Tag Archives: Saratoga

Combat Gallery Sunday: The Martial Art of Don Troiani

Posted on by Leave a comment

Much as once a week I like to take time off to cover warships (Wednesdays), on Sundays (when I feel like working), I like to cover military art and the painters, illustrators, sculptors, photographers and the like that produced them.

Combat Gallery Sunday: The Martial Art of Don Troiani

If you like military art at all, Don Troiani needs no introduction.

Here is a painting he has been working on for the Saratoga National Park that he has chronicled on his social media page from pencil to finished work.

The scene depicts the attack of the 62nd Regiment of Foot on the Connecticut Militia and 3rd New Hampshire Regiment on a wooded slope during the Battle of Freeman’s Farm. Major Harnage of the 62nd is wounded in the left foreground.

Thank you for your work, sir.

When pigs fly

Posted on by Leave a comment

Background on this video from its original post:

I filmed this in 1986, while on board the USS America, in the Mediterranean Sea. The jet jocks came up with this great plan to drop off three colored/greased up pigs, onto the flight deck of our relieving carrier, the USS John F Kennedy. We used the excuse that we had some official paper work to drop off. They never saw it coming! LOL Near the end, we ask for permission to do a “low pass up your port side,” to which, the Kennedy airboss responds, “Negative!” These were good times .LOL

And: This was in ’86. I was with HS-11 the helo squadron who did this off of the USS America. I know we dealt with multiple carriers that deployment: Coral Sea, Saratoga, JFK. We did El Dorado Canyon (op) and a few others that I can’t remember. You are right that this was the JFK and it was during the Med outchop.

Lady Sara

Posted on by Leave a comment
US Marine Corps Vought O2U-2 Corsair aircraft preparing to land on Saratoga, circa 1930 Source United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command Identification Code NH 94899

US Marine Corps Vought O2U-2 Corsair aircraft preparing to land on Saratoga, circa 1930
Source United States Navy Naval History and Heritage Command
Identification Code NH 94899

The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was a beautiful ship converted from a battlecruiser that was never allowed to be built. She and her sistership, Lexington, were largely responsible for training the pre-WWII U.S. Navy in how to use a fleet carrier. As a result, she had a few interesting people cycle through her decks.

Here are a couple

Charles Lindbergh in the cockpit of a F3B-1 carrier aircraft aboard USS Saratoga, 8 Feb 1929

Charles Lindbergh in the cockpit of a F3B-1 carrier aircraft aboard USS Saratoga, 8 Feb 1929

Ever heard of the Thatch Weave? Lt. John Thach's Wildcat taking off from Saratoga, Oct 1941 Source United States National Archives Identification Code 80-PR-1154

Ever heard of the Thatch Weave? Lt. John Thach’s Wildcat taking off from Saratoga, Oct 1941 Source United States National Archives Identification Code 80-PR-1154

And here’s a bonus shot of her all dolled up for the war.

Saratoga underway at sea, circa 1942, with 5 Grumman F4F fighters, 6 Douglas SBD scout bombers, and 1 Grumman TBF torpedo bomber

Saratoga underway at sea, circa 1942, with 5 Grumman F4F fighters, 6 Douglas SBD scout bombers, and 1 Grumman TBF torpedo bomber

Lady Sara heads to the breakers

Posted on by Leave a comment

Sold for a penny back in May  the mighty ex-USS Saratoga (CV-60) is taking her very last sea cruise after spending two decades on red lead row.

US Navy Photo

US Navy Photo

Tugboats pull the ex-USS Saratoga under the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge as she begins her final voyage from Newport Naval Station to a dismantling facility in Brownsville, Texas–the carrier’s final resting place. The ship arrived in Newport on Aug. 7, 1998, after spending four years in storage following her decommissioning in 1994. The Saratoga was the second carrier of the Forrestal class and completed 22 deployments in her 38-year career.

The Offshore Towing Vessel, SIGNET WARHORSE III a 143’5” x 50’ x 18’ ABS Fully Classed tug with 10,000 brake horsepower and 135.44 Metric Tonnes bollard pull and a nine-man crew is making the tow http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/Signet-Maritime-Launches-Final-Voyage-of-USS-Saratoga-2014-08-21 and is expected to arrive in Brownsville, Texas, with ex-USS Saratoga in tow, on September 4, 2014.

Sara’s slightly older sister-ship Forrestal was sold a few months ago to the breakers for the same cost and it is expected that sisters Ranger (CV-61), decommissioned in 1993, and stored at Bremerton, Washington, and Independence (CV-62) in mothballs at  Puget Sound Naval Shipyard will soon join the class on the heap.

Of the four Kittyhawk-class ships, Constellation (CV-64), 11 years in mothballs is likely to be scrapped in coming months. The America (CV-66) was sunk in testing in 2005 to help design the new Ford-class carriers, Kennedy (CV-67) is on donation hold and may become the only US super carrier on display as a museum ship, and the aging Kitty Hawk (CV-63), her hull now some 53-years old, is still a Reserve asset until at least 2015 when the Ford comes online. It is likely that she will follow to the scrappers soon after.