laststandonzombieisland

From the end of World War Two until the late 1960s when the current Nimitz-class of carriers were designed, the US Navy was big into oil-fired super carriers. These eight ships, of the Forrestal and Kitty Hawk-class, with the single nuclear-powered USS Enterprise thrown in for good measure, were the carriers that flew the bulk of the million sorties from Yankee Station during the Vietnam conflict, went toe-to-toe with the Red Banner Fleet during the Cold War, and dropped it like it was hot during the original Gulf War.

And another one of those eight magnificent flat tops is now headed to the scrappers.

The USS Saratoga, CV-60, was sold to ESCO Marine in Brownsville, Texas this week for the ripe old cost of one penny ($0.01). ESCO will have to pay millions to tow the Sara from her current berth on Red Lead Row in Newport, Rhode Island to Texas, remove the 1950s era asbestos and other TICS and TIMs from her hull, and cut her into manageable pieces to be sold on the commercial market for her value as recycled materials.

Sara was named after the legendary 1927-1945 era carrier who helped win WWII and establish the US Navy’s aviation legacy. That old carrier itself was the 5th ship to carry the name for the country to commemorate the famous Revolutionary War victory. These prior namesakes being sloops, corvettes, and cruisers who fought in the War of 1812, the Civil War, Spanish-American War, and WWI.

Commissioned 14 April 1956, Saratoga was the second of four Forrestal-class aircraft carriers. These huge 1070-foot, 81,000-ton beasts were the largest warships ever made up until that time. She served on the front line of the Cold War, treating the survivors of the Liberty incident during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, hammering targets off Vietnam, and forcing down the terrorists who assaulted the Achille Lauro in 1985. During Desert Shield/Storm, she conducted some 11,000 launch and recovery cycles, seeing some very hard use.

She was home-ported in Mayport, FL (Jacksonville) most of her career and as such carries the nickname “Big 60 from Dixie” (among others.)

Decommissioned following the outbreak of peace and the completion of more Nimitz class carriers, she was stricken on 20 August 1994. Maintained for a few years in Reserve condition as an emergency asset, she has for the past 15 years been so much rusting metal, receiving little in maintenance.

Her 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.

For now, three cheers for the Saratoga and lets soon see her name on the Naval List again.

Invictus Gallus Gladiator