Constellation to be decommissioned Aug. 7

[thedrifter]

Constellation to be decommissioned Aug. 7

COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
1:59 p.m., June 11, 2003

WASHINGTON ? The Navy made it official Wednesday, the aircraft carrier Constellation will be decommissioned in San Diego and taken to the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., for preservation.

Adm. Vern Clark, the chief of naval operations, had been studying the possibility of keeping Constellation available for future use, either in full service or in some ready reserve status.

But any of the alternatives proved to be too expensive and the Navy notified members of the San Diego congressional delegation that the Navy's second-oldest active warship will be retired Aug. 7.

Constellation and Carrier Air Wing 2 returned June 2 after a seven-month deployment that included 1,500 combat sorties that put 1.3 million pounds of ordnance onto targets in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The carrier's crew will be reduced steadily over the next two months and workers at Southwest Marine shipyard will begin to prepare the ship for decommissioning. After the official ceremonies at North Island Naval Air Station, the ship will be towed to Bremerton for mothballing.

One of only three conventionally powered carriers, Constellation was commissioned at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard Oct. 27, 1961. It has been homeported in San Diego since July 1962.

Constellation launched the first strikes against North Vietnam in August 1964 and made a total of seven combat cruises to Southeast Asia over the next eight years.

Flying an F-4B Phantom fighter from the Constellation, Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now a Republican congressman from Escondido, shot down three Vietnamese fighters on May 10, 1972. That brought his total "kills" to five, making him the first "ace" of the war.

Although sentimental about "a boat I flew off," Cunningham said, "the good news is she's going to be replaced by the USS Ronald Reagan," the newest nuclear-powered carrier.

Because the Reagan still is awaiting its commissioning and will not be ready for deployment for a year, Cunningham said there still was a "very, very slight chance" that Constellation might be kept active to fill the gap.

Sempers,

Roger

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/m...cnsconnie.html

[Jerry D]

God Bless the Connie and all her Crew both past and present ,she served them well in peacetime and in combat....

[sn-e3]

The Connie was and still is a fine ship I searved planeguard and escort duty many many times with her. God bless her and those who serve on her.