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USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)

January 12, 2023

For other ships with the same name, see USS Kitty Hawk.

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), formerly CVA-63, was a United States Navy supercarrier. She was the second naval ship named after Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the site of the Wright brothers' first powered airplane flight. Kitty Hawk was the first of the three Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers to be commissioned and the last to be decommissioned.

USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
USS Kitty Hawk underway in the Pacific Ocean, May 2005
History
United States
NameKitty Hawk
NamesakeKitty Hawk[3]
Awarded1 October 1955[2]
BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corporation[2]
Laid down27 December 1956[2]
Launched21 May 1960[2]
Sponsored by
Commissioned29 April 1961[2]
Decommissioned12 May 2009[2]
ReclassifiedCV-63, 29 April 1973[3]
Stricken20 October 2017
HomeportPuget Sound[2]
Identification
Nickname(s)Battle Cat[1]
StatusUndergoing scrapping
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier
Displacement
  • 61,351 long tons (62,335 t) standard
  • 81,985 long tons (83,301 t) full load[2]
Length1,068.9 ft (325.8 m) LOA[2]
Beam
  • 282 ft (86 m) extreme
  • 130 ft (40 m) waterline[2]
Draft38 ft (12 m)[2]
PropulsionWestinghouse geared steam turbines, eight Foster Wheeler steam boilers, four shafts; 280,000 shp (210 MW)
Speed33 knots (61 km/h; 38 mph)
Complement5,624 officers and men[2]
ArmamentRIM-7 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, 2 RIM-116 RAM, 2 Phalanx CIWS Automated Anti-Missile/Aircraft Defenses
Aircraft carried

Kitty Hawk was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, on 27 December 1956. The ship was launched on 21 May 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Camilla F. McElroy, wife of Defense Secretary Neil H. McElroy. Kitty Hawk was launched by flooding her drydock; the conventional slide-down method was ruled out because of her mass and the risk that she might hit the Philadelphia shore on the far side of the Delaware River.

The ship was commissioned 29 April 1961, at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Captain William F. Bringle in command.

With the decommissioning of Independence on 30 September 1998, Kitty Hawk became the United States warship with the second-longest active status, after the sailing ship USS Constitution (Enterprise passed her in 2012; these two aircraft carriers were two of the three carriers to fly the First Navy Jack).[a]

For ten years, Kitty Hawk was the forward-deployed carrier at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan. In October 2008, she was replaced in this role by George Washington. Kitty Hawk returned to the United States and had her decommissioning ceremony on 31 January 2009. She was officially decommissioned on 12 May 2009 after 48 years of service.[5] Kitty Hawk was replaced by George H. W. Bush. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 October 2017, and was designated for disposal by dismantling a few days later. On 15 January 2022 Kitty Hawk left Puget Sound Naval Shipyard under tow en route to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping, arriving there on 31 May 2022.[6]

Service history

1961 to 1964

 
Kitty Hawk and the destroyer Turner Joy refuel from Kawishiwi in 1964

Following shakedown in the Western Atlantic, Kitty Hawk departed Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia on 11 August 1961. After a brief stop at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she embarked the Secretary of the Brazilian Navy for a demonstration during an exercise at sea with five Brazilian destroyers, the attack carrier rounded Cape Horn on 1 October. She steamed into Valparaíso, Chile, on 13 October and then sailed two days later for Peru, arriving in Callao on 20 October where she entertained the President of Peru. At San Diego, Admiral George W. Anderson, Chief of Naval Operations, landed on her deck 18 November to witness antisubmarine demonstrations by Henry B. Wilson and Blueback, a Terrier missile demonstration by Topeka and air demonstrations by Kitty Hawk.

Kitty Hawk entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 23 November 1961 for alterations. Following operations out of San Diego, she sailed from San Francisco on 13 September 1962. Kitty Hawk joined the United States Seventh Fleet on 7 October 1962, relieving Midway as the flagship.

After participating in the Philippine Republic Aviation Week Air Show, Kitty Hawk steamed out of Manila Harbor on 30 November 1962 and welcomed Admiral Harry D. Felt, Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, for a demonstration of modern naval weapons on 3 December. The ship visited Hong Kong early in December and returned to Japan, arriving at Yokosuka on 2 January 1963.

In conjunction with Commander, Carrier Division Seven, Kitty Hawk carried out several exercises in January and February 1963.[7] On 4 January 1963, Operation Checkertail saw Kitty Hawk and three other attack aircraft carriers launch practice airstrikes against the Okinawa Air Defense Command. From 27 January – 2 February 1963, 'Picture Window III' saw 'foreign aircraft' intercepted and visually identified in the Northern Japan area. Though the official ship's papers released in 2011 do not identify the nationality, the 'foreign aircraft' in question were likely from the Soviet Far Eastern Military District or Soviet Naval Aviation. From 16–19 February 1963, Exercise 'Red Wheel' was conducted around Southern Japan also under the direction of Commander, Carrier Division Seven. It aimed to improve the United States Seventh Fleet's ability to conduct conventional and nuclear warfare while maintaining defense against air and submarine attack. It also aimed to evaluate the capability of 'the HUK [Hunter-Killer] Group' to protect two CVA Task Groups. During these exercises, the ship visited Kobe, Beppu, and Iwakuni before returning to San Diego on 2 April 1963.

 
President Kennedy and Governor Brown of California review a fleet demonstration aboard Kitty Hawk on 6 June 1963

On 6 June 1963, President John F. Kennedy, with top civilian and military leaders, boarded Kitty Hawk to witness a carrier task force weapons demonstration off the California coast. Addressing the men of the task group from Kitty Hawk, President Kennedy told them that, as in the past, control of the seas still means security, peace, and ultimate victory. He later wrote to president and Madame Chiang Kai-shek who had witnessed a similar demonstration onboard USS Constellation (CV-64): "I hope you were impressed as I was, on my visit to Kitty Hawk, with the great force for peace or war, which these mighty carriers and their accompanying escorts provide, helping to preserve the freedom of distant nations in all parts of the world."

An F-4B Phantom II, aircraft no.401, while assigned to VF-114, made the ship's 16,000th trap on 17 August 1963.[3]

Film director John Frankenheimer filmed shots for the movie Seven Days in May on board the vessel in 1963.

Following a series of strike exercises and tactics reaching along the California coast and off Hawaii, Kitty Hawk again sailed for the Far East. While approaching Japan, she learned an assassin had shot President Kennedy. Flags were at half-mast as she entered Sasebo Harbor on 25 November 1963, the day of the President's funeral, and, as senior ship present, she had the sad honor of firing memorial salutes. After cruising the South China Sea and ranging to the Philippines in readiness operations with the 7th Fleet, she returned to San Diego on 20 July 1964.

1965 to 1972

 
An A-6 Intruder from VA-75 traps aboard Kitty Hawk during her 1967-68 deployment to Vietnam

Kitty Hawk was overhauled in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, then trained along the western seaboard. She sailed from San Diego on 19 October 1965, for Hawaii thence to Subic Bay, Philippines, where she prepared for combat operations off the coast of Vietnam.

Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego in June 1966 for overhaul and training until 4 November 1966, when she again deployed to serve in waters of Southeast Asia. Scenes from the 1966 Walt Disney comedy Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. were filmed aboard the warship.

Kitty Hawk arrived at Yokosuka, Japan on 19 November to relieve Constellation as flagship for Rear Admiral David C. Richardson, Commander Task Force 77. On 26 November, Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka for Yankee Station via Subic Bay. On 5 December, aircraft from Kitty Hawk began their around-the-clock missions over North Vietnam. About this time Kitty Hawk — already accustomed to celebrities as guests – entertained several prominent visitors: William Randolph Hearst Jr.; Bob Considine; Dr. Billy Graham; Nancy Sinatra and John Steinbeck, among others. She remained in the Far East, supporting the U.S. in Southeast Asia until departing Subic Bay on 28 May 1968. Steaming via Japan, the carrier reached San Diego on 19 June and a week later entered the naval shipyard at Long Beach for maintenance. Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego on 25 August and began a rigorous training program to prepare her for future action.

Kitty Hawk was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for exceptionally meritorious and heroic service from 23 December 1967 to 1 June 1968, which included the Tet Offensive, while participating in combat operations in Southeast Asia, and the Navy Unit Meritorious Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from 15 January 1969 to 27 August 1969 while participating in combat operations in Southeast Asia and contingency operations in Northeast Asia. Both awards noted that the officers and men of the Kitty Hawk displayed undaunted spirit, courage, professionalism, and dedication to maintain their ship as a fighting unit under the most arduous operating conditions to enable her pilots to destroy vital military targets in North Vietnam despite intense opposition and extremely adverse weather conditions.

While on deployment from November 1967 to June 1968, Kitty Hawk experienced a fire in while in port at Subic Bay and went to general quarters for 51 hours. On 16 January 1968 year, a C-1A Trader swerved off the wet deck. Four personnel aboard were lost along with the aircraft and could not be recovered.[8] After a deployment from November 1968 to June 1969, Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego for a month and then went to Puget Sound shipyard in September 1969 for dry dock.

On 12 October 1972 during the Vietnam War, Kitty Hawk was en route to her station in the Gulf of Tonkin when a race riot involving more than 200 sailors broke out. Nearly 50 sailors were injured in this widely publicized incident.[9] This incident resulted in a Congressional inquiry into discipline in the Navy.

1973 to 1977

From January through July 1973, Kitty Hawk changed home ports from San Diego to San Francisco. Kitty Hawk moved into dry dock on 14 January 1973. Work began to convert the ship from an attack (CVA) to a multi-mission carrier (CV). The "CV" designation indicated that Kitty Hawk was no longer strictly an attack carrier, in that anti-submarine warfare would also become a major role. Kitty Hawk became the first Pacific Fleet carrier to carry the multi-purpose "CV" designation. The conversion consisted of adding ten new helicopter calibrating stations, installing sonar/sonobuoy readout and analysis center and associated equipment, and changing a large portion of the ship's operating procedures. One of the significant equipment/space changes in the conversion was the addition of the Anti-Submarine Classification and Analysis Center (ASCAC) in the CIC area. ASCAC worked in close conjunction with the anti-submarine warfare aircraft assigned aboard Carrier Air Wing 11. The Engineering Department underwent a significant change in its propulsion plant during the yard period. The Navy Standard Oil (black oil) fuel system was completely converted to Navy Distillate Fuel. The Air Department added several significant changes to the flight deck, including enlarging the jet blast deflectors (JBD) and installing more powerful catapults to handle the new Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which Kitty Hawk was due to receive for its next deployment. Enlarging JBD#1 meant the No. 1 Aircraft Elevator had to be redesigned, making Kitty Hawk the only carrier at the time having an aircraft elevator that tracked from the hangar deck to the flight deck angling out 6°. Kitty Hawk moved out of dry dock on 28 April 1973, and the next day, on her 12th birthday, she was named a Multi-Purpose Aircraft Carrier (CV).

 
View of the Kitty Hawk from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney

After much-needed upgrades and modifications to Kitty Hawk's systems, she departed Hunters Point navy shipyards in San Francisco to begin "sea trial" exercises and then made a short three-day layover in Pearl Harbor for some crew R&R. She then departed for the South China Sea. However, while en route, during routine maintenance to the ship's fuel oil systems in the No. 1 machinery room on 11 December 1973, a flange gasket failed in one of the fuel transfer tubes of JP5 jet fuel that pass through Number 1 engine room. Jet fuel was sprayed, atomized, and ignited, and the ship went to General Quarters for nearly 38 hours. Due to the massive amounts of thick black smoke, the crew was ordered topside to the flight deck until the fire could be controlled and the smoke cleared. Because two and then three of the ship's four propulsion systems had to be shut down during the fire, Kitty Hawk began to list about 7 degrees portside. As a result, many of the aircraft were moved starboard to balance the ship until the fire was finally brought under control and two propulsion systems restored. Kitty Hawk then headed toward the Philippines, where she ported in Subic Bay until the ship's damage could be assessed, and repairs could be made, but there would be three days of waiting before reaching port. Six enlisted sailors died in the fire: FR Michael Deverich, FR Linn Schambers, FR Kevin Johnson, FA Alan Champine, Samuel Cardenas, and FA Joseph Tulipana. Thirty-four sailors were treated for smoke inhalation and several minor injuries, and one sailor for a broken wrist reported. The bodies of those men who died in the fire were escorted home by members of their respective Divisions for burial.

As a result of the deaths of the six crew members, on 10 January 1974, an investigation was ordered by Rear Admiral Donald C. Davis, Commander of Carrier Group 1 and Senior Officer onboard Kitty Hawk designated as his flagship. Although initial reports lay blame to one of the six men who perished in the tragic fire, upon conclusion of the investigation filed by the Department of the Navy, Commander Seventh Fleet, several opinions on causes were noted within the investigation, which included but were not limited to the Fourth Endorsement on Captain Kenneth L. Shugart, USN. The investigative report of 10 January 1974, section 3, paragraph 3 stated, "The replacement of the defective gasket in the strainer cover assembly by Fireman Apprentice Kevin W. Johnson (deceased) reflected, in the words of the investigating officer, poor judgment and unsound maintenance practices." Further, "Fireman Apprentice Johnson was therefore negligent in the performance of his duties." However, in consonance with the investigating officer, the opinion is expressed that under the circumstances, the maintenance deficiencies noted herein constitute simple, rather than culpable, negligence."

In light of the efforts made by all six navy personnel, FA Cardenas, Champine and Tulipana, and FR Deverich, Schambers and Johnson assigned to the machinery room on 11 December 1973, whom all died during the suppression efforts, "It has administratively been determined each were posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for their heroic devotion to duty in fighting the fire which is the subject of this investigative report."[10]

Kitty Hawk stayed busy throughout the mid-1970s with numerous deployments to the Western Pacific and involvement in a large number of exercises, including RIMPAC in 1973 and 1975. Kitty Hawk departed San Diego on 8 March 1976, and on 12 March entered dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Washington, to commence a US$100 million complex overhaul, scheduled to last just more than 12 months. This overhaul configured Kitty Hawk to operate with the F-14 and S-3A "Viking" aircraft in a total CV sea control mode. This included adding spaces for storage, ordnance handling, and maintenance facilities for the two aircraft. Also included in the work package were more efficient work areas for airframes and a repair facility for ground support equipment, and the addition of avionics support capability for the S-3. The ship also replaced the Terrier Surface-to-Air missile system with the NATO Sea Sparrow system and added elevators and modified weapons magazines to provide an increased capability for handling and stowing the newer, larger air-launched weapons. Kitty Hawk completed the overhaul in March 1977 and departed the shipyard on 1 April of that year to return to San Diego. After a six-month pre-deployment workup, Kitty Hawk departed NAS North Island 25 October 1977[11] for another Western Pacific Ocean deployment and returned 15 May 1978.

1979 to 1998

In May 1979, the ship teamed up with Carrier Air Wing 15 (CVW-15)[12] for another Western Pacific deployment. Her duties included search and assistance operations to aid refugees in small boats fleeing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

During that deployment, Kitty Hawk also offered contingency support off the coast of Korea following the assassination of Republic of Korea President Park Chung Hee. The deployment was then extended 2+1⁄2 months to support contingency operations in the North Arabian Sea during the Iran hostage crisis. For their actions in the region, Kitty Hawk and CVW-15 were awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal.

 
Kitty Hawk docked in Sydney harbor
 
The dual close-in weapon systems (Phalanxs) at the stern of Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk had a cameo appearance in the 1980 movie The Final Countdown, standing in for Nimitz. On her way home from her Western Pacific deployment, Kitty Hawk was filmed entering Pearl Harbor with the crew manning the rails as the ship passed the USS Arizona Memorial. (At the time of the filming, Nimitz was still an Atlantic Fleet, vice Pacific Fleet, aircraft carrier.) Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego in late February 1980 and was also awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Naval Air Force Pacific Battle Efficiency "E" Award as the best carrier in the Pacific Fleet.

In April 1981, Kitty Hawk left San Diego for her thirteenth deployment to the Western Pacific. Following the cruise, the crew was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal for the rescue of Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea.

In January 1982, Kitty Hawk returned to Bremerton for another year-long overhaul. Following the comprehensive upgrade and a vigorous training period with Carrier Air Wing 2, Kitty Hawk deployed in 1984 as the flagship for Battle Group Bravo. Kitty Hawk logged more than 62,000 mi (100,000 km) on this deployment and remained at "Station Gonzo" in the north Arabian Sea for more than 60 consecutive days.

In March 1984, Kitty Hawk participated in "Team Spirit" exercises in the Sea of Japan. The Soviet Victor-class nuclear attack submarine K-314 shadowed the task group. On 21 March 1984, at the end of the Sea of Japan part of the exercise, K-314 surfaced directly in front of Kitty Hawk, time was 22:05, too dark and far too close for Kitty Hawk to see and avoid the resulting collision, with minor damage to the aircraft carrier, and significant damage to the Soviet submarine. At the time of the accident, Kitty Hawk is estimated to have carried several dozen nuclear weapons, and K-314 probably carried two nuclear torpedoes. Kitty Hawk was thereafter considered the first antisubmarine carrier weapon and a red submarine was painted on her island near the bridge but was ordered removed upon return to home port North Island San Diego, CA.[13][14]

Kitty Hawk went to the U.S. Naval Base at Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs. A piece of one of K-314's propellers was embedded in Kitty Hawk's bow, as were some chunks of the Soviet anechoic coating, from scraping along the side of the submarine. The result was an "accidental" intelligence coup for the U.S. Navy.

The ship returned to San Diego on 1 August 1984. Seven months later, Kitty Hawk was awarded another Battle Efficiency "E" Award.

In July 1985, Kitty Hawk and CVW-9 deployed again as flagship for Battle Group Bravo. Kitty Hawk and CVW-9 combined to set a standard for operations, completing their second consecutive fatality-free deployment.

In August 1985, People Magazine printed an article stating that Kitty Hawk's missiles and jet parts were illegally smuggled into Iran, at that time considered a hostile nation, as revealed by Kitty Hawk's Petty Officer Robert W Jackson.[15] Later, the FBI arrested seven suspects involved in this smuggling scheme,[16] an event related to what was later known as the Iran-Contra scandal.

CVW-9 crews logged more than 18,000 flight hours and 7,300 arrested landings. At the same time Kitty Hawk maintained her catapults and arresting gear at 100 percent availability.

In 1986, during pre-cruise exercises, one Airman was killed during flight operations when he was struck by an aircraft while checking "elongs" during a launch.

Kitty Hawk bid farewell to San Diego on 3 January 1987, as the ship departed her home port of 25 years and set out on a six-month world cruise. During the circumnavigation, Kitty Hawk and CVW-9 again showed their commitment to safety by conducting a third fatality-free deployment. Kitty Hawk spent 106 consecutive days on station in the Indian Ocean and was again awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service. The world cruise ended at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 3 July. Six months later, Kitty Hawk began a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) overhaul. Kitty Hawk emerged from the yards on 2 August 1990. The overhaul was estimated to have added 20 years of service to the ship. The Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department was also awarded the Air Forces, US Pacific Fleet Departmental Excellence Award, the Black "E" for this deployment.

With the return of CVW-15 to its decks, Kitty Hawk began its second deployment around "the Horn" of South America to her original home port of San Diego on 11 December 1991, performing Gringo-Gaucho with the Argentine Naval Aviation during the transit.

On 1 August 1992, Kitty Hawk was appointed as Naval Air Force Pacific's "ready carrier." The ship embarked Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Group 5; Commander, Destroyer Squadron 17 and CVW-15 for three months of work-ups before deploying to the Western Pacific on 3 November 1992. While on deployment, Kitty Hawk spent nine days off the coast of Somalia supporting U.S. Marines and coalition forces involved in Operation Restore Hope. In response to increasing Iraqi violations of United Nations sanctions, the ship rushed to the Persian Gulf on 27 December 1992. Just 17 days later, Kitty Hawk led a joint coalition offensive strike against designated targets in southern Iraq.

Kitty Hawk set sail on her 17th deployment 24 June 1994, to provide a stabilizing influence operating in the Western Pacific during a time of great tension in the Far East, particularly concerning North Korea. This would be the last cruise for VA-52 flying the A-6E SWIP Intruder. During the cruise, the Carrier led the first ASW persecution of both the Han Class and Oscar II Class Submarine[17](Most likely the Oscar II was K-442[18]). During the ASW hunt of the Han Class Submarine of the PLA Navy, a standoff ensued between the United States and PRC leading to several PLAAF fighter aircraft flying near Kitty Hawk's S-3 Viking ASW aircraft from VS-37. Eventually, both sides backed down.

In 1995, Kitty Hawk embarked airwing transitioned to CVW-11, marking a change to a single F-14 squadron, and 3 F/A-18 squadrons.[19]

Kitty Hawk began her 18th deployment, this time with CVW-11, in October 1996. During the six-month underway period, the ship visited ports in the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific. The carrier made a rare visit to Hobart, Tasmania as well as being only the second carrier to ever stop in Manama, Bahrain.[19] Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego 11 April 1997, immediately beginning a 15-month, $110 million overhaul, including three months in dry dock in Bremerton, from January to March 1998.

1998 to 2008

 
Kitty Hawk (right) relieves Independence at Pearl Harbor as the 7th Fleet forward-deployed carrier
 
A navy petty officer supervises sailors performing a flight deck scrub down on board Kitty Hawk in August 2005
 
An F/A-18C on the forward elevator on board Kitty Hawk
 
Kitty Hawk docks at the U.S. navy base in Yokosuka, Japan

Kitty Hawk departed San Diego on 6 July 1998, to assume new duties as America's only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier from Independence. Kitty Hawk also welcomed aboard Carrier Air Wing 5, operating from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. Kitty Hawk arrived at her new operating location of U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan, on 11 August 1998.

With the decommissioning of Independence on 30 September 1998, Kitty Hawk became the second-oldest active warship in the US Navy and was authorized to fly the First Navy Jack.

Kitty Hawk set sail for a planned three-month underway period on 2 March 1999, which included Exercise Tandem Thrust off Guam. Following the exercise, the Kitty Hawk/CVW-5 team was ordered to the Persian Gulf to enforce the No-Fly Zone over Southern Iraq. CVW-5 pilots flew more than 8,800 sorties in 116 days, including 1,300 combat sorties, dropping more than 20 tons of ordnance. On the return trip to Japan, Kitty Hawk made port visits to Perth, Western Australia, and Pattaya, Thailand. Kitty Hawk returned to Yokosuka on 25 August 1999. She was again underway to the Sea of Japan on 22 October to participate in Exercises Foal Eagle and AnnualEx 11G.

On 11 April 2000, Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka, Japan, for routine local area operations and participated in Exercise Cobra Gold with the navies of Singapore and Thailand. Kitty Hawk participated in Exercise Foal Eagle in Fall 2000 and deployed again in March 2001 for a Spring underway period with a historic stop. On 22 March, Kitty Hawk became the first aircraft carrier to ever moor pier-side in Singapore, as the ship visited the brand new Changi Pier, located at the Republic of Singapore Navy's Changi Naval Base. On 29 April, shortly after a visit to Guam, Kitty Hawk celebrated 40 years of active service as the ship and crew sailed south to participate in Exercise Tandem Thrust 2001 with the Australian and Canadian navies. The ship returned to Yokosuka on 11 June 2001.

On 17 October 2000, and again on 9 November 2000, Kitty Hawk was buzzed by a group of Russian warplanes in the Sea of Japan, which proceeded to take pictures of the reaction on deck. General Anatoly Kornukov, then Russian air force's commander in chief, stated that the Russian warplanes managed to evade Kitty Hawk's antiaircraft defense system and that "In the pictures, you can clearly see the panic on deck."[20]

In October 2001, Kitty Hawk deployed to the North Arabian Sea for the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom. The ship served as an afloat forward staging base for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment,[21] with a reduced air wing.

In April 2002, Kitty Hawk was underway for her scheduled spring training. Along with a Guam port call, the spring underway included port visits to Singapore and Hong Kong, where the crew celebrated Kitty Hawk's 41st birthday. In the fall of 2002, Kitty Hawk was training in the Western Pacific. Kitty Hawk and her battle group combined with U.S. Air Force units and elements of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force to conduct AnnualEx 14G in the waters surrounding Japan. Later, the ship and her crew made a port visit to Hong Kong.

 
Kitty Hawk is maneuvered into the water following the completion of her five-month maintenance period in 2003

On 11 September 2002, all US Navy ships were ordered to fly the First Navy Jack. The ship once again departed Yokosuka on 23 January 2003 for a routine training mission,[22] but a short time later, orders were received to transit to the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility to support the Global War on Terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies. Kitty Hawk was soon involved in Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom in the North Persian Gulf. Although the cruise was originally intended to be short, the ship served 110 continuous days at sea. Kitty Hawk returned to Yokosuka on 6 May 2003, immediately entering an extensive drydock period, or drydocking ship's restricted availability (DSRA), that lasted until October of that year.

In October 2006, Kitty Hawk and her escort warships were undergoing exercises near Okinawa, and a Chinese Song-class submarine shadowed the group then surfaced within 5 mi (8.0 km) of the group on 26 October 2006.[23] It was considered to be quite rare for Chinese subs to operate that far from their home ports on the mainland, though with this incident that may be changing. Reports claim that the submarine had been undetected until it surfaced.[24][25][26] In 2009, Timothy J. Keating, commander of the United States Pacific Command, commented on the issue, stating that the carrier was "in a very relaxed posture. If there were some heightened state of tension, we would, believe me, we would not let them get that close."[27]

On 11 January 2007, Kitty Hawk entered a scheduled period of maintenance in Yokosuka, her place being taken by Ronald Reagan which made an unscheduled deployment three weeks later. This refit is "smaller than the one the ship completed [in 2006]",[28] which took six months.

On 5 July 2007, Kitty Hawk pulled in at Sydney, Australia, for six days of shore leave after participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre.

On 21 September 2007, Kitty Hawk pulled into Yokosuka, Japan, after a four-month summer deployment.[29]

In November 2007, Kitty Hawk and other US Navy ships participated in the joint military exercise Malabar, in the Bay of Bengal. Other nations that took part were Australia, Japan, Singapore and host nation India. Later that month, Kitty Hawk was scheduled to dock at Hong Kong for Thanksgiving.[30] However, China denied entry to Kitty Hawk and the rest of her carrier group. China then reversed its position based on humanitarian grounds but by that time, Kitty Hawk was too far away to dock in time for the holiday. The cause of the Chinese refusal remains unclear.[31]

Kitty Hawk was deployed off the coast of China along with two other ships during the Taiwan election on 20 March 2008.[32] After the elections, she entered Hong Kong for the last time.[33]

On 28 May 2008, Kitty Hawk departed Japan for the last time, to be replaced in Japan by George Washington.[34] However, during George Washington's transit of the Pacific Coast of South America en route to the planned turnover with Kitty Hawk in Hawaii, a major fire broke out that led to Washington diverting to San Diego for repairs. This led to the US Navy retaining Kitty Hawk in Hawaii to take part in the RIMPAC 2008 exercises in June and July.[35] On 7 August 2008, Kitty Hawk arrived at NAS North Island.[36]

Retirement

 
Kitty Hawk in port at Pearl Harbor after participating in RIMPAC exercises in place of the damaged George Washington
 
In February 2017, Ex-USS Kitty Hawk awaits her fate at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard

On 1 December 2005, the United States Navy announced that George Washington would replace Kitty Hawk in 2008 as the forward-deployed carrier in Japan and it would also assume host carrier duties for forward-deployed Carrier Air Wing 5.[37]

In March 2007, the Navy announced that Captain Todd Zecchin, the captain responsible during the decommissioning of John F. Kennedy, had been tasked with overseeing the decommissioning of Kitty Hawk.[38]

Kitty Hawk left Yokosuka on 28 May 2008 to begin the decommissioning process.[39] However, on 22 May, a fire seriously damaged George Washington, causing the ship to go to San Diego for repairs. Kitty Hawk participated in the RIMPAC exercise near Hawaii in George Washington's place. The turnover between the two carriers was postponed and took place in August.[35][40] After the turnover, Kitty Hawk arrived at Bremerton, Washington in September and was informally retired on 31 January 2009.[41][42] Kitty Hawk, the USN's last diesel-fueled aircraft carrier, was finally decommissioned on 12 May 2009.[43]

Post decommissioning

 
Kitty Hawk being towed past the southern tip of South Padre Island, Texas, by tugboat Michele Foss on 31 May 2022.
 
Kitty Hawk being towed in the Brownsville Ship Channel on 31 May 2022.

As the last conventional American aircraft carriers to be decommissioned, Kitty Hawk and John F. Kennedy were the last two carriers suitable for conversion into museum ships. Nuclear carriers, such as Enterprise and the Nimitz class, require extensive disassembly to remove their nuclear reactors during decommissioning, leaving them in an unsuitable condition for donation.[44]

After Kitty Hawk was decommissioned, groups based in Wilmington, North Carolina[43][45][46] and Pensacola, Florida[47] lobbied to acquire the ship after her release from the Navy Inactive Ships Program.

By March 2017, the USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association had raised $5 million in pledges to preserve the aircraft carrier as a museum ship. Members sought to donate $15,000 in memorabilia for display if it came to fruition.[48]

After President Donald Trump gave a speech on board USS Gerald R. Ford and promised to build a 12-carrier navy,[49] US Navy officials extended Kitty Hawk's stay in the reserve inactive fleet and considered the possibility of recommissioning her to help with the buildup.[50]

On 20 October 2017, Kitty Hawk was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register,[51] and on 25 October 2017, the Navy announced its intentions to dispose of her by scrapping.[52]

On 9 March 2021, Kitty Hawk arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to be put in dry dock and have the hull scraped of marine life before being towed to her final destination.[53]

On 6 October 2021, Kitty Hawk and John F. Kennedy were sold for one-cent each to International Shipbreaking Limited.[54][55]

On 15 January 2022, Kitty Hawk left the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, under tow, en-route to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping. As she is too big to transit the Panama Canal, she went instead by way of the Straits of Magellan.[56]

On 31 May 2022, Kitty Hawk arrived in Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping.[57]

Awards and decorations

Awarded to Kitty Hawk:[58][59]

   
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    

See also

Notes

  1. ^ This tradition ended in 2002, when the Secretary of the Navy directed all Navy ships to fly this flag for the duration of the War on Terrorism.[4]

References

  1. ^ Stephenson-Pino, Sharon (31 October 2003). . U.S. Navy, Fleet Activities Yokosuka Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Kitty Hawk". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d "Kitty Hawk II (CVA-63)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
  4. ^ Whitten, Chris. "First Navy Jack in the War on Terrorism". NavyJack.info. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
  5. ^ . U.S. Navy, Kitty Hawk Public Affairs. 12 May 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2019.
  6. ^ "Former Carrier Kitty Hawk Arrives in Brownsville for Scrapping". USNI News. 2 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
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External links

 
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USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (category)
  • USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association
  • Photo gallery of USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) at NavSource Naval History
    • USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63/CV-63) command histories – Naval History and Heritage Command
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  • Leonard F. Guttridge, Mutiny: A History of Naval Insurrection, United States Naval Institute Press, 1992, ISBN 0-87021-281-8
  • Johnson, Tim. "U.S. ships, barred from Hong Kong, now sail under China's nose". McClatchy DC Bureau. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
Preceded by Oldest active combat ship of the United States Navy
1998–2009 		Succeeded by

January 12, 2023
kitty, hawk, other, ships, with, same, name, kitty, hawk, formerly, united, states, navy, supercarrier, second, naval, ship, named, after, kitty, hawk, north, carolina, site, wright, brothers, first, powered, airplane, flight, kitty, hawk, first, three, kitty,. For other ships with the same name see USS Kitty Hawk USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 formerly CVA 63 was a United States Navy supercarrier She was the second naval ship named after Kitty Hawk North Carolina the site of the Wright brothers first powered airplane flight Kitty Hawk was the first of the three Kitty Hawk class aircraft carriers to be commissioned and the last to be decommissioned USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 USS Kitty Hawk underway in the Pacific Ocean May 2005HistoryUnited StatesNameKitty HawkNamesakeKitty Hawk 3 Awarded1 October 1955 2 BuilderNew York Shipbuilding Corporation 2 Laid down27 December 1956 2 Launched21 May 1960 2 Sponsored byCamilla F McElroy Mrs Neil H McElroy 3 Commissioned29 April 1961 2 Decommissioned12 May 2009 2 ReclassifiedCV 63 29 April 1973 3 Stricken20 October 2017HomeportPuget Sound 2 IdentificationCallsign NZFF Hull number CVA 63Nickname s Battle Cat 1 StatusUndergoing scrappingBadgeGeneral characteristicsClass and typeKitty Hawk class aircraft carrierDisplacement61 351 long tons 62 335 t standard 81 985 long tons 83 301 t full load 2 Length1 068 9 ft 325 8 m LOA 2 Beam282 ft 86 m extreme 130 ft 40 m waterline 2 Draft38 ft 12 m 2 PropulsionWestinghouse geared steam turbines eight Foster Wheeler steam boilers four shafts 280 000 shp 210 MW Speed33 knots 61 km h 38 mph Complement5 624 officers and men 2 ArmamentRIM 7 Sea Sparrow surface to air missiles 2 RIM 116 RAM 2 Phalanx CIWS Automated Anti Missile Aircraft DefensesAircraft carried85 Typical 2000 air wing 70 aircraft 40 F A 18E F Super hornet fighter bombers 4 EA 6B Prowler combat EW 4 E 2C Hawkeye AEW 5 SH 60F HH 60H Sea Hawk helicopters 1 C 2A Greyhound carrier on board deliveryKitty Hawk was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation Camden New Jersey on 27 December 1956 The ship was launched on 21 May 1960 sponsored by Mrs Camilla F McElroy wife of Defense Secretary Neil H McElroy Kitty Hawk was launched by flooding her drydock the conventional slide down method was ruled out because of her mass and the risk that she might hit the Philadelphia shore on the far side of the Delaware River The ship was commissioned 29 April 1961 at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard Captain William F Bringle in command With the decommissioning of Independence on 30 September 1998 Kitty Hawk became the United States warship with the second longest active status after the sailing ship USS Constitution Enterprise passed her in 2012 these two aircraft carriers were two of the three carriers to fly the First Navy Jack a For ten years Kitty Hawk was the forward deployed carrier at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka Japan In October 2008 she was replaced in this role by George Washington Kitty Hawk returned to the United States and had her decommissioning ceremony on 31 January 2009 She was officially decommissioned on 12 May 2009 after 48 years of service 5 Kitty Hawk was replaced by George H W Bush She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 20 October 2017 and was designated for disposal by dismantling a few days later On 15 January 2022 Kitty Hawk left Puget Sound Naval Shipyard under tow en route to Brownsville Texas for scrapping arriving there on 31 May 2022 6 Contents 1 Service history 1 1 1961 to 1964 1 2 1965 to 1972 1 3 1973 to 1977 1 4 1979 to 1998 1 5 1998 to 2008 1 6 Retirement 2 Post decommissioning 3 Awards and decorations 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External linksService history Edit1961 to 1964 Edit Kitty Hawk and the destroyer Turner Joy refuel from Kawishiwi in 1964 Following shakedown in the Western Atlantic Kitty Hawk departed Naval Station Norfolk Norfolk Virginia on 11 August 1961 After a brief stop at Rio de Janeiro Brazil where she embarked the Secretary of the Brazilian Navy for a demonstration during an exercise at sea with five Brazilian destroyers the attack carrier rounded Cape Horn on 1 October She steamed into Valparaiso Chile on 13 October and then sailed two days later for Peru arriving in Callao on 20 October where she entertained the President of Peru At San Diego Admiral George W Anderson Chief of Naval Operations landed on her deck 18 November to witness antisubmarine demonstrations by Henry B Wilson and Blueback a Terrier missile demonstration by Topeka and air demonstrations by Kitty Hawk Kitty Hawk entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 23 November 1961 for alterations Following operations out of San Diego she sailed from San Francisco on 13 September 1962 Kitty Hawk joined the United States Seventh Fleet on 7 October 1962 relieving Midway as the flagship After participating in the Philippine Republic Aviation Week Air Show Kitty Hawk steamed out of Manila Harbor on 30 November 1962 and welcomed Admiral Harry D Felt Commander in Chief United States Pacific Fleet for a demonstration of modern naval weapons on 3 December The ship visited Hong Kong early in December and returned to Japan arriving at Yokosuka on 2 January 1963 In conjunction with Commander Carrier Division Seven Kitty Hawk carried out several exercises in January and February 1963 7 On 4 January 1963 Operation Checkertail saw Kitty Hawk and three other attack aircraft carriers launch practice airstrikes against the Okinawa Air Defense Command From 27 January 2 February 1963 Picture Window III saw foreign aircraft intercepted and visually identified in the Northern Japan area Though the official ship s papers released in 2011 do not identify the nationality the foreign aircraft in question were likely from the Soviet Far Eastern Military District or Soviet Naval Aviation From 16 19 February 1963 Exercise Red Wheel was conducted around Southern Japan also under the direction of Commander Carrier Division Seven It aimed to improve the United States Seventh Fleet s ability to conduct conventional and nuclear warfare while maintaining defense against air and submarine attack It also aimed to evaluate the capability of the HUK Hunter Killer Group to protect two CVA Task Groups During these exercises the ship visited Kobe Beppu and Iwakuni before returning to San Diego on 2 April 1963 President Kennedy and Governor Brown of California review a fleet demonstration aboard Kitty Hawk on 6 June 1963 On 6 June 1963 President John F Kennedy with top civilian and military leaders boarded Kitty Hawk to witness a carrier task force weapons demonstration off the California coast Addressing the men of the task group from Kitty Hawk President Kennedy told them that as in the past control of the seas still means security peace and ultimate victory He later wrote to president and Madame Chiang Kai shek who had witnessed a similar demonstration onboard USS Constellation CV 64 I hope you were impressed as I was on my visit to Kitty Hawk with the great force for peace or war which these mighty carriers and their accompanying escorts provide helping to preserve the freedom of distant nations in all parts of the world An F 4B Phantom II aircraft no 401 while assigned to VF 114 made the ship s 16 000th trap on 17 August 1963 3 Film director John Frankenheimer filmed shots for the movie Seven Days in May on board the vessel in 1963 Following a series of strike exercises and tactics reaching along the California coast and off Hawaii Kitty Hawk again sailed for the Far East While approaching Japan she learned an assassin had shot President Kennedy Flags were at half mast as she entered Sasebo Harbor on 25 November 1963 the day of the President s funeral and as senior ship present she had the sad honor of firing memorial salutes After cruising the South China Sea and ranging to the Philippines in readiness operations with the 7th Fleet she returned to San Diego on 20 July 1964 1965 to 1972 Edit An A 6 Intruder from VA 75 traps aboard Kitty Hawk during her 1967 68 deployment to Vietnam Kitty Hawk was overhauled in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard then trained along the western seaboard She sailed from San Diego on 19 October 1965 for Hawaii thence to Subic Bay Philippines where she prepared for combat operations off the coast of Vietnam Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego in June 1966 for overhaul and training until 4 November 1966 when she again deployed to serve in waters of Southeast Asia Scenes from the 1966 Walt Disney comedy Lt Robin Crusoe U S N were filmed aboard the warship Kitty Hawk arrived at Yokosuka Japan on 19 November to relieve Constellation as flagship for Rear Admiral David C Richardson Commander Task Force 77 On 26 November Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka for Yankee Station via Subic Bay On 5 December aircraft from Kitty Hawk began their around the clock missions over North Vietnam About this time Kitty Hawk already accustomed to celebrities as guests entertained several prominent visitors William Randolph Hearst Jr Bob Considine Dr Billy Graham Nancy Sinatra and John Steinbeck among others She remained in the Far East supporting the U S in Southeast Asia until departing Subic Bay on 28 May 1968 Steaming via Japan the carrier reached San Diego on 19 June and a week later entered the naval shipyard at Long Beach for maintenance Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego on 25 August and began a rigorous training program to prepare her for future action Kitty Hawk was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for exceptionally meritorious and heroic service from 23 December 1967 to 1 June 1968 which included the Tet Offensive while participating in combat operations in Southeast Asia and the Navy Unit Meritorious Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from 15 January 1969 to 27 August 1969 while participating in combat operations in Southeast Asia and contingency operations in Northeast Asia Both awards noted that the officers and men of the Kitty Hawk displayed undaunted spirit courage professionalism and dedication to maintain their ship as a fighting unit under the most arduous operating conditions to enable her pilots to destroy vital military targets in North Vietnam despite intense opposition and extremely adverse weather conditions While on deployment from November 1967 to June 1968 Kitty Hawk experienced a fire in while in port at Subic Bay and went to general quarters for 51 hours On 16 January 1968 year a C 1A Trader swerved off the wet deck Four personnel aboard were lost along with the aircraft and could not be recovered 8 After a deployment from November 1968 to June 1969 Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego for a month and then went to Puget Sound shipyard in September 1969 for dry dock On 12 October 1972 during the Vietnam War Kitty Hawk was en route to her station in the Gulf of Tonkin when a race riot involving more than 200 sailors broke out Nearly 50 sailors were injured in this widely publicized incident 9 This incident resulted in a Congressional inquiry into discipline in the Navy 1973 to 1977 Edit From January through July 1973 Kitty Hawk changed home ports from San Diego to San Francisco Kitty Hawk moved into dry dock on 14 January 1973 Work began to convert the ship from an attack CVA to a multi mission carrier CV The CV designation indicated that Kitty Hawk was no longer strictly an attack carrier in that anti submarine warfare would also become a major role Kitty Hawk became the first Pacific Fleet carrier to carry the multi purpose CV designation The conversion consisted of adding ten new helicopter calibrating stations installing sonar sonobuoy readout and analysis center and associated equipment and changing a large portion of the ship s operating procedures One of the significant equipment space changes in the conversion was the addition of the Anti Submarine Classification and Analysis Center ASCAC in the CIC area ASCAC worked in close conjunction with the anti submarine warfare aircraft assigned aboard Carrier Air Wing 11 The Engineering Department underwent a significant change in its propulsion plant during the yard period The Navy Standard Oil black oil fuel system was completely converted to Navy Distillate Fuel The Air Department added several significant changes to the flight deck including enlarging the jet blast deflectors JBD and installing more powerful catapults to handle the new Grumman F 14 Tomcat which Kitty Hawk was due to receive for its next deployment Enlarging JBD 1 meant the No 1 Aircraft Elevator had to be redesigned making Kitty Hawk the only carrier at the time having an aircraft elevator that tracked from the hangar deck to the flight deck angling out 6 Kitty Hawk moved out of dry dock on 28 April 1973 and the next day on her 12th birthday she was named a Multi Purpose Aircraft Carrier CV View of the Kitty Hawk from the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney After much needed upgrades and modifications to Kitty Hawk s systems she departed Hunters Point navy shipyards in San Francisco to begin sea trial exercises and then made a short three day layover in Pearl Harbor for some crew R amp R She then departed for the South China Sea However while en route during routine maintenance to the ship s fuel oil systems in the No 1 machinery room on 11 December 1973 a flange gasket failed in one of the fuel transfer tubes of JP5 jet fuel that pass through Number 1 engine room Jet fuel was sprayed atomized and ignited and the ship went to General Quarters for nearly 38 hours Due to the massive amounts of thick black smoke the crew was ordered topside to the flight deck until the fire could be controlled and the smoke cleared Because two and then three of the ship s four propulsion systems had to be shut down during the fire Kitty Hawk began to list about 7 degrees portside As a result many of the aircraft were moved starboard to balance the ship until the fire was finally brought under control and two propulsion systems restored Kitty Hawk then headed toward the Philippines where she ported in Subic Bay until the ship s damage could be assessed and repairs could be made but there would be three days of waiting before reaching port Six enlisted sailors died in the fire FR Michael Deverich FR Linn Schambers FR Kevin Johnson FA Alan Champine Samuel Cardenas and FA Joseph Tulipana Thirty four sailors were treated for smoke inhalation and several minor injuries and one sailor for a broken wrist reported The bodies of those men who died in the fire were escorted home by members of their respective Divisions for burial As a result of the deaths of the six crew members on 10 January 1974 an investigation was ordered by Rear Admiral Donald C Davis Commander of Carrier Group 1 and Senior Officer onboard Kitty Hawk designated as his flagship Although initial reports lay blame to one of the six men who perished in the tragic fire upon conclusion of the investigation filed by the Department of the Navy Commander Seventh Fleet several opinions on causes were noted within the investigation which included but were not limited to the Fourth Endorsement on Captain Kenneth L Shugart USN The investigative report of 10 January 1974 section 3 paragraph 3 stated The replacement of the defective gasket in the strainer cover assembly by Fireman Apprentice Kevin W Johnson deceased reflected in the words of the investigating officer poor judgment and unsound maintenance practices Further Fireman Apprentice Johnson was therefore negligent in the performance of his duties However in consonance with the investigating officer the opinion is expressed that under the circumstances the maintenance deficiencies noted herein constitute simple rather than culpable negligence In light of the efforts made by all six navy personnel FA Cardenas Champine and Tulipana and FR Deverich Schambers and Johnson assigned to the machinery room on 11 December 1973 whom all died during the suppression efforts It has administratively been determined each were posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for their heroic devotion to duty in fighting the fire which is the subject of this investigative report 10 Kitty Hawk stayed busy throughout the mid 1970s with numerous deployments to the Western Pacific and involvement in a large number of exercises including RIMPAC in 1973 and 1975 Kitty Hawk departed San Diego on 8 March 1976 and on 12 March entered dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton Washington to commence a US 100 million complex overhaul scheduled to last just more than 12 months This overhaul configured Kitty Hawk to operate with the F 14 and S 3A Viking aircraft in a total CV sea control mode This included adding spaces for storage ordnance handling and maintenance facilities for the two aircraft Also included in the work package were more efficient work areas for airframes and a repair facility for ground support equipment and the addition of avionics support capability for the S 3 The ship also replaced the Terrier Surface to Air missile system with the NATO Sea Sparrow system and added elevators and modified weapons magazines to provide an increased capability for handling and stowing the newer larger air launched weapons Kitty Hawk completed the overhaul in March 1977 and departed the shipyard on 1 April of that year to return to San Diego After a six month pre deployment workup Kitty Hawk departed NAS North Island 25 October 1977 11 for another Western Pacific Ocean deployment and returned 15 May 1978 1979 to 1998 Edit In May 1979 the ship teamed up with Carrier Air Wing 15 CVW 15 12 for another Western Pacific deployment Her duties included search and assistance operations to aid refugees in small boats fleeing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam During that deployment Kitty Hawk also offered contingency support off the coast of Korea following the assassination of Republic of Korea President Park Chung Hee The deployment was then extended 2 1 2 months to support contingency operations in the North Arabian Sea during the Iran hostage crisis For their actions in the region Kitty Hawk and CVW 15 were awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal Kitty Hawk docked in Sydney harbor The dual close in weapon systems Phalanxs at the stern of Kitty Hawk Kitty Hawk had a cameo appearance in the 1980 movie The Final Countdown standing in for Nimitz On her way home from her Western Pacific deployment Kitty Hawk was filmed entering Pearl Harbor with the crew manning the rails as the ship passed the USS Arizona Memorial At the time of the filming Nimitz was still an Atlantic Fleet vice Pacific Fleet aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego in late February 1980 and was also awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Naval Air Force Pacific Battle Efficiency E Award as the best carrier in the Pacific Fleet In April 1981 Kitty Hawk left San Diego for her thirteenth deployment to the Western Pacific Following the cruise the crew was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Humanitarian Service Medal for the rescue of Vietnamese refugees in the South China Sea In January 1982 Kitty Hawk returned to Bremerton for another year long overhaul Following the comprehensive upgrade and a vigorous training period with Carrier Air Wing 2 Kitty Hawk deployed in 1984 as the flagship for Battle Group Bravo Kitty Hawk logged more than 62 000 mi 100 000 km on this deployment and remained at Station Gonzo in the north Arabian Sea for more than 60 consecutive days In March 1984 Kitty Hawk participated in Team Spirit exercises in the Sea of Japan The Soviet Victor class nuclear attack submarine K 314 shadowed the task group On 21 March 1984 at the end of the Sea of Japan part of the exercise K 314 surfaced directly in front of Kitty Hawk time was 22 05 too dark and far too close for Kitty Hawk to see and avoid the resulting collision with minor damage to the aircraft carrier and significant damage to the Soviet submarine At the time of the accident Kitty Hawk is estimated to have carried several dozen nuclear weapons and K 314 probably carried two nuclear torpedoes Kitty Hawk was thereafter considered the first antisubmarine carrier weapon and a red submarine was painted on her island near the bridge but was ordered removed upon return to home port North Island San Diego CA 13 14 Kitty Hawk went to the U S Naval Base at Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs A piece of one of K 314 s propellers was embedded in Kitty Hawk s bow as were some chunks of the Soviet anechoic coating from scraping along the side of the submarine The result was an accidental intelligence coup for the U S Navy The ship returned to San Diego on 1 August 1984 Seven months later Kitty Hawk was awarded another Battle Efficiency E Award In July 1985 Kitty Hawk and CVW 9 deployed again as flagship for Battle Group Bravo Kitty Hawk and CVW 9 combined to set a standard for operations completing their second consecutive fatality free deployment In August 1985 People Magazine printed an article stating that Kitty Hawk s missiles and jet parts were illegally smuggled into Iran at that time considered a hostile nation as revealed by Kitty Hawk s Petty Officer Robert W Jackson 15 Later the FBI arrested seven suspects involved in this smuggling scheme 16 an event related to what was later known as the Iran Contra scandal CVW 9 crews logged more than 18 000 flight hours and 7 300 arrested landings At the same time Kitty Hawk maintained her catapults and arresting gear at 100 percent availability In 1986 during pre cruise exercises one Airman was killed during flight operations when he was struck by an aircraft while checking elongs during a launch Kitty Hawk bid farewell to San Diego on 3 January 1987 as the ship departed her home port of 25 years and set out on a six month world cruise During the circumnavigation Kitty Hawk and CVW 9 again showed their commitment to safety by conducting a third fatality free deployment Kitty Hawk spent 106 consecutive days on station in the Indian Ocean and was again awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for its service The world cruise ended at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 3 July Six months later Kitty Hawk began a Service Life Extension Program SLEP overhaul Kitty Hawk emerged from the yards on 2 August 1990 The overhaul was estimated to have added 20 years of service to the ship The Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department was also awarded the Air Forces US Pacific Fleet Departmental Excellence Award the Black E for this deployment With the return of CVW 15 to its decks Kitty Hawk began its second deployment around the Horn of South America to her original home port of San Diego on 11 December 1991 performing Gringo Gaucho with the Argentine Naval Aviation during the transit On 1 August 1992 Kitty Hawk was appointed as Naval Air Force Pacific s ready carrier The ship embarked Commander Cruiser Destroyer Group 5 Commander Destroyer Squadron 17 and CVW 15 for three months of work ups before deploying to the Western Pacific on 3 November 1992 While on deployment Kitty Hawk spent nine days off the coast of Somalia supporting U S Marines and coalition forces involved in Operation Restore Hope In response to increasing Iraqi violations of United Nations sanctions the ship rushed to the Persian Gulf on 27 December 1992 Just 17 days later Kitty Hawk led a joint coalition offensive strike against designated targets in southern Iraq Kitty Hawk set sail on her 17th deployment 24 June 1994 to provide a stabilizing influence operating in the Western Pacific during a time of great tension in the Far East particularly concerning North Korea This would be the last cruise for VA 52 flying the A 6E SWIP Intruder During the cruise the Carrier led the first ASW persecution of both the Han Class and Oscar II Class Submarine 17 Most likely the Oscar II was K 442 18 During the ASW hunt of the Han Class Submarine of the PLA Navy a standoff ensued between the United States and PRC leading to several PLAAF fighter aircraft flying near Kitty Hawk s S 3 Viking ASW aircraft from VS 37 Eventually both sides backed down In 1995 Kitty Hawk embarked airwing transitioned to CVW 11 marking a change to a single F 14 squadron and 3 F A 18 squadrons 19 Kitty Hawk began her 18th deployment this time with CVW 11 in October 1996 During the six month underway period the ship visited ports in the Persian Gulf and Western Pacific The carrier made a rare visit to Hobart Tasmania as well as being only the second carrier to ever stop in Manama Bahrain 19 Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego 11 April 1997 immediately beginning a 15 month 110 million overhaul including three months in dry dock in Bremerton from January to March 1998 1998 to 2008 Edit Kitty Hawk right relieves Independence at Pearl Harbor as the 7th Fleet forward deployed carrier A navy petty officer supervises sailors performing a flight deck scrub down on board Kitty Hawk in August 2005 An F A 18C on the forward elevator on board Kitty Hawk Kitty Hawk docks at the U S navy base in Yokosuka Japan Kitty Hawk departed San Diego on 6 July 1998 to assume new duties as America s only permanently forward deployed aircraft carrier from Independence Kitty Hawk also welcomed aboard Carrier Air Wing 5 operating from Naval Air Facility Atsugi Japan Kitty Hawk arrived at her new operating location of U S Fleet Activities Yokosuka Japan on 11 August 1998 With the decommissioning of Independence on 30 September 1998 Kitty Hawk became the second oldest active warship in the US Navy and was authorized to fly the First Navy Jack Kitty Hawk set sail for a planned three month underway period on 2 March 1999 which included Exercise Tandem Thrust off Guam Following the exercise the Kitty Hawk CVW 5 team was ordered to the Persian Gulf to enforce the No Fly Zone over Southern Iraq CVW 5 pilots flew more than 8 800 sorties in 116 days including 1 300 combat sorties dropping more than 20 tons of ordnance On the return trip to Japan Kitty Hawk made port visits to Perth Western Australia and Pattaya Thailand Kitty Hawk returned to Yokosuka on 25 August 1999 She was again underway to the Sea of Japan on 22 October to participate in Exercises Foal Eagle and AnnualEx 11G On 11 April 2000 Kitty Hawk departed Yokosuka Japan for routine local area operations and participated in Exercise Cobra Gold with the navies of Singapore and Thailand Kitty Hawk participated in Exercise Foal Eagle in Fall 2000 and deployed again in March 2001 for a Spring underway period with a historic stop On 22 March Kitty Hawk became the first aircraft carrier to ever moor pier side in Singapore as the ship visited the brand new Changi Pier located at the Republic of Singapore Navy s Changi Naval Base On 29 April shortly after a visit to Guam Kitty Hawk celebrated 40 years of active service as the ship and crew sailed south to participate in Exercise Tandem Thrust 2001 with the Australian and Canadian navies The ship returned to Yokosuka on 11 June 2001 On 17 October 2000 and again on 9 November 2000 Kitty Hawk was buzzed by a group of Russian warplanes in the Sea of Japan which proceeded to take pictures of the reaction on deck General Anatoly Kornukov then Russian air force s commander in chief stated that the Russian warplanes managed to evade Kitty Hawk s antiaircraft defense system and that In the pictures you can clearly see the panic on deck 20 In October 2001 Kitty Hawk deployed to the North Arabian Sea for the beginning of Operation Enduring Freedom The ship served as an afloat forward staging base for the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment 21 with a reduced air wing In April 2002 Kitty Hawk was underway for her scheduled spring training Along with a Guam port call the spring underway included port visits to Singapore and Hong Kong where the crew celebrated Kitty Hawk s 41st birthday In the fall of 2002 Kitty Hawk was training in the Western Pacific Kitty Hawk and her battle group combined with U S Air Force units and elements of the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force to conduct AnnualEx 14G in the waters surrounding Japan Later the ship and her crew made a port visit to Hong Kong Kitty Hawk is maneuvered into the water following the completion of her five month maintenance period in 2003 On 11 September 2002 all US Navy ships were ordered to fly the First Navy Jack The ship once again departed Yokosuka on 23 January 2003 for a routine training mission 22 but a short time later orders were received to transit to the U S Central Command area of responsibility to support the Global War on Terrorism and to prepare for future contingencies Kitty Hawk was soon involved in Operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom in the North Persian Gulf Although the cruise was originally intended to be short the ship served 110 continuous days at sea Kitty Hawk returned to Yokosuka on 6 May 2003 immediately entering an extensive drydock period or drydocking ship s restricted availability DSRA that lasted until October of that year In October 2006 Kitty Hawk and her escort warships were undergoing exercises near Okinawa and a Chinese Song class submarine shadowed the group then surfaced within 5 mi 8 0 km of the group on 26 October 2006 23 It was considered to be quite rare for Chinese subs to operate that far from their home ports on the mainland though with this incident that may be changing Reports claim that the submarine had been undetected until it surfaced 24 25 26 In 2009 Timothy J Keating commander of the United States Pacific Command commented on the issue stating that the carrier was in a very relaxed posture If there were some heightened state of tension we would believe me we would not let them get that close 27 On 11 January 2007 Kitty Hawk entered a scheduled period of maintenance in Yokosuka her place being taken by Ronald Reagan which made an unscheduled deployment three weeks later This refit is smaller than the one the ship completed in 2006 28 which took six months On 5 July 2007 Kitty Hawk pulled in at Sydney Australia for six days of shore leave after participating in Exercise Talisman Sabre On 21 September 2007 Kitty Hawk pulled into Yokosuka Japan after a four month summer deployment 29 In November 2007 Kitty Hawk and other US Navy ships participated in the joint military exercise Malabar in the Bay of Bengal Other nations that took part were Australia Japan Singapore and host nation India Later that month Kitty Hawk was scheduled to dock at Hong Kong for Thanksgiving 30 However China denied entry to Kitty Hawk and the rest of her carrier group China then reversed its position based on humanitarian grounds but by that time Kitty Hawk was too far away to dock in time for the holiday The cause of the Chinese refusal remains unclear 31 Kitty Hawk was deployed off the coast of China along with two other ships during the Taiwan election on 20 March 2008 32 After the elections she entered Hong Kong for the last time 33 On 28 May 2008 Kitty Hawk departed Japan for the last time to be replaced in Japan by George Washington 34 However during George Washington s transit of the Pacific Coast of South America en route to the planned turnover with Kitty Hawk in Hawaii a major fire broke out that led to Washington diverting to San Diego for repairs This led to the US Navy retaining Kitty Hawk in Hawaii to take part in the RIMPAC 2008 exercises in June and July 35 On 7 August 2008 Kitty Hawk arrived at NAS North Island 36 Retirement Edit Kitty Hawk in port at Pearl Harbor after participating in RIMPAC exercises in place of the damaged George Washington In February 2017 Ex USS Kitty Hawk awaits her fate at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard On 1 December 2005 the United States Navy announced that George Washington would replace Kitty Hawk in 2008 as the forward deployed carrier in Japan and it would also assume host carrier duties for forward deployed Carrier Air Wing 5 37 In March 2007 the Navy announced that Captain Todd Zecchin the captain responsible during the decommissioning of John F Kennedy had been tasked with overseeing the decommissioning of Kitty Hawk 38 Kitty Hawk left Yokosuka on 28 May 2008 to begin the decommissioning process 39 However on 22 May a fire seriously damaged George Washington causing the ship to go to San Diego for repairs Kitty Hawk participated in the RIMPAC exercise near Hawaii in George Washington s place The turnover between the two carriers was postponed and took place in August 35 40 After the turnover Kitty Hawk arrived at Bremerton Washington in September and was informally retired on 31 January 2009 41 42 Kitty Hawk the USN s last diesel fueled aircraft carrier was finally decommissioned on 12 May 2009 43 Post decommissioning Edit Kitty Hawk being towed past the southern tip of South Padre Island Texas by tugboat Michele Foss on 31 May 2022 Kitty Hawk being towed in the Brownsville Ship Channel on 31 May 2022 As the last conventional American aircraft carriers to be decommissioned Kitty Hawk and John F Kennedy were the last two carriers suitable for conversion into museum ships Nuclear carriers such as Enterprise and the Nimitz class require extensive disassembly to remove their nuclear reactors during decommissioning leaving them in an unsuitable condition for donation 44 After Kitty Hawk was decommissioned groups based in Wilmington North Carolina 43 45 46 and Pensacola Florida 47 lobbied to acquire the ship after her release from the Navy Inactive Ships Program By March 2017 the USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association had raised 5 million in pledges to preserve the aircraft carrier as a museum ship Members sought to donate 15 000 in memorabilia for display if it came to fruition 48 After President Donald Trump gave a speech on board USS Gerald R Ford and promised to build a 12 carrier navy 49 US Navy officials extended Kitty Hawk s stay in the reserve inactive fleet and considered the possibility of recommissioning her to help with the buildup 50 On 20 October 2017 Kitty Hawk was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 51 and on 25 October 2017 the Navy announced its intentions to dispose of her by scrapping 52 On 9 March 2021 Kitty Hawk arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to be put in dry dock and have the hull scraped of marine life before being towed to her final destination 53 On 6 October 2021 Kitty Hawk and John F Kennedy were sold for one cent each to International Shipbreaking Limited 54 55 On 15 January 2022 Kitty Hawk left the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard under tow en route to Brownsville Texas for scrapping As she is too big to transit the Panama Canal she went instead by way of the Straits of Magellan 56 On 31 May 2022 Kitty Hawk arrived in Brownsville Texas for scrapping 57 Awards and decorations EditAwarded to Kitty Hawk 58 59 Presidential Unit Citation Joint Meritorious Unit AwardNavy Unit Commendation with 5 stars Meritorious Unit Commendation with 2 stars Navy E Ribbon with 3 Battle E DevicesNavy Expeditionary Medal with 3 stars National Defense Service Medal with 2 stars Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with 15 starsVietnam Service Medal with 16 stars Southwest Asia Service Medal with 1 star Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary MedalGlobal War on Terrorism Service Medal Humanitarian Service Medal with 1 star Sea Service Deployment Ribbon with 17 starsNavy Marine Corps Overseas Service Ribbon with 9 stars Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation Republic of Vietnam Campaign MedalSee also EditList of aircraft carriers of the United States NavyNotes Edit This tradition ended in 2002 when the Secretary of the Navy directed all Navy ships to fly this flag for the duration of the War on Terrorism 4 References EditThis article includes a list of general references but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations September 2008 Learn how and when to remove this template message Stephenson Pino Sharon 31 October 2003 Battle Cat Floats Into the Halloween Season Early U S Navy Fleet Activities Yokosuka Public Affairs Archived from the original on 29 June 2011 Retrieved 21 February 2019 a b c d e f g h i j k l Kitty Hawk Naval Vessel Register Retrieved 11 December 2010 a b c d Kitty Hawk II CVA 63 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Navy Department Naval History and Heritage Command Retrieved 11 December 2010 Whitten Chris First Navy Jack in the War on Terrorism NavyJack info Retrieved 22 January 2019 Navy Decommissions USS Kitty Hawk U S Navy Kitty Hawk Public Affairs 12 May 2009 Archived from the original on 24 January 2019 Retrieved 21 February 2019 Former Carrier Kitty Hawk Arrives in Brownsville for Scrapping USNI News 2 June 2022 Retrieved 2 June 2022 Aviation Historical Summary USS Kitty Hawk OPNAV Form 5750 2 30 September 1962 30 March 1963 PDF U S Navy Retrieved 21 February 2019 Defense POW MIA Accounting Agency dpaa mil sites crmforce mil Retrieved 1 May 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint url status link United States House Committee on Armed Services 2 January 1973 Report by the Special Subcommittee on Disciplinary Problems in the US Navy U S Navy Retrieved 21 February 2019 Department of the Navy investigative report by Captain Kenneth L Shugart U S Navy First hand accounts by BTFN ET Rieth USS Kitty Hawk 1973 1974 and Kitty Hawk Flyer News article Thursday 13 December 1973 Vol 12 Number 28 JO3 Jeff Starke PAO USS Kitty Hawk Command History for 1977 PDF Naval History and Heritage Command 6 April 1978 Retrieved 21 February 2019 CVW 15 Carrier Air Wing 15 CARAIRWING FIFTEEN US Navy Seaforces Online Naval Information seaforces org Retrieved 22 April 2019 Halloran Richard 22 March 1984 Soviet Sub and U S Ship Collide The New York Times Retrieved 21 February 2019 Soviet Sub Collides with USS Kitty Hawk 21 March 1984 Naval History Blog U S Naval Institute 21 March 2011 Retrieved 21 February 2019 Sailor Robert Jackson Blows the Whistle on the Kitty Hawk Then Gets Piped Ashore for Safety PEOPLE com Retrieved 20 August 2020 Times New York FBI ARRESTS 7TH IN NAVY SMUGGLING CASE OrlandoSentinel com Retrieved 20 August 2020 Kitty Hawk II CVA 63 public2 nhhcaws local Retrieved 7 November 2020 permanent dead link Oscar II class www ww2 dk Retrieved 7 November 2020 a b Former crewmember with VFA 94 Dixon Robyn Richter Paul 16 November 2000 Russians Cocky Over U S Encounter Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on 7 March 2014 Retrieved 25 January 2012 Friedrich Ed 31 January 2009 Alums sad at USS Kitty Hawk s last goodbye KOMO News Archived from the original on 16 October 2015 Retrieved 19 February 2019 A Brief History of Aircraft Carriers USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 U S Navy 2 June 2003 Archived from the original on 16 April 2009 Retrieved 19 February 2019 Mizokami Kyle 6 November 2015 A Chinese Submarine Stalked an American Aircraft Carrier Popular Mechanics Retrieved 21 February 2019 Gertz Bill 13 November 2006 China sub secretly stalked U S fleet The Washington Times Retrieved 19 February 2019 Goldfarb Michael 12 January 2007 Red China amp Red Lines The Weekly Standard Archived from the original on 6 January 2012 Retrieved 11 November 2011 Howland Jonathan 18 January 2007 Iran China Intent on Countering Navies JINSA Online Archived from the original on 24 June 2008 Retrieved 19 February 2019 Gertz Bill 26 February 2009 Inside the Ring China intelligence gaps The Washington Times Retrieved 19 February 2019 Reinhardt Matthew 19 January 2007 Kitty Hawk Enters Maintenance Period U S Navy USS Kitty Hawk Public Affairs Archived from the original on 14 January 2009 Retrieved 19 February 2019 Kitty Hawk returns from summer deployment USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 Archived from the original on 8 October 2007 Retrieved 19 February 2019 After Snub by China Sailors Celebrate The New York Times Associated Press 23 November 2007 Retrieved 23 November 2007 dead link U S commander perplexed by China s refusal of warship visit CNN Associated Press 23 November 2007 Archived from the original on 26 November 2007 Retrieved 23 November 2007 U S carriers sent toward Taiwan before election Reuters 19 March 2008 Retrieved 10 November 2018 Troops Families Holiday Reunion Ruined ABC News 19 February 2009 Retrieved 21 February 2019 USS Kitty Hawk Navy s Oldest Active Ship Leaves Japan to Be Decommissioned Fox News 28 May 2008 Archived from the original on 20 October 2012 Retrieved 19 December 2008 a b Kakesako Gregg K 4 July 2008 Kitty Hawk remains in Hawaii for RIMPAC Honolulu Star Bulletin Archived from the original on 11 October 2008 Retrieved 21 February 2019 Liewer Steve 7 August 2008 Kitty Hawk makes last visit to North Island The San Diego Union Tribune Archived from the original on 12 August 2008 Retrieved 19 February 2019 USS George Washington to Replace USS Kitty Hawk as U S Navy s Forward Deployed Carrier U S Navy 2 December 2005 Archived from the original on 25 October 2006 Retrieved 21 February 2019 Word Ron 23 March 2007 Carrier USS Kennedy Decommissioned The Washington Post Retrieved 19 February 2019 USS Kitty Hawk says Sayonara CNN 28 May 2008 Archived from the original on 31 May 2008 Retrieved 19 February 2019 Liewer Steve 21 June 2008 Damaged Aircraft Carrier To Stay In Port For Repairs The San Diego Union Tribune Kitty Hawk Ceremony To Be Held Saturday The Seattle Times 28 January 2009 Clarridge Christine 1 February 2009 2 000 say goodbye to USS Kitty Hawk The Seattle Times Archived from the original on 7 March 2009 Retrieved 19 February 2019 a b Navy Decommissions USS Kitty Hawk U S Navy Kitty Hawk Public Affairs 12 May 2009 Archived from the original on 20 March 2012 Retrieved 13 May 2009 Shapiro Michael Welles Enterprise Nimitz Class Carriers Won t Be Museums Military com Retrieved 21 February 2019 Gannon Patrick 25 January 2006 New ship coming in Star News Archived from the original on 28 September 2007 Retrieved 21 February 2019 Ex Sailors Dream Is USS Kitty Hawk Moored in Wilmington WRAL TV 6 March 2007 Retrieved 21 February 2019 Kitty Hawk Asheville Citizen Times January 2013 Archived from the original on 28 June 2013 Friedrich Ed 15 March 2017 Group wants to make Kitty Hawk into museum Kitsap Sun Retrieved 21 February 2019 Seck Hope Hodge 2 March 2017 Aboard Ford Trump Promises 12 Carriers Record Navy Growth Military com Retrieved 21 February 2019 Rogoway Tyler 8 June 2017 US Navy Looking At Bringing Retired Carrier USS Kitty Hawk Out Of Mothballs The War Zone The Drive Retrieved 21 February 2019 Stanford Julianne 28 November 2017 USS Kitty Hawk veterans devastated the aircraft carrier is headed for the scrapyard Kitsap Sun Retrieved 21 February 2019 Former USS Kitty Hawk to be disposed of by dismantling Kitsap Sun 24 October 2017 Retrieved 28 March 2019 Ex Kitty Hawk CV 63 dry docks at PSNS amp IMF navsea navy mil 4 March 2021 Retrieved 1 May 2021 Colson Thomas The US Navy sold 2 obsolete aircraft carriers to scrap dealers for 1 cent each Business Insider Retrieved 6 October 2021 Trevithick Joseph The Navy s Last Conventionally Powered Aircraft Carriers Have Been Sold For Literal Pennies The War Zone The Drive Retrieved 7 October 2021 Farley Josh Aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk departs Bremerton for Texas dismantling Kitsap Sun Retrieved 15 January 2022 Carrier USS Kitty Hawk Arrives in Brownsville for Dismantling Retrieved 2 June 2022 Ship s Awards kittyhawkvets com Archived from the original on 15 January 2022 Retrieved 15 January 2022 BATTLE CAT HEADED TO THE SCRAPPER AND LIKELY A PARK IN SOUTH TEXAS laststandonzombieidland com 2 November 2017 Retrieved 15 January 2022 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 category Official website USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association USS Kitty Hawk News Photo gallery of USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 at NavSource Naval History USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63 CV 63 command histories Naval History and Heritage Command 1961 Sep 1962 Mar 1963 Mar 1963 Sep 1963 Sep 1963 Mar 1964 Mar 1964 Sep 1964 Sep 1964 Mar 1965 Mar 1965 Sep 1965 Oct 1965 Mar 1966 Apr 1966 Sep 1966 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 2000 2001 2003 Leonard F Guttridge Mutiny A History of Naval Insurrection United States Naval Institute Press 1992 ISBN 0 87021 281 8 Johnson Tim U S ships barred from Hong Kong now sail under China s nose McClatchy DC Bureau Retrieved 23 September 2017 Preceded byUSS Independence CV 62 Oldest active combat ship of the United States Navy1998 2009 Succeeded byUSS Enterprise CVN 65 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title USS Kitty Hawk CV 63 amp oldid 1127476335, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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