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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2672
Location: New Jersey | Subject: USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
Leaves Japan for Bremerton, Washington for de-com. She is, I think the last of the CVA's. She is being replaced by the USS G.Washington CVN73. |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: RE: USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
She was my 'boat' (as the sailors in 'Carrier' seem to refer to their vessel) in '65 - '66 for a west Pac and 'Nam tour, in between Nuke school and SSBN-629B. Quite a lady and a real eye-opener into the big iron skimmer world.
Having no mission-mandatory responsibilities, I had time to roam her from shaft alley to the top of the island and everywhere in between and get to know a wide variety black shoe and brown shoe types and what they did.
Take one chevron off the crow of my avatar, and that could be me back then. I had a permanent crook in my index finger from the handle of my Thieve's Alley coffee mug that was held there as I 'manned the rail' watching for sea snakes in the Tonkin Gulf ... or went up to 'Vulture's Row' in the island to watch planes crash ... I mean, observe flight ops.
I was glad to get back to the boats and the tight camaraderie of their crews, though.
Edited by Flapper 2008-05-28 10:55 AM
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 2672
Location: New Jersey | Subject: RE: USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
Bob,
Out of boot camp I headed for CVA42. The only thing I liked about her was watching flight ops. I was mesmerized by the takeoffs and landings. I still am. And when I watched 'Carrier' that was the best part of the show. However, up front and personal was definitely the best to watch. As a messenger of the watch on the bridge, I always asked permission to stand on the outside bridge wing to watch the airdales and planes....
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Master and Commander
Posts: 2191
Location: Port Ludlow, WA (the Olympic Penninsula) | Subject: RE: USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
Past crew member of two CVA's, the Forrestal CVA-59 and the Ranger CVA-61 - if you can't be on a sub they're the next best thing! |
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Great Sage of the Sea
Posts: 781
Location: Port Orchard WA | Subject: RE: USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
It is a real shock that they are going to homeport a nuc boat in Japan I am surprised they didn't make the forward deployed ship be based in Guam or Diego Garcia ( I know neither have the infrastructure to do it) The rumbling in the aviation community was that if they ever got to where the didn't have a conventional CV to put in Japan that they would have to pull the forward deployed back to Pearl and re think the deployment cycle and what would make up a WestPac |
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COMSUBBBS
Posts: 3202
Location: Alexandria, Virginia | Subject: RE: USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
To me...carriers are like cities like Chicago built under their local airport. I heard that one time a Western Union boy attempting to deliver a telegram to the wardroom of some humongous birdfarm, got lost....by the time he found his way back to the brow he was a LCDR. DEXS |
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Master and Commander
Posts: 1107
Location: Tucson AZ | Subject: Bremerton area cap request
Can one of you who live up there in the area snag me a Kitty Hawk ball cap when they pull in? I'll gladly reimburse for cost and postage. Respond to this thread or send me a PM if you can help.
Thanks,
Flap
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USS Kitty Hawk CVA 63
