crisis. She then returned to Norfolk on 25 November for readiness exercises along the eastern seaboard, overhaul in theNorfolk Naval Shipyard, and refresher training out ofGuantanamo Bay.
Independence departed Norfolk on 6 August 1963 to take part in combined readiness exercises in theBay of Biscay with sea-air units of theUnited Kingdom andFrance then entered the Mediterranean on 21 August for further duty with the Sixth Fleet. Cruising throughout the Mediterranean, she gained much valuable experience during combinedNATO exercises, including close air support toTurkish paratroops, reconnaissance, communications, and convoy strike support. President Makarios ofCyprus paid her a visit on 7 October 1963, after which she took part in bilateral U.S.-Italian exercises in theAdriatic with Italian patroltorpedo boats, and U.S.-French exercises, which pitted her aircraft against French interceptors and a surface action with the FrenchcruiserColbert. She returned to Norfolk on 4 March 1964.
Following training exercises, ranging north toNew York and south toNaval Station Mayport, Florida,Independence departed Norfolk on 8 September 1964 for NATO Teamwork exercises in theNorwegian Sea and off the coast of France, and then proceeded toGibraltar. She returned to Norfolk 5 November 1964 and entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for overhaul.
On 10 May 1965,Independence deployed for more than seven months, including 100 days in the South China Sea, off the coast ofVietnam, the first Atlantic Fleet carrier to do so. She also was the fifth U.S. carrier to operate offVietnam.Independence and her embarkedCarrier Air Wing 7 received theNavy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from 5 June to 21 November 1965. The carrier's air group participated in the first major series of coordinated strikes against vital enemy supply lines north of theHanoi-Haiphong complex, successfully evading the first massivesurface-to-air missile barrage in aviation history while attacking assigned targets, and executing the first successful attack on an enemy surface-to-air missile installation. The carrier launched more than 7,000 sorties, sustaining an exceptional pace of day and night strike operations against military and logistic supply facilities inNorth Vietnam. "The superior team spirit, courage, professional competence, and devotion to duty displayed by the officers and men ofIndependence and embarked Attack Carrier Air Wing Seven reflect great credit upon themselves and the United States Naval Service."
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Independence returned to her homeport, Norfolk, arriving 13 December 1965. During the first half of 1966, she operated off Norfolk, replenishing and training air groups. On 4 May 1966, she participated in Operation Strikex. The carrier departed Norfolk 13 June for European operations with the Sixth Fleet.Independence was involved with unit and NATO exercises from July into December. She then continued her Sixth Fleet deployment returning to CONUS in early 1967. After a few months of local operations, she underwent an extensive overhaul at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard.[13]The drydock portion of the overhaul was interrupted whenIndependence had to leave drydock early to make way for the fire-damagedForrestal on 19 September 1967.[citation needed]
On 30 April 1968,Independence steamed to the Mediterranean Sea for a nine-month deployment. She returned to Pier 12 NOB Norfolk, Virginia on 27 January 1969. On 3 September 1969, the Independence departed Norfolk to participate in NATO exercises in the North Atlantic, (NORLANT), where she participated in testing theHawker Siddeley Harrier in flight deck operations, returning home on 9 October 1969.Independence was again deployed to the Mediterranean on 23 June 1970, returning to Pier 12 on 31 January 1971. It was during this cruise that the ship was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation in support of actions against the PLO during the Jordanian crisis.
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On 25 September 1970, the news was received thatGamal Abdel Nasser, President of theUnited Arab Republic had died; an event that might plunge theMiddle East into a crisis.Independence, along withJohn F. Kennedy,Saratoga, and seven other U.S. Navy ships, were put on standby in case U.S. military protection was needed for the evacuation of U.S. citizens and as a counterbalance to the Soviet Union's Mediterranean fleet.
Pilots ofVMA-142, -131 and -133 began qualification landings inA-4 Skyhawks aboardIndependence on 3 August 1971. For the next three days, four active duty and 20 reserve pilots operated aboard the carrier —the first time thatMarine Corps Reserve squadrons qualified in carrier duty.
Deploying from Norfolk in September 1971, the crew earned the designation as 'Blue Nose' sailors when theIndependence crossed theArctic Circle on 28 September. During subsequent operations in the North Sea,Independence conductedcross-deck operations with the British aircraft carrierHMS Ark Royal and transited the English Channel en route to the Strait of Gibraltar and scheduled operations in the Mediterranean Sea.
In May 1973, PresidentRichard M. Nixon delivered his annualArmed Forces Day address from the decks ofIndependence. While based in Norfolk, the ship made deployments to the Mediterranean Sea andIndian Ocean. From 8 to 13 October 1973,Task Group 60.1 withIndependence, Task Force 60.2 withFranklin D. Roosevelt, andTask Forces 61/62 withGuadalcanal were alerted for possible evacuation contingencies in the Middle East as a result of the 1973Yom Kippur War between Arab states andIsrael.Independence operated off the island ofCrete.
In the summer of 1974,Independence departed Norfolk for yet another 'Med Cruise', operating with CTG 60.1 and CVW-7. RelievingFranklin D. Roosevelt,Independence andSaratoga continued the tradition of steaming the Mediterranean while being shadowed by Soviet aircraft and ships. On 8 September 1974,Independence and other ships steamed to the crash site ofTWA Flight 841, which had been brought down by a terrorist bomb, and its crew spent two days retrieving the remains of the ill-fated jetliner and of the persons on board.[14]
On 20 June 1979, Lieutenant Donna L. Spruill became the first female Navy pilot to carrier qualify in a fixed-wing aircraft. Lieutenant Spruill piloted aC-1A Trader to an arrested landing aboardIndependence.
_refueling_Independence_(CV-62)_and_Luce_(DDG-38)_c1981.jpg)
On 19 November 1980,Independence with Carrier Air Wing Six (AE) embarked, deployed to the Indian Ocean along with the cruiserHarry E. Yarnell and was on watch along withRanger on "Gonzo Station" as President Reagan took office and the Iranian Hostages were freed. Subsequently, completing an Indian Ocean cruise,Independence transited the Suez Canal northbound, shortly afterAmerica had transited southbound, makingAmerica the first United States Navy carrier (and, thus,Independence the second) to transit the Suez Canal sinceIntrepid in 1967.Independence completed a deployment of 204 days. Scheduled to go to Singapore, the crew was instead diverted to the Persian Gulf to back upNimitz during the Iran Hostage Crisis mission with Capt. Thomas E. Shanahan Commanding. After the Gulf,Independence and her battle group visited Perth/Fremantle, Western Australia from 2 to 7 February for R&R. Upon completion of the deployment, Captain Shanahan was promoted to rear admiral.
In 1982,Independence provided critical support to the multinational peacekeeping force inLebanon. On 25 June, the greatest concentration of U.S. Navy air power in the Mediterranean Sea resulted when the battle groups ofForrestal andIndependence joined forces withDwight D. Eisenhower andJohn F. Kennedy. After steaming together in the eastern Mediterranean Sea for several days,Forrestal andIndependence relievedDwight D. Eisenhower andJohn F. Kennedy, the latter sailing home to Norfolk, after a long deployment.
_underway_in_the_Mediterranean_Sea_on_8_December_1983.jpg)
In late October 1983,Independence's battle group (Carrier Group Four), assigned to theUnited States Second Fleet, became the core of Task Group 20.5, the carrier task group that would support theInvasion of Grenada. On 25 October 1983, aircraft fromIndependence's embarked air wing flew missions supporting the invasion. Returning to Lebanon that same year, the ship's air wing conducted air strikes againstSyrian positions.
In 1984, she won theMarjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet.
On 17 February 1985,Independence arrived at thePhiladelphia Naval Shipyard to undergo a modernization and overhaul program to extend her service life by 15 years. The flight deck was improved to allow the recovery of high-performance aircraft while the ship traveled at slower speeds, and the NATOSea Sparrow launchers were upgraded. Other improvements improved the ship's fuel consumption.Independence completed the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) atPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard in June 1988. Setting sail 15 August 1988 from Norfolk, the ship transited the tip ofSouth America and arrived at her new homeport ofNAS North Island, inSan Diego, California, 8 October.
The Paramount filmFlight of the Intruder (1991), starringDanny Glover,Willem Dafoe, andBrad Johnson was filmed partly onIndependence. The aircraft carrier went out for two weeks of filming in November 1989; the on-board fire party was kept busy dealing with the numerous small electrical fires that the movie crew had started with their lighting equipment.[15]
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In June 1990, withCarrier Air Wing 14 embarked,Independence departs San Diego on a routine WESTPAC. On 2 August, in response to Iraq's invasion ofKuwait,Independence, leading Task Group 800.1, which includedJouett (CG-29),[16] was sent to deter furtherIraqi aggression duringOperation Desert Shield. Arriving on station in theGulf of Oman on 5 August,Independence was the first carrier to enter thePersian Gulf since 1974. The ship remained on station for 112 days and permanently reestablished a U.S. naval presence in the region. She returned to San Diego on 20 December 1990.
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Independence changed homeports again on 11 September 1991—this time toYokosuka,Japan, embarkingCarrier Air Wing 5 and becoming the Navy's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, and flagship for Commander, Carrier Group Five.
On 23 August 1992,Independence entered the Persian Gulf, under the Command of Captain Carter B. Refo prepared to enforce an Allied ban on Iraqi flights over south Iraq below the32nd parallel north. On 26 August, PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush announced that the United States and its allies had informed Iraq that in 24 hours allied aircraft would fly surveillance missions in southern Iraq and were prepared to shoot down any Iraqi aircraft flying south of the 32nd parallel. The action was precipitated by Iraq's failure to comply withU.N. Resolution 688, which demanded that the Iraqi government stop the repression of itsShiite population in southern Iraq.
Persian Gulf allies began to enforce the ban on Iraqi planes from flying south of the 32nd parallel on 27 August inOperation Southern Watch. Any Iraqi planes that violated the ban would be shot down. Twenty Navy aircraft from CVW-5 aboardIndependence in the Persian Gulf were the first coalition aircraft on station over Iraq asOperation Southern Watch began. Southern Watch was the enforcement of a ban on Iraqi warplanes and helicopters from flying south of the 32nd parallel.
Independence became the most battle experienced ship in the Navy's active fleet, and the first carrier in history to hold that distinction, on 30 June 1995. With this honor,Independence displayed theRevolution-eraFirst Navy Jack, commonly called the "Don't Tread on Me" flag, from her bow until her decommissioning. The flag was presented toIndependence's commanding officer Capt. David P. Polatty III in a formal ceremony on 1 July. The flag was received fromMauna Kea upon her decommissioning.
In November 1995,Independence and Carrier Air Wing Five returned to Japan after successfully completing their third deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch.
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In March 1996,Independence was deployed to the waters east ofTaiwan to provide a stabilizing presence amid theThird Taiwan Strait Crisis. She was joined in the area byNimitz as thePeople's Republic of China lobbed missiles into Taiwanese territorial waters. On returning to Yokosuka in April 1996, the ship was visited by PresidentBill Clinton as part of an official state visit to Japan.
In 1997,Independence made a four-month deployment, covering several major exercises and seven ports of call. Included in these ports of call were two historic port visits. The first was 28 February 1997 to the island territory ofGuam.Independence was the first aircraft carrier to pull into Guam in 36 years.
The second, two months later, was toPort Klang,Malaysia.Independence became the first aircraft carrier in the world to make a port visit to Malaysia.
Before sailing back to Yokosuka, Japan,Independence made her last port call of the deployment in May 1997 toHong Kong. The ship's port call was the last U.S. naval visit to the territory before its handover to China on 1 July 1997.
Independence deployed to the Persian Gulf in January 1998 to support negotiations between the UN and Iraq and to again participate inOperation Southern Watch, prior to being relieved at Yokosuka byKitty Hawk. The ship had been scheduled for its final cruise when it was ordered to the Persian Gulf.
Independence was used for filming the 1991 movie Flight Of The Intruder with shots of the CV 62 number on the island and credit at the end of the film.
Independence was decommissioned in ceremonies at thePuget Sound Naval Shipyard inBremerton, Washington, on 30 September 1998. At the conclusion of this ceremony, in keeping with naval tradition,Independence's last commanding officer, Captain (later Rear Admiral) Mark R. Milliken, USN, was the last person to depart the ship.
Independence's commissioning pennant was hauled down 39 years, 9 months and 20 days after it was first hoisted, and the "Don't Tread on Me"First Navy Jack was transferred to the Navy's next oldest active ship, the aircraft carrierKitty Hawk.
After decommissioning,Independence remained in mothballs for five and a half years before being struck on 8 March 2004. During her time in mothballs, the ship was said to have been heavily stripped to support the active carrier fleet, especially the remainingKitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers. Her port anchor and both anchor chains were used on the newNimitz-class aircraft carrierUSS George H.W. Bush. The recycling of parts and the poor material condition of the ship at the time she was withdrawn made a strong argument against retaining her as a potential museum ship. In April 2004, Navy officials identified ex-Independence as one of 24 decommissioned ships available to be sunk asartificial reefs. However, as of February 2008, she was scheduled to be dismantled in the next five years along withUSS Constellation.[17] At that time, she was still available for donation as a reef while awaiting a contract for her dismantling to be awarded.[18]
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On 26 January 2012, the Navy's Naval Sea Systems Command posted a notice of solicitation for the towing and complete dismantlement of multiple CV-59/CV-63 Class Aircraft Carriers in the United States, includingForrestal,Independence, andConstellation.[19] The impacts of an initial scraping for marine life in the Puget Sound required remediation with a layer of sand over the scraping area.[20]
Following the disposal ofRanger andConstellation,[21] on 10 March 2017Independence began her 16,000-mile journey from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard toBrownsville, Texas for dismantling by International Shipbreaking.[22][23]On 26 April 2017, she was on her way through theStrait of Magellan,[24] and on 30 May 2017 she arrived at Brownsville, where a special ceremony was held at Isla Blanca Park for veterans, school children and members of the local community to honour the vessel. Scrapping was completed by early 2019.[25]
Two of the ship's propellers are on display atSouth Padre Island.[26]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere. It also includes text from"United States Naval Aviation, 1910-1995". Archived fromthe original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved17 January 2015.
Reunion groups:
| Preceded by | Oldest active combat ship of theUnited States Navy 1995–1998 | Succeeded by |
