4 Elderly Retired, but Historic Grande Dames...

[BusyBee604]

Found this Google Earth satellite closeup of 2 Forrestal class Sisters, and 2 Kitty Hawk class Sisters squnched together ...resting & rusting at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA.

These Ol' Viet Vets total ~200 years of honorable, arduous service at sea, often in combat, plus hitting many fine liberty ports (& a few not so fine), over the years. Sorta' sad to see them in this condition, apparent even from space, remembering how majestic they were back in the (my) day!

L to R: USS INDEPENDENCE (CVA/CV-62), USS KITTY HAWK (CVA/CV-63), USS CONSTELLATION (CVA/CV-64), & USS RANGER (CV/CVA-61).

Ol' Bee had the honor of of completing 2 W'Pac deployments in RANGER, and 1 Round the Horn + 1 W'Pac on CONNIE. Many good memories, and just a few...not so much.

Rumors abounded several years back that Portland OR had made a serious proposal & bid to the Navy, to obtain RANGER for conversion to a CV Museum. Haven't heard any more since. I hope it happens, but even if it is approved, it would take another 10-15 years for logistics, rehab, environmental requirements, obtain/rehab A/C, staffing, fundraising..etc. Good luck on that!

Meanwhile, RIP Grand Ladies, we'll meet again some day, on that final OK-3!
*Sing out if any of you elders have trapped on 1 of these jewels
BzB

 

[blackbart22]

Spent many hundreds of hours on the roof of the Constipation. Qualed on Connie while in the A-3 rag. My old bow cats topside crew had a high old time showing me broken hold back bars and the hand signal for aircraft over the side etc. after the boss told them which whale I was in. On Yankee station I would often spend a whole month and never get below the O-3 level.

 

[Renegade One]

Traps on all of 'em...FRS CQ, but never deployed on any of them. My "homes away from home" were CORAL SEA, AMERICA, CARL VINSON, MIDWAY and NIMITZ.

 

[helolumpy]

While I didn't do a trap (tough to do that in a helo...) but I did do a few CQ dets on Connie while she was at NASNI. Got to do a port call in San Fran during one of the CQ periods!

We got delayed while getting underway because NCIS had to arrest a Supply Department Warrant Officer and a couple of the folks down in the Mess Decks. Seems they were taking thinks like ketchup, napkins, salt and other kitchen items off the ship and selling them out in town.
They did it in broad daylight and formed up working parties to off-load the stuff. No one ever asked where all the stuff was going until the SuppO did an inventory one day and said, "Hey, where's all this stuff....???"

 

[MIDNJAC]

First carrier I ever set foot on was the Kitty Hawk, on middie cruise. Hope it finds a good home! Actually, I thought I had heard we were selling her to the Indians or something.

 

[Malo83]

2 WestPacs on the RANGER "Top Gun of the Fleet", last was in Desert Storm, Busy Bee the RANGER is still in the running as a museum, would love to walk the Flight Deck and roam the passageways again
http://ussranger.org/

 

[BusyBee604]

2 WestPacs on the RANGER "Top Gun of the Fleet"
http://ussranger.org/

My outstanding memory of my 2 "Top Gun" cruises ('60 & '66), was the booming of the Lone Ranger Themesong (William Tell Overture), during all unreps, either by the CARDIV Band when embarked, or a taped rendition.
BzB

 

[jmcquate]

Here's the Saratoga and Forrstal near Newprt RI.

 

[Malo83]

My outstanding memory of my 2 "Top Gun" cruises ('60 & '66), was the booming of the Lone Ranger Themesong (William Tell Overture), during all unreps, either by the CARDIV Band when embarked, or a taped rendition.
BzB

Still going strong in 91, at the end of the unreps she would pull a hard to port with the WTO going full song over the PA

 

[brownshoe]

*Sing out if any of you elders have trapped on 1 of these jewels
BzB

Never trapped (except in the rear with the gear on a COD ) but I worked the Indy deck a few times during quals. I never did like Norfolk! Give me JAX, Cecil, Mayport, or Pensacola anytime.

 

[ea6bflyr]

As a former COD guy from 89-93, I've landed on all of these ships. Time has not been nice to them.

 

[Angry]

The Forrestal has actually been moved - not sure where but the Saratoga is the only CV left in Newport. We ran past her 4 days a week during OCS - amazing that something so impressive (even in her current state) has been considered obsolete.

 

[rondebmar]

Traps on all of 'em...FRS CQ, but never deployed on any of them. My "homes away from home" were CORAL SEA, AMERICA, CARL VINSON, MIDWAY and NIMITZ.

Renegade One ...re Coral Sea ...any chance you were aboard when Joe Frick turned her over to George Aitcheson Jr. at Pearl in 1977? (Will relate the reason for asking in a story later.)

Almost a triple centurion on Saratoga ...also made a 10,000th landing on her under Capt. Jack James ...nice cake on the hangar deck followed ... not bad for a j.g. ...never could figure that one out!!

Conducted an ORI on the entire Light Attack (1 A7 squadron, 2 A4 squadrons IIRC) air wing aboard Ranger in late 1967 prior to her arrival Yankee Station . (Another long story for later ...) LOL!!

Almost forgot ...wife and I attended the Saratoga decommissioning ceremony at Mayport 08/20/94 ...VERY IMPRESSIVE!!

 

[bert]

I've palm-treed two of them - pretty sure by the unintelligible (but definitely angry) noises coming from the 5MC that their Air Bosses wouldn't think that counts...

Only one boat I've cruised on is still going, and it's the one I did my disassociated on. Everything else is a reef or sold off.

 

[BusyBee604]

...also made a 10,000th landing on her under Capt. Jack James ...nice cake on the hangar deck followed ... not bad for a j.g. ...never could figure that one out!!!!

Almost forgot, the 'Bee & CONNIE CO CAPT "T. J." Walker cut cake celebrating the 5,oooth trap on the brand new ship on 08SEPT62. Having barely survived the late winter 'Horn passage in the 'flimsy' vessel, we were off the coast of Costa Rica bound for 4- day Acapulco port call (barely survived that, also), then San Diego...her first and only home port. Heh heh, CAG "Red Dog" Davis boltered just ahead of da 'Bee in a 'Sader, & it fell into my lap (kissed his ring & he took it well).

BzB