Why Were USS JFK and USS Kitty Hawk Sold to the Scrappers for a Penny?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 ก.ย. 2024
- This is the first episode in a series celebrating 20 years of the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial and we're taking a look at two ships that many wanted to become museums but were unsuccessful.
For our other Museum Episodes:
• Museum Era
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Kitty Hawk was my ship. I can't help thinking of her still out there somewhere, blue-white curls of the sea curling away from her bow as she sails into stormy seas, waiting for her Aviators to come home so they can have a moment's respite before going off the pointy end once again. We couldn't wait to disembark after cruise, but you never think of her as being gone. Some part of me lingers there still. You'll find me on the forward sponson, starboard side, watching the endless wave curling from her bow as she sails on. As long as their is a sailor who still breathes, there will be an ocean full of ghost ships that we never knew we would miss so much.
God that was beautiful
@@J.M.Savage Poetry
You could write some entertaining fiction novels.
Were you at the helm when she rammed that Russian sub?
Well said
USS Constellation CVA64/CV64 was my home from 1973 to 1977. It broke my heart that "Connie" was not turned into a museum. She was a proud ship and San Diego's ship for over 40 years. Instead San Diego chose the USS Midway. It still breaks my heart.
My neighbors brother almost died in a fire on the constellations fire in the Brooklyn Navy yard in the 60s!
That's so sad. I wish there was a way to keep all of them . .. my son will probably think I'm nuts .. but it would be cool to park her and go fishing..
On 2 December 2003, the ship was stricken (formally removed from the Naval Vessel Register) when Admiral Vern Clark decided against expenditure of maintenance costs. Constellation was placed in Reserve Category X, meaning she received no maintenance or preservation, and only security against fire, flooding, and pilferage was provided. Reserve Category X applies to ships that have been stricken and are awaiting disposal by scrap, sale to foreign countries, as a designated target in a live fire exercise, memorial, or donation, as applicable. Wikipedia source.
I know all old ships get retired, but seems funny that in my lifetime , I have seen these two ships go from the most technically advanced super weapons on the sea, to the scrap heep.
That says something about us
@@russellmiles2861 No kidding, in my case im old
It's a consequence that begins when the ship is designed for a service life of maybe 40 years at the outside. Another consequence is the fact that the USN just does not have enough funding to maintain their ships in the shape we want. Maintenance gets deferred, priorities are chosen, and things get neglected over time.
I remember when the Ticonderoga class Arleigh Burke class ships were considered space-age and futuristic looking in design and advanced technology. Phased-array radar was just starting out. Came into the Navy 39 years ago and retired 18 years ago.
So true!! I did many an UNREP with the JFK in the Med in my younger days. Makes me feel old when most of the warships I saw and dealt with are now gone...
It is a huge shame that not a single conventional supercarrier could be saved, there were so many! Definitely a huge historical loss and end of an era! With videos like yours they will never be forgotten!
isn't intrepid a conventional carrier?
@@markusz4447 not a supercarrier!
@@markusz4447 Carrier has to be over 65k tons to be called a super carrier. Intrepid around 37k tons fully loaded. She is a WW2 Essex class carrier. In the 1950s the angle deck was added.
When a high school age Sea Cadet, I was fortunate to have sailed on the Kennedy for a few days sailing from Boston to Portland Maine. As a kid sailing on a aircraft carrier just off the heels of Top Gun, getting kicked off the bridge for not wearing a cover, and watching Tomcats doing night traps....I will NEVER forget it. Absolutely priceless, and it breaks my heart seeing it in it's current state when flying into Philadelphia. Fair Seas and Following Winds Kennedy.
In 1990 I got to see the Wisconsin birthed next to the Enterprise in Norfolk. From the dock we looked across and down on the Wisconsin’s deck while the Enterprise towered over us and the dock. I got to see three quarters of the U.S. fleet. It was awesome.
That must have been hard on the mother ship. Did you see it recovering?
I remember the time we were docked across from the Enterprise, and I went aboard her, after liberty call, just to see her up close and to have the knowledge that I had once actually set foot aboard that historic ship that also bore what is probably the most revered and legendary ship name in the US Navy.
At another time, I went aboard USS Long Beach for somewhat similar reasons.
On the Long Beach, someone in the duty section actually gave me a tour of some of the ship.
Civilians, and possibly some navy vets may find all that somewhat strange, but I’m glad I did it.
@@ferky123 that is funny.
As a Navy dependent at NAS Alameda, I went aboard Enterprise, and standing on her flight deck was looking down on the flight deck of Coral Sea. My dad was stationed onboard Oriskany. At least Oriskany got a better fate as a reef than what Kennedy and Kitty Hawk are facing.
In 1985 I got to see the New Jersey from the Kennedy in Norfolk.
I was on the Kitty Hawk stationed in Yokosuka Japan from '99 to '03. 🤔My son was conceived in that ship😏🤫
Dereliction of duty sailor ??? Hahaha NO worries ...at my 1st duty station in Coronado , CA ...I lost my cherry to a female sailor at a male/female shore duty station NAB Coronado WHILE I WAS ON THE BALLS TO 0400 watch . Hahaha Take care brother Haha
This company that scrap us naval ships actually PAY people to buy their scrap metals and “junks” , yet the Navy sold carriers for pennies to this company ? I am stunned. If you love the Navy, this practice should be reported to appropriate authorities for investigation . This is a UK based parent company that scrapped the entire Royal Navy as well, probably under the same crooked deals! Those sweetheart deals usually means somebody is getting big kickbacks
Statute of limitations is up as far as I'm concerned, we didn't hear anything sailor, hope your son's doing well
@@trainknut he got accepted to the Naval Academy Preparatory School❗
@@chulopapi2300 another generation of sailor!
Perhaps someday he shall conceive his own child on the USS Nimitz
I hope Kitty Hawk beats the Reaper and sinks in tow. Seems a more dignified end than what happens in Brownsville.
my dad's ship the APD-106 USS Walter B. Cobb sank under tow in 1966 enroute to Taiwan. he and his shipmates were saddened that happened but you raise a very good point.
My ship, USS America (CV-66) was sunk in a sink-ex in 2006. They thru all kinds of ordnance at her to see what kind of battle damage a super carrier could take. You can find a photo or two on the internet of it dipping below the water. Sad to see it going down, but she gave her life to help make the (at the time under development) Ford class ships stronger and more survivable.
That is just what those of us who served on Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger, Independence, and Constellation hoped as our homes were towed south to be cut up. At least America served a useful purpose and now rests peacefully at the bottom of the Atlantic.
@@johnslaughter5475 I always thought Forrestal should have been saved as she was the first supper carrier.
@@ksamos Too bad that they aren't either of those things! USS Gerald R. Ford is a sitting duck.
In the early 90s I wrote to the Kitty Hawk as part of a school project. I received a signed picture of her and letter from Captain McGee.
My uncle was the DCA on Eisenhower in the mid 90s, and I was able to go on a dependent day cruise on her. It's size was mind blowing.
The Kitty Hawk came into Hobart Tasmania Australia in the mid 1990’s. As my wife worked in the Marine Board, which controlled all shipping activities, I was fortunate to get a grand tour of the ship. We exchanged lots of Koala Bears and Tasmania souvenirs from some crew who did not get ashore as it was anchored mid Derwent River. I scored a couple of Kitty Hawk caps, one of which I happen to be wearing today as I am working out in our rather keen sunlight. Just by sheer chance this video came up on my main TH-cam page, fascinating to get some background on this ship. I must have a few photos of this ship somewhere in my collection. Sad to see these parts of history going to breakers yards, it is fortunate that some Naval vessels are being turned into floating museums. I believe you (USA) has the ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 11 is moored in one of your major maritime cities as a floating restaurant? Kind Regards from a Brit living down under.
I think you have her confused with the poor Queen Mary now sitting in Long Beach, California, and on the verge of sinking due to neglect.
@@richardcline1337 Sorry, wrong ship this is the one I am thinking of as I took the last photographs of this ship as she sailed from Hobart on her final voyage. Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as QE2, is a retired British ocean liner converted into a floating hotel. Originally built for the Cunard Line, Queen Elizabeth 2 was operated by Cunard as both a transatlantic liner and a cruise ship from 1969 to 2008. She was then laid up until converted and since 18 April 2018 has been operating as a floating hotel in Dubai. Let's hope they do not let this one rot away.
Enterprise CVN-65 had parts from Enterprise CV-6 installed, the New Enterprise, CVN-80 will also receive CV-6 fittings as well as being built from the steel from CVN-65. Also one of cvn- 65's anchors has already been installed on a Nimitz class carrier.
There's been a few super carriers in Hobart over the years, as a young lad in the Naval cadets I always made my way south from Longford to see them, got a great tour of the Carl Vinson one year in the Derwent! I was also lucky as a young lad to be given a tour of Missouri back in '88 when she pulled into Hobart alongside the wharf, by a Marine Chief! Got the day off school stayed at my Grandmother's and was amazed as a young 10yo already keen naval history student to see the place where the Japanese surrender took place, still sticks with me to this day, and now I'm 43!
I met some Limey sailors in Subic (I think) and they told me that they were from the HMS Hobart. Between their accents and my memory, you can correct me if I'm wrong, or if you know. Sailing aboard the KH from 73 - 75 was something I hated at the time, but relish now. I was in HS-8, a helo anti-sub squadron. Thank you for your recollections!
great episode, people don't often know what it takes to preserve an ex-military aircraft let alone a 75,000 ton floating airfield.
Sink them and make them dive sites
@@johnkeith2450 kinda unfortunate since they are gonna be rotting away under the water, but better than the scrapyard probally
@@johnkeith2450 It's a great idea, but phenomenally expensive because you have to remove all the contaminants first. Watched a documentary on them preparing an aircraft carrier for sinking as a reef and it was a multi-year process and literally nothing was left but the steel shell when they were done. IIRC they even had to strip all the anti-fouling paint from the hull (which makes sense if you think about it becoming a reef!). And the one in the documentary was not a large one - literally an order of magnitude smaller than Kitty Hawk.
@@timdouglass9831 Yes but still better than cut up for scrap
Yes, it does take quite a bit to keep these ships up. But if I was a billionaire with more money than sense, I couldn't think but to take on the challenge of converting these baby carriers into mega yachts. Think about it. A ship big enough to land your private plane on. And also large enough to put any luxury item you wished. The USS Kitty Hawk is just a hair shorter than the largest cruise ship ever made and is actually wider. And you aren't sharing it with 1000 other people.
I think it might be a long term problem with museum ships:
When the organisation caring for them is no longer able to, then they will probably also not have the money to scrap the ships.
we can't save everything forever.
The Queen Mary is having this problem right now
The Kitty Hawk was the last ship I served on in the early 90's before she replaced the Midway in Japan. The Midway is now a museum ship here in San Diego.
I saw Midway at Yokosuka, and attended her decommissioning at NAS North Island.
I was also at USS Rangers *😢*
I can't help but think that in a true knock down drag out we're going to wish we still had the old girls in mouthballs
I was stationed in the Army at nearby Camp Zama Japan from 1989-1992. I saw the Midway, the Kitty Hawk and the Independence which I toured while I was there. My daughter was born at the Navy hospital in Yokosuka in 1991.
I was a medic in an ambulance for a patient we were transporting from Zama to Yokosuka in June 1990 when the Midway returned to Yokosuka after a catapult steam trunk explosion killed 3 sailors and injured several more on board, and also a second explosion which injured more sailors. We were running with lights and siren to clear traffic around the entrance to the Navy base. There were many news crews outside of the gate and as our ambulance approached all lit up with the siren wailing. All of the cameras turned and focused on and followed our ambulance as we went in the gate.
SLEP in Philly?
Kitty Hawk replaced the Independence in Japan in 1998, not the Midway.
@@chadmoody8254 Sad thing is I stood on Breakers Beach at NAS North Island watching the Indy cross the horizon enroute to Yokosuka!!! I should of remembered that!!!!
Saratoga sweet 60 from Dixie I had the pleasure of working in her engineering department and overhauling her for her last major overhaul called SLEP in PNSY 1980-84
I volunteered on the USS Hornet for a number of years. It was almost scrapped itself but was saved because it was the ship that picked up the Apollo astronauts when they landed.
Is it your opinion Hornet should be someplace other than Alameda? If so where should it be?
In the early 90's, while in Bremerton (USS Carl Vinson over haul), we would have command quarters on the Hornet or Bon ohm richard. Paint and insulation was peeling off the walls, overheads, etc. I always wondered how much guano was on the flight deck and super structure, from the seagulls. overhauling an active carrier was intensive enough, but one that's been sitting for decades would be a nightmare
I see JFK almost everyday. That deck is in HORRIBLE conditions. I do not want to imagine the cost of 4.5 acres of rust removal, paint, and maintaining that paint would cost.
I was on USS Hepburn FF 1055 in '89. We did an UNREP exercise with Vinson but had to cut it short so she could go to flight quarters
@@Plyst3, you should have seen the condition the USS Oriskany was allowed to get in before it was towed out to sea and sunk as a "reef" for the rich to dive on. The reef was just a publicity scam so the public wouldn't question why she was sunk in water shallow enough for rich divers to explore. She is NOT a reef, she is a tourist attraction for NW Florida, nothing more.
@@richardcline1337 doesn't surprise me one bit.
The Vinson 🤬 I was onboard when she was in dry dock, got the worst knot on my head while doing some work on her lol
I served aboard the USS Saratoga and after a few years after decommission I was interested at the time for her to be a museum and donated a few dollars toward that effort. At each Saratoga reunion, the talk was about her being a museum but as the years passed, she was scrapped. I suppose it was just too big of a challenge. The USS Saratoga held a reunion in Norfolk VA and many of us tour the USS Wisconsin and were quite impressed by her.
Did quite a few UNREPS with Sara in the Med...91-93 aboard Sylvania.
Personally I'd love to see an arleigh burke or Ticonderoga saved.
There's a lot of talk of a Perry class being saved for Erie, Pennsylvania
I am from Erie, PA, but I haven't lived there in over 30 years now.. Years ago the FFG O.H. Perry was making a tour of the Great Lakes and she stopped in Erie. I went aboard and looked around the ship. Years later while on active duty in the Army I was stationed in Japan. I knew a medic on the USS Independence and he gave me a pretty extensive tour of the ship shortly before they went on a cruise. That was very cool. I also got a tour of the FFG Reuben James when I was in Hawaii. My brother in law at the time was a sailor on board the Reuben James.
I loved my 8 years in the Army but I'm glad I got to go aboard some Navy ships. It was a very cool experience to tour active ships.
Is Erie deep enough to bring a ship in there now... I remember what happened to Perry...
@@BuzzLOLOL I don't know, I haven't lived there in some time.
@@BuzzLOLOL odds are there was dredging since then
Tico for sure.
That was very interesting. I've had the privilege of touring several museum ship over the years and have always been impressed with the people, who have the passion and love, to maintain and share these bits of our nation's history. Thank you for all you do!
I have already mentioned some of this. I was involved in trying to save USS Ranger as a museum. 1st of all, NAVSEA required the Ranger Foundation to come up with at least $20 million. They also had to have a permanent place to tie her up. It was required that she be able to be moored to withstand winds of 100mph. The project had to have 100% support from all governmental agencies that would be involved. There had to be safety rails all around the flight deck, deck edge elevators, and any where else that visitors might go. There had to be comprehensive plans for several years on what they intended to do to raise money and how much they figured would be raised. Out of that $20 million there would need to be an escrow fund that would be used by the Navy in the event the museum failed. This was so no public money would be needed to recover the ship. As Ryan has stated regarding NJ, the ship would never again be able to fire up any boilers or provide steam to things like the galleys and catapults. None of the ship's heads would be usable, so some other way would need to be established for sanitary waste by visitors. USS Midway is doing quite well in San Diego. Much of that has to do with the beautiful climate. The plans for Ranger never seriously envisioned going further south than the Columbia River. This very much affected what the ship would be able to do for fund raising in the harsh winters in that area. Another problem, was that no visitor would ever be allowed below 3rd deck. Had Ranger become a museum, the Navy would have spent $6 million to seal off every point of access below 3rd deck. My personal belief is that there is just too much similarity between the Forrestals and other conventional carriers, to the Nimitz class. The Navy would not want someone going below and mapping out engineering spaces, magazines, and fuel bunkers. I've visited Enterprise when she was in port at the same time we were. There was very little difference between Ranger and Enterprise, other than the reactors vs. boilers.
Some of NAVSEA's requirements seem unreasonable as a major selling point to the city that would be hosting her would be the ship's ability to help the city in the event of a natural disaster. Her generators, which are diesel, would be able to be brought online to provide electricity to the city. Her medical department could be brought online. Hundreds, or thousands, of people could be provided shelter.
Just as an after thought, considering the requirements to seal Ranger off below 3rd deck, I don't know why hangar deck, 2nd deck, and 3rd deck on Enterprise couldn't be rebuilt where they had gutted her to remove the reactors. It's not like they'd have to rebuild anything further down. They would need to pour a lot of concrete in to ballast her down. More than saving a conventional, but still doable.
Well, you have the intimate knowledge of these ships designs but I had heard the naval architecture hadn't changed that much between the Forrestal class and the later carrier classes.
Compared to what you said, I've read that a lot of the USS Lexington is open to the public. Short of diving on the USS Oriskany (which is a dangerous proposition below the flight deck), the Lexington is the most open carrier museum. You can walk all over the ship if you're physically capable.
I understand that the Midway has Navy personnel assigned.
As I stated elsewhere, NAVSEA can and most often is nothing but a bunch of SOB's even on a good day!
@@AvengerII That's what I understand. As I mentioned, I've been below decks on Enterprise and Constellation. I did not see any appreciable difference between them and my own Ranger. In fact, S-7 and S-1 offices on all three were in exactly the same place. That's why I think the Navy didn't want anyone mapping out the Ranger. That would give them a pretty good map of the Nimitzs. Obviously, the difference in engineering is significant, but not fuel bunkers and magazines.
I've been on Hornet and her engineering is open. So is at least one magazine. In fact, you can take virtual tours of Hornet online.
My boss, owner of an excavation company in Portland was involved in the attempt to save Ranger. In fact, my understanding is that the riverfront land where the company is now was bought with the intention of it being where Ranger would be berthed...
I deployed on Kennedy 1999-2000 as part of the Carrier Group 6 staff. Such a shame to see her scrapped, but such is the way of things.
It's sad that they can't be saved, but considering we can't even keep other vessels like the Cabot or many of the WWII subs that are facing scrapping or being sunk as reefs, (as well as several of those soviet subs) I can't imagine it being possible to keep one of those carriers going for as long as other ships have given the sheer amount of maintenance it would need due to the size when we already have other large vessels that need much work.
They are just too big, but I hope some smaller ships can simply be put on land.
Maybe the solution is to preserve the supercarrier and then park all the subs on her decks, that would be a sight! ;-)
9:10 - yes, shoulda saved one of them. Truly a shame historians weren’t allowed to save just one!
But would those who donated for historical interests be willing to donate, or divert donation overages, toward current National security equipment?
The short, but true and unpopular answer is that no volunteer museum group numbers enough people (manhours) to provide the labor needed to maintain a carrier properly, especially with all the spaces open, above main engineering. What they are able to do will always be a matter of compromise. Fix this and this, and let this go until next year's budget. And the funds for regular drydocking to preserve the underwater hull just aren't there. When in service, those hulls are drydocked about every 5 years or so. As museums, they might get drydocked once in a quarter-century, or never.
@ABlindMan1 20 to 60 million to restore, I won't mention HazMat or asbestos contamination. Sad, but massive dollars that just aren't there
I did a Med cruise on "Big John" CV-67 in the mid 90's. Met great folks and had a great time. You're bringing back some good memories.
Only just found this video Ryan - what a wonderful film! I can envisage how hard it can be to set up a museum ship but never had any conception of how difficult it's to scrap a warship! A wonderful twenty minutes of solid information. Thank you.
Thank you for posting this. I was shocked that CVN 67 was sold for a penny, I had a friend who served on her and it was so unreal for me to have read that article.
The government is not allowed to make money on these ships
Scrapping is the right solution for these huge ships. Even keeping the ‘ USS Intrepid’ at NYC in good condition will be a huge project in the coming decades.
It's been a museum for the past 50 years, with no problems.
She's already cost over $60 million for her last overhaul and there's nothing spectacular about her except where she's berthed. Anywhere else and she'd be razor blades by now.
Yes, better than watch hulk rust away with neglect. Better they find a new use.
@@russellmiles2861 Does a museum not count as a new use?
@@the4tierbridge it does. Many a church, fort and warehouses have become museums. And if a retired warship were to have an accessible location, sufficient funding (and they need much much more than a old warehouse or mansion) than that would be a grand use. I am pondering that there have been ships, steam trains and building that fall into pale imitations of there grandself. I certainly prefer some noble ending than to sit rusting and polluting surrounding water ways. There was the Ghost Fleet as a reminder of what can happen. And at least they were wooden.
great skill in conveying the scale of the situation.
I'm really enjoying your videos.
Thank You for all the work you do!
My dad’s pride and joy during his 30 years of Navy service from WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. I just conditioned his VF 213 Black Lions bomber jacket. He cherished it until he passed at 94 years of age. This carrier and those on board served our country well and deserve a peaceful rest.
USS kitty hawk was the ship that my grandpa served on in his life in the navy when he was alive. The kitty hawk deserves better as it was one if not the best aircraft carrier for its time. Even though it’s barely possible it would be amazing to see the kittyhawk restored and sailing the seas again
The USS Paul F. Foster should be preserved IMO: The Spruance class is vastly underrated, and formed the basis of so many other classes.
They have done too many alterations making it looking far from a Spruance.
@@petershen6924 that’s a shame! Had no idea: the last picture I saw she looked fairly intact.
Agreed...but like Peter said...its waaaay to late now!!😞
Sad to hear the Kitty Hawk is to be scrapped. Both her and the Constellation were home ported in San Diego and tied up at the quay NAS North Island. I was stationed there from 1965 to 1968 and had the privilege of going aboard her to visit a friend who had just reported for duty to the Kitty Hawk. Quite the spectacle seeing her move down the channel cruising past Point Loma on her way out to sea.
For a time, there was an effort to save the Kennedy as a museum ship here in RI. But as it was with Forrestal and Saratoga (there were efforts to preserve them as well), she ended up being sold for scrap.
When I was a kid, 1970 to 1980, in Jersey City, they used to have old Navy ships on the Hackensack River near Two Guys on 440 and 1&9 area. You could see the ships, they seemed to cut them up into pieces and little by little the ships are gone. I believe there was a aircraft carrier there at one time too. I was fascinated as a kid seeing that. I remember asking my dad what they were doing and he said they are docked at a scrap yard, they recycle the steel.
I remember seeing the New Jersey across the bay from my ship in Subic Bay, my ship U.S.S.Ranger CVA 61 had just come off one of our line periods in the Tonkin Gulf off Vietnam and a few days after we had been there in came the New Jersey and since we were docked at the Carrier dock it had to dock across the bay from us,it was still quite a site
Thank you. Very informative. I am sad that Kitty Hawk is going. The father of a very dear friend of mine from high school served as head surgeon on it in the 1960's. I am imagine there would have been a larger potential support for the John F. Kennedy. But, as you explained very well, the shear size of these ships makes annual maintenance an enormous investment. In our post-COVID world, at least for a while, travel will be impacted, hence potential revenues harder to predict.
I didn't know the Kitty Hawk had been scrapped. She was featured in the There Goes An Airplane VHS tape. At that time, her captain was Bill Pickavance (forgive me if I spelled that wrong).
Oh my god I forgot about those tapes. I remember watching those forever ago
She hasn’t been scrapped, yet. She has been sold for scrapping, but has not departed Bremerton yet.
It's such a waste. A little tlc, we probably could've sold her to a nation like India.
@@magisterrleth3129 Nope. Can't afford it
@@magisterrleth3129 India uses Russian designs with a ski ramp and the carrier based MiG-27. For the Indian Navy to use it effectively they would need an entirely new air wing of catapult capable fixed wing aircraft. Even if the ships were in a fully operational condition the cost of the ships, maintenance, new air wing, and training in a new style of carrier operations would be too expensive. Not to mention the Kitty Hawk is nearly 70 years old, JFK is 53, they’re way passed their useful ages and the cost to make and keep them operational for at most 20 more years, is a ridiculous waste of funding for any government to authorize.
Why does anyone ever downvote these vids. People are nuts. This guy is a wealth of info.
Our neighbor in San Pedro is the USS Iowa and with the small crew of volunteers they have done an amazing job of keeping her alive. I was given a behind the scenes tour and if I was not involved in the restoration of the Los Angeles Fire Department Fireboat , Ralph J. Scott, I would love to help. The success of any of these huge undertakings is all about the volunteers and it’s getting harder to find people who would enjoy helping preserve our history until it’s to late. We need school programs that include teaching lost skills and get kids involved in touching and interacting with these large preservation projects as there will never again be these living pieces of our history available for future generations to see, experience and touch. It’s taken us 18 years of work to get the Scott looking like she did when she was retired from active service of 78 years and she is only 100 feet long. My heart goes out the the people that make it their job to preserve these amazing works of our ambitions to make our lives safer in a unsettled world. My 2 cents.
That sucks my father made so many med cures I can't remember them all as a child I have had many meals in the officers mess I have been end to end of this ship and have so many memories of the standing on the dock watching the jfk coming in and looking for my dad standing on the flite deck . Dad's been gone for awhile now and now this i will miss them both !
Definitely would like to see one of the LHA or LHD preserved or any well deck vessel since these are so unique, none are currently preserved and they capture a huge portion of the mission of the Navy which is amphibious landings. Would definitely be cool to incorporate the D-Day landings into the museum with Hobart's Funnys, Mulberry Harbours, and the old landing craft.
Imagine the entrance to the museum floor being the landing ramp of an LCU falling down to let you in. Just crazy museum ship ideas.
While at the Naval Academy, I did my one-month youngster cruise on the JFK in 1980. We went to Boston's 350th anniversary with a bunch of tall-ships. It was a huge blast.
I served abroad the JFK during O P sail 80
@@krazy4kurves378 No kidding. To the Virgin Islands too? I remember there was a problem with a boiler I think and a flour bang and a bunch of black smoke pouring out of the stack while I was on the flight deck.
Been watching him for awhile. He has matured as a better oratore. Better presence and delivery. Excellent job.
A ship I was a crewmember of in 1983 (USS Proteus AS-19) was turned into an in water berthing ship & then later scrapped. In 83 it was the 2nd oldest ship in the fleet having been in service since WW2. Another ship I was on in 82 ( USS Blueridge LCC-19) is still in service since Vietnam War. Both these ships are 1 of only 2 of their kind. A purpose built Sub Tender & a Amphibious Command Ship.
It would be nice to see a major museum ship somewhere along the Mississippi River, as centrally located in the US as possible, assuming they could keep the facilities safe from floods.
Already happened. USS Inaugural was a WWII minesweeper on display in St. Louis for years. It broke away one night, hit a bridge and was pushed ashore where she rolled on her side and sank. She is still there and probably always will be. There is an LST in Evansville, IN. USS Razorback in Little Rock, USS Batfish in Muskogee, USS Silversides in WI.....so the Midwest has some ships you can still tour.
FYI the USS Silversides is in Muskegon, MI...across the pond from WI. There's a USS Cobia in Manitowoc, WI
@@krisloewe1109 True, but no capital ships. I've been to most of the smaller ones, and they are great, but there's nothing like a carrier or battleship.
@@MK0272 Would it even be physically possible to get a deep-draft vessel like a battleship or aircraft carrier up the Mississippi? That river's pretty shallow, IIRC.
The Kitty Hawk was my old ship.
Thanks for your service. She is a very famous ship. I wish she could have been saved.
I was on Kitty Hawk circa 73/4 with VAQ 136. I remember a fire below in the #1 main machinery room that put her up in Subic for at least a month. Pulled a lot of shore patrol.
@@gregsmith7428 I was in subic 1974 for 4 months on the USS Richard s. Edwards DD950 good times my friend! had shore patrol in the jungle one night, not good!
My dad was on there from 73 to 76
Many years ago I served aboard the USS Forrestal, the first of the "supercarriers". I was greatly saddened when I learned that she had been sold for scrap some time ago. The thought that she could have become a museum ship had never once crossed my mind. How could anyone envision taking care of such an immense vessel was beyond contemplation. I'm sorry that she is gone -- I loved her-- but I would have hated more to see her fall into disrepair, returned to the Navy, and become more of a burden to that service.
My first cruise was aboard CV34 USS Oriskany, was so sad , my first and her last. Actually liked the concept of an artificial reef for her.
CV43 USS Coral Sea got cut to pieces, that one hurt, once you've sailed on these magnificent machines it's hard to see the destruction of them. Was aboard many others but not these 2. USS Vinson was my last flattop in 86 off of Hawaii. I went into Amphibs afterwards.
You should have seen the condition the USS Oriskany was allowed to get in before it was towed out to sea and sunk as a "reef" for the rich to dive on. The reef was just a publicity scam so the public wouldn't question why she was sunk in water shallow enough for rich divers to explore. She is NOT a reef, she is a tourist attraction for NW Florida, nothing more.
@@richardcline1337 She was in bad shape in the 70's while I was aboard for her last cruise. The head for my squadron was literally falling apart, had holes in the deck and you had to be careful where you stepped. Also got to experience "water hours" for days at a time because the desalination didnt work, many times youd hear clanging of the pipes, get rinsed quick cause it would boil you with steam. Still hate Koolaid "bug juice" and chili/rice to this day, cooks specialty back then before the Ney awards came along.
@@stevensullivan5287 was on Westpac 74 with the oriskany on the Richard s Edwards DD 950 good times!thanks
I've been on the JFK twice when it came to Boston and must of waited four hours in the blazing sun each time but it was worth the wait
Save the islands from the carriers and put them on land connected together by walkways. Like a island farm.
That would be something!
There isn't an island from ANY carrier that survived as a museum piece.
The island from the USS Cabot was on display for a few years but ultimately got scrapped after the museum it was displayed at closed.
Nobody wanted to house it or they couldn't afford it to move it to a new location.
Someone could use it as the roof of a museum.
They have (or used to have) the island off of (I think) one of the WW 2 CVL (light carriers) at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL. I remember seeing it and climbing up the stairs to view parts of the interior. It has been some years though since I last visited this museum and do not know if this island is still there.
@@chijohnaok That's a replica of the USS Cabot's island at the Pensacola museum. They recreated it from the plans for the real ship.
The Cabot's actual island was several years after the hull of the ship. For a while, the island belonged to a museum but that museum closed. Again, they could not find a home for the island and so it went to the scrapyard. I've seen video footage or pictures of the demolition of the Cabot's island. It was shoved onto its side and destroyed.
Save a Ticonderoga!!!
Dear Ryan. The "romance" of a warship and what it once experienced and meant to our country is over. Particularly that of something coming out of the WW II era. I could go on for volumes so, I'll be brief. I'm 65 and grew up in the era of WW II vets telling stories of glory. In fact. My Dad was a Pacific Theater fighter pilot multi-ace. I lost 3 uncles in the skies over Hitler's so-called 1000 year Reich. When, as a young lad, i got to see B-17s, F4-U and P-51s for the first time, not to mention aircraft carriers that my Dad flew off of, I was enthralled! In latter years and first visiting a battleship, the North Carolina when my airline transferred me to Wilmington, NC...I guess i was in my early 30s....i walked around for 2 days with a woody. But now? The child has grown and the memories are gone. And, although i tried over the decades to pass on to my children all i was told of my families heritage to my 4 children...
Do i really need to continue? One more example though.
My son-in-law is in the USAF and pilots a Raptor. His kids hardly remember he's an Air Force captain let alone a pilot. I've seen my son-in-law fly. Yeah, its cool. Yeah. I'm proud....Bla-blah, Bla-blah, Bla-blah.
Beyond my 65 years, let's face it , Ryan. In today's society the era of wonder and excitement just isn't there. The embedded history of relics like the USS NEW JERSEY? History in itself matters to few in this day and age. And, I'm thinking. You know it.
I’d love to see someone save a Ticonderoga-class CG as a museum ship. You kinda get a twofer - the hull design of the Ticos is based on the Spruance-class DDs, and AEGIS was a significant step in naval technology. Alas, I suspect that so much of the technology of AEGIS is still sensitive enough that the Navy won’t release the ships for donation for the foreseeable future; ditto for the Arleigh Burke-class DDGs.
I was on the Kennedy when it visited Boston years ago as an active ship. It was a very long wait and it was the first time I saw a mist tent which was very welcome that day. I still can't believe how big the Kennedy is and am very sorry to see it is not being preserved.
I may have been on the Kennedy that day in Boston, also. Big John was an impressive ship.
I was there that day. Boy was it hot! I will never forget the stink of the docks as we walked miles back to where we parked. I can’t recall how many hours we were in line but it was long. I remember a mist tent. My brother also had to go to a medical tent from getting something in his eye. It was a memorable day!
I was a crewmember aboard Big John from April 80 to Jan. 82. My first port was Boston during Opsail 80 and the Tall Ships review during Memorial Day weekend 1980. I remember the line of people waiting to get onboard and they were only allowed onto the hanger deck. This went on for 3 days, probably 10-15 thousand people per day. Beautiful town Boston!
Man, I sure would like to have the Machine shop machinery off those Carriers!
I'm sure that was some of the first stuff pulled off in the final feeding frenzy
@@SovietDictator I'm not so sure. The actuals tools i.e. hammers and wrenches and the dies and jigs for the lathes and CNC machines are gone. However alot of the actual machinery i.e. the lathes and milling machines and drill presses don't come out of their respective spots very easy. You'd need a forklift, crane hoists, and have to cut holes throughout the ship to get them out.
@@joshuasill1141 if sailors are anything like fireman, they found a way.
@@joshuasill1141 That makes sense, but in that light, I bet they took parts off those tools as well beyond just dies and jigs. Motors and such are probably gone, any fine adjustment apparatus, lubricant dispensers, rails, the wheels off any bandsaws, and such. I'd be surprised if the tools were even approaching complete at that point. The bulk of the frames and such are probably still there.
still have Midway in San Diego, close enough for a supercarrier
Was on it last week awesome experience.
I have seen Kitty Hawk here on anchorage this year, during her voyage around South America, accompained by just one huge tugboat. I did not see her arriving or leaving , she stood here about 4 days.
Greetings from Valparaíso in Chile.
I was onboard the USS Kitty Hawk when we ported in Valparaiso in 1991. You have a beautiful city.
Spent my time afloat on USS Saratoga. It breaks my heart to see what happened to her, but I still have my memories. Good memories, and some, not so good. Just have to realize, we can’t save them all.
BTW, the Saratoga stern plate is displayed outside the CPO club in Mayport. Part of her lives on.
Still have lotsa pics of UNREPS with Sara in the Med. Was sad to see her go, too...!!!
Outstanding video. Excellent ideas for this week. More about how your business works will be great.
I think the old JFK had that Tomcat that went overboard when the plane was still new.
I understand the cost is high but, it is a shame that this country can not preserve one super carrier. If it was going to happen I thought it would be the U.S.S. Kennedy. I did get to go on the Kennedy twice when it came to Boston. I even have a friend who served on her.
I did a 6 month cruise on the Kennedy back in 2000's. Broke down 3 times just getting out of port! Good times. A group here in Rhode Island was trying to get the Kennedy up here as a museum, but I guess they couldn't get a dock space for it. Too bad to, I volunteered to help work on it if it did.
1) What city that could support a maritime museum doesn't already have ships they can barely maintain? 2) There's a reason that they had crews numbering in the thousands and cost fortunes every year. MAINTENANCE. What museum has the resources - both in terms of personnel and money - to keep up the ship. Even much smaller ships are in trouble. The ones that aren't are usually ones like Texas, Alabama, New Jersey that have an obvious link to where their musea are located.
Very informative. I think scuttling as an artificial reef would be preferable to scrapping. I know there are costs involved but at least the ship would have a benefit and would be preserved as a dive sight for some time.
Shame the KittyHawk ends up this way I was there at her commissioning as a young boy my sister best friend husband was a plank holder
fantastic video! Can't wait to see the rest of the videos in this series!
RE: Which active duty ship do I hope to see as a museum ship...I would be really happy for any of the AEGIS CGs/DDGs to be preserved as an example of this era of ship design; the CGs are probably going to be too clapped out by the time they Decomm but Arleigh Burke, Cole, or Mason all have pretty spectacular service histories. I was really pulling for Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) to find a home, but I think she's a parts hulk thats probably bound for the scrappers at this point. And as far as carriers go, maybe we'll never get a super carrier, but the LHDs/LHAs are out there and it seems like the Gator Navy is pretty under-represented in the current museumship fleet...
My cousin served on Vincennes, but I am sure saving her would have been a political nightmare.
@@SovietDictator i was a vincennes sailor, and they could have saved her. the politics of the incident seemed to have waned over the years, she had even been back in the gulf before she was decom'd.
@@leftyo9589 my understanding is the crew gave her a great reputation in the fleet. I used to have his hat with the knight, the clover, and a Team 49 patch on the back. I wore it with pride in high school and lost it in a move.
CV -64 USS Constellation would have been a great choice for a museum ship.
Aye, The impermanence of it all.
I was on the Connie (1969 - 1971) met my wife in Bremerton during our overhaul, after the repairs were done, the navy loaded up the flight deck with cars,wives,sailors, we took a 3 day cruise to San Diego, our home port, then we left for yankee station after a few months, still married to that gal, been 50 years, been a hell of a ride. USS Constellation CVA 64
@@larrymotes3512 I was on the Constellation from 1976 - 1977. We did that same trip from Bremerton to Coronado..cars, pets, families. Did so.e sea trials and a RIMPAC and I got out. I haven't been married that long. Boarding school chums just celebrated 50 years. It is hard to get my head around the fact people my age celebrated being married that long.
A good buddy of mine was the commissioning CO the the USS George H. W. Bush. Got to walk the flight deck and the hangar deck. It is hard to appreciate just how huge these ships are. Granted, Kennedy and Kitty Hawk are smaller but your comparison with New Jersey gives some sense of scale. Hard to imagine how an organization could raise enough money to obtain and maintain something that big.
I think if possible, the Ticonderogas would be a neat ship to preserve. They are the last designated cruisers active in the USN and are the remnants of the cruiser idea. With navies focusing more on multirole DDGs, preserving a Tico would be nice as a remnant of that time of naval design.
I think the Yorktown in Patriot's Point, was on the verge of being recalled by the Navy because of improper maintenance several years ago. The Navy did not want a ship in disrepair to be viewed by the public.
Well, it got nuked in the documentary "Special Bulletin."
The Navy really do suck! Just let the ship exist god dammit!
Fortunately, the Yorktown is still at Patriot's Point. I believe money was raised to keep it maintained.
I drive by the Kitty hawk all the time. It will be sad to see her go.
Enterprise had eight reactors and never was going to be saved because the cost of deactivation was prohibitive. But it is a shame that no conventional powered super carriers will be saved.
They might change their tune if these ships actually bothered to fight a major naval war.
Reminds me of the scrapping of the lead Ticonderoga class ship and the Richard Bonhomme. I didn’t serve in the fleet, but damn it’s such a waste to scrap to perfectly good ships such as them. Had an uncle who served on the USS Saratoga in Vietnam. Never know about him til he passed, ships like people are wait for their time to come, and often they take their stories with them. Farewell, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and KittyHawk. Rest In Peace for your time has come if only we hear your tales.
The maritime museum at Patriots Point in Charleston Harbor, SC, has struggled financially to preserve her fleet for years. It requires massive amounts of $ to maintain steel and wood subjected daily to salt water environment, more than you can imagine. The old tales of sailors chipping paint and repainting every day during the active life of a vessel in not just a tale , but a fact of life, to keep a ship afloat. Imagine the incredible number of gallons of shockingly expensive paint it takes to completely paint an aircraft carrier. Not only is there paint maintenance to consider but aircraft carriers have wooden flight decks that constantly require attention. The USS Yorktown at Patriots Point has been in danger of being eliminated on more than one occasion. That museum at one time had the first nuclear powered commercial vessel, the Savannah, in her fleet but she had to be surrendered to reallocate the $ to maintain her, to other vessels.
While it’s an emotional situation to see those great warrior ships being cut apart and turned into cat food cans or whatever, it’s hardly practical to preserve all of them and very difficult to find suitable places to permanently berth them and perpetually maintain them. That, after all, is the exact reason the Navy decides to divest themselves of them. There’s a saying circulated among boat owners that certainly applies to ships ten times over.
“The two happiest days of your life are the day you buy a boat and the last day you own a boat”. They’re endless money pits, especially seagoing ones. “Boats are a hole in the water into which you constantly throw money” !
The Savannah was also built at NY Shipbuilding Corp Camden, NJ
Multi ship museums are not a good idea.
I imagine it will cost the company who bought the carriers for scrap, millions of dollars just to deal with the logistics of scrapping those ships...
That appears to be what happened to the scrappers got their paws on the USS Saratoga some time back. I don't think the scrapping was ever finished. It broke my heart to see the ship on which I served treated like a piece of rusty roadside tin.
Costs can climb rapidly If it is done by the book and in compliance with environment bylaws. She is no longer a potential liability for the Navy the moment the deal is completed. We can financially support only a few war cathedrals.
@@mikecimerian6913 Not true. Look at the mess from the Coral Sea scrapping a number years back. The Navy still has an interest in the vessel even after dismantling has begun. The Navy have and will reclaim the ship in the event that the company defaults. Basically the short of it is even if the Navy “sells” the ship the Navy still actually owns it.
Imagine the cost to tow the Kitty Hawk all the way around South America - eek!
@@jayss10 I should said said in ideal circumstances. I have seen Mumbai''s ship dumps. I know about the mess they can create. I must agree with you, unfortunately.
I would like to see the USS Pueblo taken away from the organization which currently holds it, and returned to the US as a museum ship.
Seal Team Six recovery 🤣
Ryan have you ever watched the show "Sea Patrol"? It's about an Australian Navy patrol boat, you might like it.
I got hooked into watching quite a few of those LOL!!!
Alas 'ol girl, farewell to you and all who served aboard you and were taken care of by you, myself included ('80-'81). RIP CV(A)-63
Thanks for the detailed explanation.
If the US ever gets the USS Pueblo back that would be a cool museum ship.
USS Pueblo is still considered an active duty ship in the US Navy. Apparently, the North Koreans renovated the ship a few years ago and is open to the public as an attraction.
@@michaelosterhaus4309 Yeah, it's at a place called Victory Park as a celebration of NK's victory over the US. A year later they shot down an EC-121 with the loss of 32 lives. A task force went to the Sea of Japan and did absolutely nothing but steam around in circles. I was there.
I pretty much guarantee Pueblo will never see a US scrapper's torch. For one, it's small enough. For another, unless they find it politically expedient to make it disappear, it's got too much history. Barring anything the Norks have done to it, it's probably the biggest time capsule we have to naval operations in 1968.
Probably never happening. I heard stories decades ago that North Korea had been warned that of they ever tried to move the ship out into open waters the US would waste no time in sinking her and the crew on board.
@Corey Hammond Idk... I saw some photos of her and she looks like new!! The NKs treasure her as a museum ship. Of course no telling what the interior condition is, but externally, she appears better than most USN ships do today!!!
shame for the old kitty hawk I feel, but how could she be made a museum. Very pricy.
Do the museum ships ever contact the scrappers for parts?
I think he said they are allowed time before the scrappers take it to get parts.
The nameplates for both the Forrestal and Saratoga were preserved by request.
The Forrestal's nameplate last I heard is property of the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. It was on display not long ago as part of a memorial to commemorate the Forrestal fire.
A veterans group owns the Saratoga nameplate and it's on display in the Jacksonville(?) area if I'm not mistaken.
Nameplates are not small pieces and weigh a few tons. They still have the nameplate for the USS Enterprise (CV-6) in a park in New Jersey and it's fairly big, too. It gets scraped and repainted periodically to preserve it. The most recent picture I've seen of it shows that it's still in fairly good shape so it's been taken care of.
I don't know of many ships that have had their nameplates preserved. I think people just don't think about these things or conclude the pieces are too big to be practically preserved but the Enterprise's nameplate has existed for over 84 years at this point!
People just have to ask and if the request is reasonable the scrappers will accommodate them.
The Navy already took the pieces from the Kitty Hawk and JFK/CV-67 they wanted that could be used by the active duty fleet -- things like chains, anchors, fittings, and whatever is compatible with active-duty ships.
Yes! That's how they got the bow of USS Wolverine.
My old LPO came board the Kitty when the Stennis was in dry dock for some radio gear. He said it was both the creepiest and coolest thing he's ever done.
This information in this video makes so furiously angry. In the not so distant future, we're going to need these ships. Our gov. is so incompetent, it boggles the mind completely and the same reason in corruption which abounds like no other. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE!!!
My understanding of the JFK was that the bigger problem was that a permanent home could not be found for the Big John to be berthed.
I would really like to see the Nimitz preserved. Since it’s nuclear ☢️ I doubt that will happen.
If a Super Carrier museum is not possible (because no museum can afford to maintain a Super Carrier) then why not recruit private developers and turn these Super Carriers into a giant casino ship or a hotel ship? They idea has been proposed for other museum ships in the past.
It was my understanding that the Kennedy had the Pier she was going to be berthed at pulled out from underneath her. Also further reading it seems like the Navy has technology in the construction they didn't want to get out. It doesn't surprise me, but it's sad.
What if we offered the Navy 2 pennies? They would double their money!
I've audited government contractors for over 34 years. First, to bid on them, you have to be on a list of approved vendors. If not, you have to prove you are financially capable of performing the contract. Because the contract almost certainly will require destruction of the ship under government supervision (otherwise, some shady outfit could buy an old ship and sell it to the Chinese).
And that brings up another question raised: how will the company make money? First, the scrappers have most likely had the opportunity to inspect the ships, review drawings and lists of equipment removed from (and, if applicable, left on) the ship, to estimate the weight and types of metals (not all steel is equal) and to determine how much they will get from scrap sales (BTW scrap steel prices are the highest in years as of Nov 2021 when I write this comment). Then they factor in towing cost, labor and overhead of destruction, to determine their profit.
Also someone mentioned that they may agree to a loss in order to keep their labor force employed. You can do that a few times but not too often. And if this is considered a "critical" part of the industrial base, in the event they had a loss there could be a provision in the contract to make the contractor whole (to at least let them break even), or the contractor could file a claim saying that there were representations made that didn't pan out ("you didn't let us inspect that part of the vessel and you said there was X amount of steel, when we got it all the steel was removed, so we're due a contract adjustment for the misrepresentation"; this happens quite frequently).
I feel old, as I was in the JFK Engineering Department from August 1977 to October 1980, the most memorable time of my career.
"Ships are a hole in the water in which one must throw money" to keep them floating and serviceable. A mountain of a ship takes a bigger mountain of money, and the money is limited - and never mind to people like me who loved the USS Lynde B McCormick DDG8 and the USS Ranger CV61.
Imagine running one aground on a private island. There's your security/infrastructure. Homes. Shop. Med Bay. Impervious to the weather. Defendable.
Did 2 WestPac cruises 84 and 85. Was on duty when we hit the Soviet sub. Have a lot of great memories of my time on the Hawk. Hate to see her go!! “We press on”
That's the thing with Donation hold, the Navy at any time can simply say: "No we're scrapping it." A shame the efforts to save the JFK and/or Kitty Hawk fell through..... Also I would like to see a Burke or a Ticonderoga be turned into a Museum!
Unlikely the ships have far too much classified tech and design that can’t be let out. The BBs of old makes sense because they are beyond obsolete.
I served aboard the Hawk from 2000-2002. So much history. So much! First in flight. I just cannot understand how they coukd not make this into a museum. 48 years of service. I was onboard for her 40th bd party in Guam. Drank more Sake than should be allowed.
I recall taking a Boston, MA harbor tour some years ago and sailing past U.S.S. JFK. I was quite impressed with the size compared to the smaller vessels I’d toured.
Sad she couldn’t have been added to Battleship Cove with. U.S.S. Massachusetts.
Honestly I’m upset kitty hawk was one of my favorites
can you imagine the tow through the Straits of Megellan, talk about nerve racking
I've been through the Straits of Magellan. Very wide in lots a places. Sailed through on USS Whidbey Island LSD 41 in 1993.
I would like to see the USS Zumwalt (DDG-1000) as a museum ship when decommissioned.
Not a chance! Her class is an embarrassment to the navy. She along with the freedom class littoral ships are very unlikely to have museum preservations.
The zumwalt was in San Francisco bay this pass week
I served on JFK during Operation enduring freedom. I was saddened to hear the news she was being scrapped. Such a shame. Shes unique and a class of her own, literally. I was lucky enough to visit her one last time with my family and proudly showed her off to my son. Fair winds and following seas cv67.
Did many UNREPS with JFK in the Med while on Sylvania 91-93...
Im sad to see her go too!!!
I wonder how many JFK and Kitty Hawk vets would love to ride on their old ships being towed to the scrapper? One last journey.
We suggested that when Ranger was towed away. Liability was the concern. Besides, I'm not so sure they were afraid a bunch of us would find a way to scuttle her.
@@johnslaughter5475 Oops, did we do that?
I certainly would
Might be too depressing. Being towed, no longer under her own power. Sometimes it better to remember something for what it was in its prime, not a sad, quiet, rusting hulk being towed away to the breakers yard.
@@roadsweeper1 Well said. On a good note, Big John lives with a new hull and nuclear, seeing as the CV-67 was originally slated to be a Nuclear Carrier back in the day, but was built as a Conventional carrier. Man, AMR Space had lots of deck space :)
I served on the USS Amphion AR-13 during Nam. I was a Radioman 3rd Class. After I departed her in ‘68, she was sold to the Iranian navy. Why I’ll never know. Iran scuttled her after a few years of ownership. I’d give anything to go back aboard her now and re-live some of the best times of my life. I’m 75 yrs old now but I have a ton of great memories of my Navy years.