David
Thu January 16, 2003 10:39am
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HH/MH-60G Pave Hawk
Function: Twin-engine, medium lift, Combat Search and Rescue and Special Operations Support helicopter.
Description: The HH/MH-60G Pave Hawk is a twin-engine helicopter used by the Airforce in a CSAR/SOS role. Based on the basic S-60 Blackhawk utility helicopter airframe, the Pave Hawk has been optimized for low level insertions and extractions, self defense, enemy small arms fire suppression, and bulk cargo and troop transport. To extend their range, Pave Hawks are equipped with a retractable in-flight refueling probe and internal auxiliary fuel tanks. The HH/MH-60G variant is also equipped with an externally mounted 600 pound capacity hoist and sliding doors on each side of the troop and cargo compartment to allow rapid loading and unloading. The HH/MH-60G is capable of transporting a 8,000 pound load externally and can be equipped with the external stores support system.
General Characteristics, HH/MH-60G Pave Hawk
Contractors:
United Technologies/Sikorsky Aircraft Company
Power Plant:
Two General Electric T700-GE-700 or T700-GE-701C engines producing 1,560-1,630 shaft horsepower
Length:
64 feet, 8 inches (17.1 meters)
Height:
16 feet, 8 inches (4.4 meters)
Rotor Diameter:
53 feet 8 inches (16.4 meters)
Maximum Take-off Weight:
22,000 pounds (9,900 kilograms)
Speed:
180 knots maximum
Range:
504 nautical miles (unlimited with air refueling)
Crew:
Two pilots, one flight engineer, one gunner and up to 10 troops
Navigation Sensors:
VHF/UHF DF
TACAN
TACNAV
Doppler Radar
Radar Altimeter
GPS (Provisions)
Forward Looking Infra Red (FLIR) system
Armament:
Variable, but may include any combination of the following:
Two GCAL-50 machine guns
Two GAU-17A 7.62mm miniguns
2.75" Hydra 70 Folding Fin Aerial Rocket pods
FIM-92A Stinger Surface to Air Missiles
AGM-65 Maverick Air to Ground Missiles
AGM-114 Hellfire Air to Ground Missiles
Countermeasures:
Infrared (IR) Jamming System
Chaff and Flare Dispensers (2)
Radar Warning Receiver
Hover IR Suppressor System
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David
Thu January 16, 2003 10:39am
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RAH-66 Comanche
Function: Fire support and security for forward and rear area forces, point target/anti-armor, anti-helicopter, armed escort, supporting arms control and coordination, point and limited area air defense from enemy fixed-wing aircraft, armed and visual reconnaissance.
Description: The Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche is the Army's next generation armed reconnaissance helicopter. It also is the first helicopter developed specifically for this role. The Comanche will provide Army Aviation the opportunity to move into the 21st century with a weapon system of unsurpassed warfighting capabilities crucial to the Army's future strategic vision. The Comanche is intended to replace the current fleet of AH-1 and OH-58 helicopters in all air cavalry troops and light division attack helicopter battalions, and supplement the AH-64 Apache in heavy division/corps attack helicopter battalions.
The first Boeing-Sikorsky RAH-66 Comanche prototype was rolled-out at Sikorsky Aircraft, Stratford, Connecticut, May 25, 1995. The prototype's first flight was made on 04 January 1996. The second prototype is scheduled to fly in late March 1999. Six early operational capability aircraft are scheduled to be delivered 2002 to participate in an Army field exercise in 2002-2003, or possibly later in "Corps 04." The Comanche is powered by two Light Helicopter Turbine Engine Co. (LHTEC) T800-801 engines. These advanced engines and a streamlined airframe will be enable the Comanche to fly significantly faster than the larger AH-64 Apache.
The RAH-66 Comanche helicopter's primary role will be to seek out enemy forces and designate targets for the AH-64 Apache Attack helicopter at night, in adverse weather, and in battlefield obscurants, using advanced infrared sensors. The helmet has FLIR images and overlaid symbology that can be used as a headup display in nape-of-the-earth (NOE) flight.
The aircraft has been designed to emit a low-radar signature (stealth features). The Comanche will perform the attack mission itself for the Army's light divisions. The RAH-66 will be used as a scout and attack helicopter to include an air-to-ground and air-to-air combat capability. The Comanche is slated to replace the AH-1 Series Cobra light attack helicopter, the OH-6A Cayuse, and the OH-58A/OH-58C Kiowa light observation helicopters.
The Comanche mission equipment package consists of a turret-mounted cannon, night-vision pilotage system, helmet-mounted display, electro-optical target acquisition and designation system, aided target recognition, and integrated communication/navigation/identification avionics system. Targeting includes a second generation forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, a low-light-level television, a laser range finder and designator, and the Apache Longbow millimeter wave radar system. Digital sensors, computers and software will enable the aircraft to track and recognize advesarys long before they are aware of the Comanche's presence, a key advantage in both the reconnaissance and attack roles.
Aided target detection and classification software will automatically scan the battlefield, identifying and prioritizing targets. The target acquisition and communications system will allow burst transmissions of data to other aircraft and command and control systems. Digital communications links will enable the crew unparalleled situational awareness, making the Comanche an integral component of the digital battlefield. The armament subsystems consist of the XM301 20mm cannon, and up to 14 Hellfire anti-tank missiles, 28 Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) anti-aircraft missiles, or 56 2.75 inch Hydra 70 air-to-ground rockets carried internally and externally. Up to four Hellfire and two Air-to-Air Stinger (ATAS) missiles can be stowed in fully-retractable weapons bays and the gun can be rotated to a stowed position when not in use. This design feature reduces both drag and radar signature.
Mission management, status, and control information is provided over the MIL-STD-1553B databus between the mission equipment packages and the Turreted Gun System. The Comanche will have enhanced maintainability through it's modular electronics architecture and built-in diagnostics.
Features:
Sensors and avionics. In the reconnaissance role, the Comanche will be equipped with a new generation of passive sensors and a fully integrated suite of displays and communications. Advance infrared (IR) sensors will have twice the range of OH-58D Kiowa Warrior and AH-64 Apache sensors. The Comanche will be equipped with the Apache Longbow fire control radar and the Helmet Integrated Display and Sight System (HIDSS). The fully integrated avionics system will allow tactical data to be overlaid onto a digital map, allowing the crew to devote more time for target detection and classification. A triple-redundant fly-by-wire system can automatically hold the helicopter in hover or in almost any other maneuver, reducing workload, allowing the pilot to concentrate on navigation and threat avoidance. A hand-on grip permits one-handed operation.
Stealth characteristics. The Comanche incorporates more low-observable stealth features than any aircraft in Army history. The Comanche radar cross-section (RCS) is less than that of a Hellfire missile. To reduce radar cross-section, weapons can be carried internally, the gun can be rotated aft and stowed within a fairing behind the turret when not in use, and the landing gear are fully-retractable. The all-composite fuselage sides are flat and canted and rounded surfaces are avoided by use of faceted turret and engine covers. The Comanche's head-on RCS is 360 times smaller than the AH-64 Apache, 250 times less than the smaller OH-58D Kiowa Warrior, and 32 times smaller than the OH-58D's mast-mounted sight. This means the Comanche will be able to approach five times closer to an enemy radar than an Apache, or four times closer than an OH-58D, without being detected.
Noise suppression. The Comanche only radiates one-half the rotor noise of current helicopters. Noise is reduced by use of a five-bladed rotor, pioneered by the successful Boeing (McDonnell Douglas) MD-500 Defender series of light utility helicopters. The fantail eliminates interaction between main rotor and tail rotor wakes. The advanced rotor design permits operation at low speed, allowing the Comanche to sneak 40% closer to a target than an Apache, without being detected by an acoustical system.
Infrared (IR) suppression. The Comanche only radiates 25% of the engine heat of current helicopters, a critical survivability design concern in a low-flying tactical scout helicopter. The Comanche is the first helicopter in which the infrared (IR) suppression system is integrated into the airframe. This innovative Sikorsky design feature provides IR suppressors that are built into the tail-boom, providing ample length for complete and efficient mixing of engine exhaust and cooling air flowing through inlets above the tail. The mixed exhaust is discharged through slots built into an inverted shelf on the sides of the tail-boom. The gases are cooled so thoroughly that a heat-seeking missile cannot find and lock-on to the Comanche.
Crew Protection. The Comanche features a crew compartment sealed for protection against chemical or biological threats, an airframe resilient against ballistic damage, enhanced crash-worthiness, and reduced susceptibility to electromagnetic interference.
Maintainability. Comanche will be easily sustained, will require fewer personnel and support equipment, and will provide a decisive battlefield capability in day, night and adverse weather operations. Comanche has been designed to be exceptionally maintainable and easily transportable. Through its keel-beam construction, numerous access panels, easily accessible line-replaceable units/modules and advanced diagnostics, the RAH-66 possesses "designed-in" maintainability. Comanche aircraft will be able to be rapidly loaded into or unloaded from any Air Force transport aircraft.
General Characteristics, RAH-66 Comanche
Manufacturer:
Boeing Sikorsky
Power Plant:
Two T800 1,440 SHP gas turbine engines
Thrust:
1,052 shaft horsepower
Length:
47.84 feet (14.58 feet)
Width:
7.58 feet (2.31 meters)
Height:
11 feet (3.35 meters)
Rotor Diameter:
39.04 feet (11.90 meters)
Weight:
9,300 pounds empty
Primary mission:
12,349 pounds w/o radar
12,784 pounds with radar
Speed:
172 knots (330 kph) dash speed
161 knots (310 kph) cruise speed
Range:
1,200 nautical miles w/o radar
860 nautical miles with radar
Crew:
Two
Armament:
Three-barrel 20 mm Gatling gun
Stinger, Starstreak or Mistral air-to-air missiles
TOW II, Hot II or Longbow Hellfire air-to-ground missiles
Sura D 81 mm, Snora 81 mm, or Hydra 70 rockets
Army Counter Air Weapon System
Date of First Flight:
1996
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David
Thu January 16, 2003 11:05pm
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M1084 Standard Cargo Truc
Function: Transport.
Description: The M1084 Standard Cargo Truck with MHE is designed to transport cargo and soldiers. The M1084 has a payload capacity of 10,000 pounds and lift capacity of 2,500 to 5,000 pounds using the on board MHE. The cargo bed side rails are hinged for the ease of loading and unloading cargo. The cargo bed can be equipped with an optional bench seat kit for transport of soldiers. The bench seats are constructed of a non-wood material and attach to the cargo bed side rails. The seats can be folded down and stowed when not in use. Soldiers are assisted climbing in and out of the cargo bed area with the aid of a ladder stowed on the vehicle when not in use. A canvas and bows kit is provided to keep soldiers and cargo protected from the elements. The M1084 can be equipped with a self-recovery winch capable of fore/aft vehicle recovery operations. The winch has 280 feet of line capacity and 15,500 pounds bare drum line pull at 110% overload.
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 8:34am
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The MH-60G's primary wart
The MH-60G's primary wartime missions are infiltration, exfiltration and resupply of special operations forces in day, night or marginal weather conditions. Other missions include combat search and rescue. The MH-60G is equipped with an all-weather radar which enables the crew to avoid inclement weather. To extend their range, Pave Hawks are equipped with a retractable in-flight refueling probe and internal auxiliary fuel tanks. Pave Hawks are equipped with a rescue hoist with a 200-foot (60.7 meters) cable and 600-pound (270 kilograms) lift capacity. All MH-60G's have an automatic flight control system to stabilize the aircraft in typical flight altitudes. They also have instrumentation and engine and rotor blade anti-ice systems for all-weather operation. The non-retractable landing gear consists of two main landing gears and a tail wheel. Aft sliding doors on each side of the troop and cargo compartment allow rapid loading and unloading. External loads can be carried on an 8,000-pound (3,600 kilograms) capacity cargo hook. Pave Hawks are equipped with folding rotor blades and a tail stabilator for shipboard operations and to ease air transportability.
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 9:42am
Rating: 8
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The C-9 is a twin-engine,
The C-9 is a twin-engine, T-tailed, medium-range, swept-wing jet aircraft used primarily for Air Mobility Command's aeromedical evacuation mission. The Nightingale is a modified version of the McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation's DC-9. It is the only aircraft in the inventory specifically designed for the movement of litter and ambulatory patients. The C-9A's airlift capability to carry 40 litter patients, 40 ambulatory and four litter patients, or various combinations thereof, provides the flexibility for Air Mobility Command's worldwide aeromedical evacuation role. A hydraulically operated folding ramp allows efficient loading and unloading of litter patients and special medical equipment.
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 12:16pm
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A 2.5 ton truck intended
A 2.5 ton truck intended for Indian earthquake relief is unloaded from a C-5 Galaxy before being loaded aboard a C-17 Globemaster for its delivery to Ahmedabad, India, Feb. 2, 2001. Delivery of tents, blankets and sleeping bags with the heavy equipment will be delivered to the international airport at Ahmedabad, India, by C-17s from McChord AFB, Wa., and intercepted by people deployed from the 633rd Air Mobility Support Squadron, Kadena AFB, Japan.
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David
Sat January 18, 2003 12:16pm
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U.S. Air Force aircrew pe
U.S. Air Force aircrew personnel work to unload a C-17 "Globemaster III" aircraft's precious cargo of humanitarian earthquake relief supplies, after arriving at the international airport in Ahmedabad, India, on Feb. 3, 2001. Members of the 7th Airlift Squadron, McChord Air Force Base, Wash., are deployed to India to provide airflow of much needed tents, blankets, sleeping bags and heavy equipment to the international airport at Ahmedabad, India.
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David
Tue March 25, 2003 7:48am
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Aviation Ordnancemen unlo
Aviation Ordnancemen unload ordnance from an F/A-18 Hornet on the flight deck aboard USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75).
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 8:19pm
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M9 9mm Pistol
Function: Semiautomatic pistol.
Description: The M9 is a lightweight, semiautomatic pistol manufactured by Beretta and designed to replace the M1911A1 .45 caliber pistol and .38 caliber revolvers. The M9 has redundant automatic safety features to help prevent unintentional discharges. It can be fired in either double or single action mode and can be unloaded without activating the trigger while the safety is in the "on" position. The M9 pistol has a 15-round magazine, and may be fired without a magazine inserted. This weapon can have the hammer lowered from the cocked, "ready to fire," position to the uncocked position without activating the trigger by placing the thumb safety on the "on" position.
Background: The 9mm Pistol Program was a Congressionally-directed Non-Developmental Initiative to standardize DoD with NATO and field one handgun for all United States armed services. Beretta of Italy was awarded a multi-year contract for delivery of over 500,000 pistols. The contract award stipulated that production of the weapon must transition from Italian to US production after two years. The US Army is the lead service in this program.
General Characteristics, M9 9mm Pistol
Builder:
Beretta and Beretta USA
Length:
8.54 inches (21.69 centimeters)
Width:
1.50 inches (3.81 centimeters)
Height:
5.51 inches (14 centimeters)
Barrel Length:
4.92 inches (12.5 centimeters)
Weight Fully Loaded:
2.55 pounds (1.16 kilograms)
Bore Diameter:
9 mm (approximately .355 inches)
Maximum Effective Range:
152.5 feet (50 meters)
Magazine Capacity:
15 rounds
Muzzle Velocity:
1200 feet (365 meters) per second
Unit Replacement Cost:
$263
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 9:38pm
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An-124 Condor
Function: High payload, long range cargo aircraft.
History: Introduced in 1982 as a long range, heavy lift cargo and troop transport aircraft, the Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO designation Condor) is currently the world's largest and heaviest payload aircraft in production in the world. Outclassing the C-5 Galaxy by nearly 20 tons in payload capacity, and the Ilyushin Il-76 by more than 100 tons, the An-124 is only exceeded in lifting ability by the special purpose An-225 Mriya (NATO designation Cossack) which was purpose built to transport the Russian space shuttle, and of which only two were built.
Currently in production at the AVIASTAR facility in Ulyanovsk and the AVIANT State Aviation Plant in Kiev, the An-124, in addition to serving with the Russian military as a long range high payload cargo aircraft capable of delivering or airdropping troops, and equipment, is also in service with a number of civilian organizations as a dedicated cargo transport. Antonov Airlines, Volga-Dniepr, and Poliot all employ the An-124, using it to transport heavy and over sized equipment such as hydraulic turbines, mobile cranes, railway locomotives, earthmovers and dump trucks, and sailing vessels. The An-124 is even capable of transporting other aircraft, ferrying partially disassembled passenger planes to customers worldwide.
To facilitate the loading and unloading of cargo, the nose section is hinged to open upwards, and the tail section is fitted with a pair of clamshell doors. Both nose and tail sections are equipped with integral loading ramps. In addition, the An-124 also employs two traveling cranes, two winches, a rollgang and tie down equipment which limit it's dependence on ground equipment for cargo handling and manipulation. The Ruslan is equipped with multi leg, self-orienting landing gear and is rough surface capable. The landing gear height can be adjusted on the ground, to facilitate loading cargo.
In addition to the An-124-100 currently in production, Air Foyle (UK) in conjunction with Antonov and Aviastar has proposed the construction of two new versions, the An-124-210, and the An-124-100M. Both versions will be equipped with Western and Russian digital instruments and displays which will reduce the crew size from 6 to 4. In addition, both will be equipped with a traffic alert collision and avoidance system, ground proximity warning system and a satellite communications system. The 210 will be outfitted with Rolls-Royce RB211-52H-T engines, while the 100M will be equipped with the Series 3 D-18 engines, produced by the Progress Design Bureau in Zaporozhe. Each of these engine upgrades will increase the Ruslan's range by 10% and reduce take off distance.
Description: Typical of most cargo aircraft, the An-124 body forms a thick oval cross-section, with a tapered aft section and rounded nose to facilitate cargo handling. The fuselage is of a twin deck design, the upper deck being the flight deck, and the lower deck serving as the cargo hold. On the flight deck are the cockpit, with stations for the six crewmembers, a relief crew compartment, and seating for an additional 88 passengers. The loadmaster's station is on the cargo deck.
The wings are mounted high on the fuselage at a negative dihedral, are tapered and swept, with a relatively high cross-section to increase efficiency and range. The four Lotarev D-18T turbofans are mounted on pylons underneath the wings. The horizontal stabilizers are also swept back and tapered, and are mounted at mid level on the fuselage, aft of the vertical stabilizer.
General Characteristics, AN-124 Condor
Power Plant:
Four D-18T turbofans (An-124-100)
Four D-18T Series 3 (An-124-100M)
Four RB211-524H-T (An-124-210)
Thrust:
229 kN (153,558 pounds)
An-124-210: 264 kN (177,027 pounds)
Length:
69.1 meters (226.4 feet)
Height:
21.08 meters (69.2 feet)
Wingspan:
73.3 meters (240.5 feet)
Cargo Hold Dimensions:
Floor length including ramps: 36.5 meters
Width at floor level: 6.4 meters
Height: 4.4 meters
Volume cargo hold: 1,270 cubic meters
Speed:
800 to 850 kmh
Cruise speed at an altitude of 9 km: 750 to 800 kmh
Ceiling:
12,000 meters (39,370 feet)
Load-Carrying Capacity:
120 tons using a 2,800 meter runway (2300 meters for An-124-210)
150 tons using a 3,000 meter runway (2500 meters for An-124-210)
Maximum Takeoff Weight:
392 tons
Range:
With maximum fuel: 13,300 kilometers (7,980 miles) (15,250 for An-124-210)
With 40-ton payload: 10,960 kilometers (6,576 miles) (12,730 for An-124-210)
With 120-ton payload: 5,030 kilometers (3,018 miles) (5,950 for An-124-210)
Crew:
Seven (An 124)
Four (An-124-100)
Four (An-124-100M)
Three (An-124-210)
Runway:
3000 meters (2,420 for An-124-210)
Takeoff run on concrete runway: 2520 meters (2,420 for An-124-210)
Landing roll on concrete runway: 900 meters
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 10:35pm
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T-AK - LASH Type Cargo Sh
Function: The lighterage aboard ships are assigned to Military Sealift Command's Prepositioning Program. SS Green Valley, SS Green Harbour, SS Austral Rainbow and MV Jeb Stuart are all stationed out of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.
History: The Green Valley was chartered by MSC in 1992. Central Gulf Lines owns and operates the Green Valley. The Austral Rainbow and Green Harbour are also owned and operated by Central Gulf Lines. The Austral Rainbow was first acquired by MSC in 1987 and has had severed successive charters with MSC. The Green Harbour was acquired in 1985. The Jeb Stuart is owned and operated by Waterman Steamship Company under contract to MSC. The Jeb Stuart was chartered in 1992.
Description: The LASH ships are capable of carrying both barges and containers. All four ships are self-sustaining, meaning they are capable of unloading themselves in areas without developed harbor infrastructure.
General Characteristics, Green Valley Class
Builders:
Avondale Shipyards
Power Plant:
Three Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 580 psi (40.8 kg/cm2); 8250F (4400C); one De Laval turbine (Westinghouse in TAFS 6); 22,000 hp (16.4MW) sustained; one shaft
Length, Overall:
820 feet (249.94 meters)
Beam:
100 feet (30.48 meters)
Displacement:
46,152 long tons (46,892.65 metric tons) full load
Speed:
16 knots (18.41 mph, 29.63 kph)
Crew:
24 civilians
General Characteristics, Austral Rainbow Class
Builders:
Avondale Shipyards
Power Plant:
Two combustion engineering boilers; 1,100 psi; two De Val turbines; 32,000 hp; one shaft
Length, Overall:
820 feet (249.94 meters)
Beam:
100 feet (30.48 meters)
Displacement:
39,277 long tons (39,907.32 metric tons) full load
Speed:
16 knots (18.41 mph, 29.63 kph)
Crew:
24 civilians
General Characteristics, Jeb Stuart Class
Builders:
Sumitomo Shipbuilding
Power Plant:
One Sulzer 9RND90 diesel; 26,000 horsepower
Length, Overall:
857 feet (261.21 meters)
Beam:
106 feet (32.31 meters)
Displacement:
66,629 long tons (67,698.27 metric tons) full load
Speed:
16 knots (18.41 mph, 29.63 kph)
Cargo Capacity:
1,191,683 cubic feet
Crew:
24 civilians
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 10:35pm
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T-AK - MV Buffalo Soldier
Function: The MV Buffalo Soldier is a Military Sealift Command Prepositioning ship, carrying U.S. Air Force cargo stationed out of Diego Garcia.
History: The Buffalo Soldier is a reflagged French Government Line ship owned by RR and VO Partnership and operated by Red River Shipping.
Description: The Buffalo Soldier is self-sustaining, meaning it can unload itself which is an asset in harbors with little or no infrastructure. Its 120-long-ton capacity roll-on/roll-off ramp accommodates tracked and wheeled vehicles of every description.
General Characteristics, Buffalo Soldier Class
Builders:
Chanters Navigation de la Ciotat
Power Plant:
Two SEMT-Pielstick 18 PC2.5 V diesels; 23,400 horsepower; one shaft; bow thruster
Length, Overall:
670 feet (204.22 meters)
Beam:
87 feet (26.52 meters)
Displacement:
40,357 long tons (41,004.65 metric tons) full load
Speed:
16 knots (18.41 mph, 29.63 kph)
Crew:
19 civilians
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David
Sat January 3, 2004 10:35pm
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T-AK - Maritime Prepositi
Function: The 13 Maritime Prepositioning Ships are part of Military Sealift Command's Prepositioning Program. They preposition U.S. Marine Corps vehicles, equipment and ammunition throughout the world.
History: The Cpl. Louis J. Hauge, Jr. Class is the original class of MPS ships chartered by Military Sealift Command. The five ships are Maersk Line ships converted by Bethlehem Steel. During conversion, the ships gained an additional 157 feet amidships and a helicopter landing pad, among other additions. The Sgt. Matej Kocak Class, the second class of MPS ships chartered by MSC, also gained 157 feet amidships and a helicopter landing platform after conversion. These ships, delivered to MSC in the mid-1980s, are National Steel and Shipbuilding, San Diego, conversion ships owned and operated by Waterman Steamship Corp. The 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo Class ships are new construction ships delivered to MSC in the mid-1980s from General Dynamics, Quincy, Mass. They are owned and operated by American Overseas Marine.
Description: The MPS ships are assigned to three Maritime Prepositioning Ship squadrons located in the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean at Diego Garcia and the Western Pacific at Guam and Saipan. The MPS ships in each squadron have sufficient equipment, supplies and ammunition to support a Marine Corps Air Ground Task Force for 30 days. The MPS ships are self-sustaining, having cranes which enable them to unload their own cargo.
General Characteristics, Cpl. Louis J. Hauge, Jr. Class
Builders:
Odense Staalskibsvaerft A/S, Lindo
Power Plant:
One Sulzer 7RND76M diesel; 16,800 horsepower; one shaft; bow thruster
Length, Overall:
755 feet (230.12 meters)
Beam:
90 feet (27.43 meters)
Displacement:
46,552 long tons (47,299.07 metric tons) full load
Speed:
17.5 knots (20.14 mph, 32.41 kph)
Crew:
32 civilians, 10 technicians
Ships:
MV Cpl. Louis J. Hauge, Jr. (ex-MV Estelle Maersk) (T-AK 3000)
MV PFC William B. Baugh (ex-MV Eleo Maersk) (T-AK 3001)
MV PFC James Anderson, Jr. (ex-MV Emma Maersk) (T-AK 3002)
MV 1st Lt. Alex Bonnyman (ex-MV Emilie Maersk) (T-AK 3003)
MV Pvt. Franklin J. Phillips (ex-Pvt. Harry Fisher, ex-MV Evelyn Maersk) (T-AK 3004)
General Characteristics, Sgt. Matej Kocak Class
Builders:
Pennsylvania SB Company, Chester, PA
Power Plant:
Two boilers; two GE turbines; 30,000 horsepower; one shaft
Length, Overall:
821 feet (250.24 meters)
Beam:
105.6 feet (32.19 meters)
Displacement:
48,754 long tons (49,536.41 metric tons) full load
Speed:
20 knots (23.02 mph, 37.05 kph)
Cargo Capacity:
Containers, 532; ro-ro, 152,236 square feet; JP-5 bbls, 20,290; DF-2 bbls, 12,355; Mogas bbls, 3,717; stable water, 2,189; cranes, two twin 50 ton and 1-30 ton gantry
Helicopters:
Platform Only
Crew:
34 civilians, 10 technicians
Ships:
MV Sgt. Matej Kocak (Ex-SS John B. Waterman) (T-AK 3005)
MV PFC Eugene A. Obregon (ex-SS Thomas Heywood) (T-AK 3006)
MV Maj. Stephen W. Pless (ex-SS Charles Carroll) (T-AK 3007)
General Characteristics, 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo Class
Builders:
General Dynamics, Quincy
Power Plant:
Two Stork-Wartsilia Werkspoor 16TM410 diesels; 27,000 horsepower sustained; one shaft, bow thruster; 1,000 horsepower
Length, Overall:
675.2 feet (205.80 meters)
Beam:
105.5 feet (32.16 meters)
Displacement:
44,330 long tons (45,041.41 metric tons) full load
Speed:
18 knots (20.71 mph, 33.33 kph)
Cargo Capacity:
Containers, 530; ro-ro, 152,185 square feet; JP-5 bbles, 20,776; DF-2 bbls, 13,334; Mogas bbls, 4,880; stable water, 2,357; cranes, one single and two twin 39 ton
Helicopters:
Platform Only
Crew:
38 civilians, 10 technicians
Ships:
MV 2nd Lt. John P. Bobo (T-AK 3008)
MV PFC Dewayne T. Williams (T-AK 3009)
MV 1st Lt. Baldomero Lopez (T-AK 3010)
MV 1st Lt. Jack Lummus (T-AK 3011)
MV Sgt. William R. Button (T-AK 3012)
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David
Thu April 15, 2004 2:05pm
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Yorktown, 14 October 1781
In the summer of 1781, ending a campaign in Virginia, Cornwallis took post at Yorktown with a force of about 8,000 men. Washington, meanwhile, guarding Clinton's main British force in New York, was joined in April by 4,000 French troops under the Comte de Rochambeau. On 14 August he learned that French Admiral De Grasse, with a powerful fleet, was sailing from the West Indies to the Chesapeake Bay. In the hope of surrounding Cornwallis by land and sea, Washington hurried southward with the main portion of the Franco-American Army, leaving only a small force to guard Clinton in New York.
The plan worked remarkably well. De Grasse arrived in the Chesapeake on 30 August, landed additional French troops, and fought an indecisive battle with the British fleet, but at its end remained in firm control of the bay as the Allied armies arrived. On 28 September these armies began siege operations, using the traditional European system of approaches by parallel trenches. In order to complete the second parallel, Washington ordered the seizure of two British redoubts near the York River. The French were assigned the first, Redoubt No. 9, and the American Light Infantry under Lt. Col. Alexander Hamilton the second, Redoubt No. 10. On the evening of 14 October, as covering fire of shot and shell arched overhead, the Americans and French moved forward. The Americans, with unloaded muskets and fixed bayonets, did not wait for sappers to clear away the abatis, as the French did, but climbed over and through the obstructions. Within ten minutes the garrison of Redoubt No. 10! was overwhelmed. The French also met with success but suffered heavier losses.
After a vain attempt to escape across the York, Cornwallis surrendered his entire force on 19 October 1781, an event that virtually assured American independence, although the final treaty of peace was not signed until 3 September 1783.
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David
Tue August 9, 2005 12:37pm
Rating: 10
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USS Ticonderoga CV 14 8 M
USS Ticonderoga CV 14 8 May 1944 1 Sep 1973
USS Ticonderoga (CV 14) off the Virginia Capes. September 1955.
displacement: 27,100 tons
length: 888 feet
beam: 93 feet; extreme width at flight deck: 147? feet
draft: 28 feet 7 inches
speed: 33 knots
complement: 3,448 crew
armament: 12 five-inch guns, 72 40mm guns
aircraft: 80+
class: Essex
The fourth Ticonderoga (CV 14) was laid down as Hancock on 1 February 1943 at Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.; renamed Ticonderoga on 1 May 1943, launched on 7 February 1944, sponsored by Miss Stephanie Sarah Pell, and commissioned at the Norfolk Navy Yard on 8 May 1944, Capt. Dixie Kiefer in command.
Ticonderoga remained at Norfolk for almost two months outfitting and embarking Air Group 89. On 26 June 1944, the carrier shaped a course for the British West Indies. She conducted air operations and drills en route and reached Port of Spain, Trinidad, on the 30th. For the next 15 days, Ticonderoga trained intensively to weld her air group and crew into an efficient wartime team. She departed the West Indies on 16 July and headed back to Norfolk where she arrived on the 22d. Eight days later, the carrier headed for Panama. She transited the canal on 4 September and steamed up the coast to San Diego the following day. On the 13th, the carrier moored at San Diego where she loaded provisions, fuel, aviation gas, and an additional 77 planes, as well as the Marine Corps aviation and defense units that went with them. On the 19th she sailed for Hawaii where she arrived five days later.
Ticonderoga remained at Pearl Harbor for almost a month. She and USS Carina (AK-74) conducted experiments in the underway transfer of aviation bombs from cargo ship to aircraft carrier. Following those tests, she conducted air operations ? day and night landing and antiaircraft defense drills ? until 18 October 1944 when she exited Pearl Harbor and headed for the western Pacific. After a brief stop at Eniwetok, Ticonderoga arrived at Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines on the 29th. There she embarked Rear Admiral A. W. Radford, Commander, Carrier Division 6, and joined Task Force (TF) 38 as a unit of Rear Admiral Frederick C. Sherman's Task Group (TG) 38.3.
The carrier sortied from Ulithi with TF 38 on 2 November. She joined the other carriers as they resumed their extended air cover for the ground forces capturing Leyte. She launched her first air strike on the morning of 5 November. The planes of her air group spent the next two days pummeling enemy shipping near Luzon and air installations on that island. Her planes bombed and strafed the airfields at Zablan, Mandaluyong, and Pasig. They also joined those of other carriers in sending the heavy cruiser Nachi to a watery resting place. In addition, Ticonderoga pilots claimed six Japanese aircraft shot down and one destroyed on the ground, as well as 23 others damaged.
Around 1600 on the 5th, the enemy retaliated by sending up a flock of planes piloted by members of the suicide corps dubbed kamikaze, or "Divine Wind," in honor of the typhoon that had destroyed a Chinese invasion fleet four centuries previously. Two of the suicide planes succeeded in slipping through the American combat air patrol and antiaircraft fire to crash into USS Lexington (CV 16). Ticonderoga emerged from that airborne banzai charge unscathed and claimed a tally of two splashes. On 6 November, the warship launched two fighter sweeps and two bombing strikes against the Luzon airfields and enemy shipping in the vicinity. Her airmen returned later that day claiming the destruction of 35 Japanese aircraft and attacks on six enemy ships in Manila Bay. After recovering her planes, the carrier retired to the east for a fueling rendezvous.
She refueled and received replacement planes on 7 November and then headed back to continue pounding enemy forces in the Philippines. Early on the morning of 11 November 1944, her planes combined with others of TF 38 to attack a Japanese reinforcement convoy, just as it was preparing to enter Ormoc Bay from the Camotes Sea. Together, the planes accounted for all the enemy transports and four of the seven escorting destroyers. On the 12th and 13th, Ticonderoga and her sisters launched strikes at Luzon airfields and docks and shipping around Manila. This raid tallied an impressive score: light cruiser Kiso, four destroyers, and seven merchant ships. At the conclusion of the raid, TF 38 retired eastward for a refueling breather. Ticonderoga and the rest of TG 38.3, however, continued east to Ulithi where they arrived on the 17th to replenish, refuel, and rearm.
On 22 November, the aircraft carrier departed Ulithi once more and steamed back toward the Philippines. Three days later, she launched air strikes on central Luzon and adjacent waters. Her pilots finished off the heavy cruiser Kumano, damaged in the Battle off Samar. Later, they attacked an enemy convoy about 15 miles southwest of Kumano's not-so-safe haven in Dasol Bay. Of this convoy, cruiser Yasoshima, a merchantman, and three landing ships went to the bottom. Ticonderoga's air group rounded out their day of destruction with an aerial rampage which cost the Japanese 15 planes shot down and 11 destroyed on the ground.
While her air group busily pounded the Japanese, Ticonderoga's ship's company also made their presence felt. Just after noon, a torpedo launched by an enemy plane broached in USS Langley's (CVL 27) wake to announce the approach of an air raid . Ticonderoga's gunners raced to their battle stations as the raiders made both conventional and suicide attacks on the task group. Her sister ship USS Essex (CV 9) erupted in flames when one of the kamikazes crashed into her. When a second suicide plane tried to finish off the stricken carrier, Ticonderoga's gunners joined those firing from other ships in cutting his approach abruptly short. That afternoon, while damage control parties dressed Essex's wounds, Ticonderoga extended her hospitality to that damaged carrier's homeless airmen as well as to USS Intrepid (CV 11) pilots in similar straits. The following day, TF 38 retired to the east.
TF 38 stood out of Ulithi again on 11 December and headed for the Philippines. Ticonderoga arrived at the launch point early in the afternoon of the 13th and sent her planes aloft to blanket Japanese airbases on Luzon while Army planes took care of those in the central Philippines. For three days, Ticonderoga airmen and their comrades wreaked havoc with a storm of destruction on enemy airfields. She withdrew on the 16th with the rest of TF 38 in search of a fueling rendezvous. While attem pting to find calmer waters in which to refuel, TF 38 steamed directly through a violent, but unheralded, typhoon. Though the storm cost Admiral Halsey's force three destroyers and over 800 lives Ticonderoga and the other carriers managed to ride it out with a minimum of damage. Having survived the tempest's fury, Ticonderoga returned to Ulithi on Christmas Eve.
Repairs occasioned by the typhoon kept TF 38 in the anchorage almost until the end of the month. The carriers did not return to sea until 30 December 1944 when they steamed north to hit Formosa and Luzon in preparation for the landings on the latter island at Lingayen Gulf. Severe weather limited the Formosa strikes on 3 and 4 January 1945 and, in all likelihood, obviated the need for them. The warships fueled at sea on the 5th. Despite rough weather on the 6th, the strikes on Luzon airfields were carried out. That day, Ticonderoga's airmen and their colleagues of the other air groups increased their score by another 32 enemy planes. January 7th brought more strikes on Luzon installations. After a fueling rendezvous on the 8th, Ticonderoga sped north at night to get into position to blanket Japanese airfields in the Ryukyus during the Lingayen assault the following morning. However, foul weather, the bugaboo of TF 38 during the winter of 1944 and 1945, forced TG 38.3 to abandon the strikes on the Ryukyu airfields and join TG 38.2 in pounding Formosa.
During the night of 9 and 10 January, TF 38 steamed boldly through the Luzon Strait and then headed generally southwest, diagonally across the South China Sea. Ticonderoga provided combat air patrol coverage on the 11th and helped to bring down four enemy planes which attempted to snoop the formation. Otherwise, the carriers and their consorts proceeded unmolested to a point some 150 to 200 miles off the coast of Indochina. There, on the 12th, they launched their approximately 850 planes and made a series of anti-shipping sweeps during which they sank a whopping 44 ships, totaling over 130,000 tons. After recovering planes in the late afternoon, the carriers moved off to the northeast. Heavy weather hindered fueling operations on the 13th and 14th, and air searches failed to turn up any tempting targets.
On 15 January 1945, fighters swept Japanese airfields on the Chinese coast while the flattops headed for a position from which to strike Hong Kong. The following morning, they launched antishipping bom bing raids and fighter sweeps of air installations. Weather prevented air operations on the 17th and again made fueling difficult. It worsened the next day and stopped replenishment operations altogether, so that they were not finally concluded until the 19th. The force then shaped a course generally northward to retransit Luzon Strait via Balintang Channel.
The three task groups of TF 38 completed their transit during the night of 20 and 21 January. The next morning, their planes hit airfields on Formosa, in the Pescadores, and at Sakishima Gunto. The good flying weather brought mixed blessings. While it allowed American flight operations to continue through the day, it also brought new gusts of the "Divine Wind." Just after noon, a single-engined Japanese plane scored a hit on USS Langley with a glide-bombing attack. Seconds later, a kamikaze swooped out of the clouds and plunged toward Ticonderoga. He crashed through her flight deck abreast of the No. Two 5-inch mount, and his bomb exploded just above her hangar deck. Several planes stowed nearby erupted into flames. Death and destruction abounded, but the ship's company fought valiantly to save the threatened carrier. Capt. Kiefer conned his ship smartly. First, he changed course to keep the wind from fanning the blaze. Then, he ordered magazines and other compartments flooded to prevent further explosions and to correct a 10-degree starboard list. Finally, he instructed the damage control party to continue flooding compartments on Ticonderoga's port side. That operation induced a 10-degree port list which neatly dumped the fire overboard! Fire-fighters and plane handlers completed the job by dousing the flames and jettisoning burning aircraft.
Wounded denizens of the deep often attract predators. Ticonderoga was no exception. The other kamikazes pounced on her like a school of sharks in a feeding frenzy. Her antiaircraft gunners struck back with desperate, but methodical, ferocity and quickly swatted three of her tormentors into the sea. A fourth plane slipped through her barrage and smashed into the carrier's starboard side near the island. His bomb set more planes on fire, riddled her flight deck, and injured or killed another 100 sailors, including Capt. Kiefer. Yet, Ticonderoga's crew refused to submit. Spared further attacks, they brought her fires completely under control not long after 1400; and Ticonderoga retired painfully.
The stricken carrier arrived at Ulithi on 24 January but remained there only long enough to move her wounded to hospital ship USS Samaritan (AH 10), to transfer her air group to USS Hancock (CV 19), and to embark passengers bound for home. Ticonderoga cleared the lagoon on 28 January and headed for the United States. The warship stopped briefly at Pearl Harbor en route to the Puget Sound Navy Yard where she arrived on 15 February 1945.
Her repairs were completed on 20 April 1945, and she cleared Puget Sound the following day for the Alameda Naval Air Station. After embarking passengers and aircraft bound for Hawaii, the carrier headed for Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 1 May. The next day, Air Group 87 came on board and, for the next week, trained in preparation for the carrier's return to combat. Ticonderoga stood out of Pearl Harbor and shaped a course for the western Pacific. En route to Ulithi, she launched her planes for what amounted to training strikes on Japanese-held Taroa in the Marshalls. On 22 May, the warship arrived in Ulithi and rejoined the Fast Carrier Task Force as an element of Rear Admiral Radford's TG 58.4.
Two days after her arrival, Ticonderoga sortied from Ulithi with TF 68 and headed north to spend the last weeks of the war in Japanese home waters. Three days out, Admiral Halsey relieved Admiral Spruance, the 5th Fleet reverted back to 3d Fleet , and TF 68 became TF 38 again for the duration. On 2 and 3 June 1945, Ticonderoga fighters struck at airfields on Kyushu in an effort to neutralize the remnants of Japanese air power ? particularly the Kamikaze Corps ? and to relieve the pressure on American forces at Okinawa. During the following two days, Ticonderoga rode out her second typhoon in less than six months and emerged relatively unscathed. She provided combat air patrol cover for the 6 June refueling rendezvous, and four of her fighter s intercepted and destroyed three Okinawa-bound kamikazes. That evening, she steamed off at high speed with TG 38.4 to conduct a fighter sweep of air-fields on southern Kyushu on the 8th. Ticonderoga's planes then joined in the aerial bombardment of Minami Daito Shima and Kita Daito Shima before the carrier headed for Leyte where she arrived on the 13th.
During the two-week rest and replenishment period she enjoyed at Leyte, Ticonderoga changed task organizations from TG 38.4 to Rear Admiral Gerald F. Bogan's TG 38.3. On 1 July, she departed Leyte with TF 38 and headed north to resume raids on Japan. Two days later, a damaged reduction gear forced her into Apra Harbor, Guam, for repairs. She remained there until the 19th when she steamed off to rejoin TF 38 and resume her role in the war against Japan. On 24 July 1945, her planes joined those of other fast carriers in striking ships in the Inland Sea and airfields at Nagoya, Osaka, and Miko. During those raids, TF 38 planes found the sad remnants of the once-mighty Japanese Fleet and bagged battleships Ise, Hyuga, and Haruna as well as an escort carrier, Kaiyo, and two heavy cruisers. On 28 July, her aircraft directed their efforts toward the Kure Naval Base, where they pounded an aircraft carrier, three cruisers, a destroyer, and a submarine. She shifted her attention to the industrial area of central Honshu on the 30th, then to northern Honshu and Hokkaido on 9 and 10 August. The latter attacks thoroughly destroyed the marshaling area for a planned airborne suicide raid on the B-29 bases in the Marianas. On the 13th and 14th, her planes returned to the Tokyo area and helped to subject the Japanese capital to another severe drubbing.
The two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6th and 9th, respectively, convinced the Japanese of the futility of continued resistance. On the morning of 16 August 1945, Ticonderoga launched another strike against Tokyo. During or just after that attack, word reached TF 38 to the effect that Japan had capitulated.
The shock of peace, though not so abrupt as that of war almost four years previously, took some getting used to. Ticonderoga and her sister ships remained on a full war footing. She continued patrols over Japanese territory and sent reconnaissance flights in search of camps containing Allied prisoners of war so that air-dropped supplies could be rushed to them. On 6 September, four days after the formal surrender ceremony on board USS Missouri (BB-63), Ticonderoga entered Tokyo Bay.
Her arrival at Tokyo ended one phase of her career and began another. She embarked homeward-bound passengers and put to sea again on the 20th. After a stop in Pearl Harbor, the carrier reached Alameda, Calif., on 5 October. She disembarked her passenge rs and unloaded cargo before heading out on the 9th to pick up another group of veterans. Ticonderoga delivered over a thousand soldiers and sailors to Tacoma, Wash., and remained there through the 28th for the Navy Day celebration. On 29 October 1945, the carrier departed Tacoma and headed back to Alameda. En route, all of the planes of Air Group 87 were transferred ashore so that the carrier could be altered to accommodate additional passengers in the "Magic-Carpet" voyages to follow. Following the completion of those modifications at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in November, the warship headed for the Philippines and arrived at Samar on 20 November. She returned to Alameda on 6 December and debarked almost 4,000 returning servicemen. The carrier made one more "Magic-Carpet" run in December 1945 and January 1946 before entering the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to prepare for inactivation. Almost a year later on 9 January 1947, Ticonderoga was placed out of commission and berthed with the Bremerton Group of the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
On 31 January 1962, Ticonderoga came out of reserve and went into reduced commission for the transit from Bremerton to New York. She departed Puget Sound on 27 February and reached New York on 1 April. Three days later, she was decommissioned at the New York Naval Shipyard to begin an extensive conversion. During the ensuing 29 months, the carrier received the numerous modifications ? steam catapults to launch jets, a new nylon barricade, a new deck-edge elevator and the latest electronic and fire control equipment-necessary for her to become an integral unit of the fleet. On 11 September 1954, Ticonderoga was recommissioned at New York, Capt. William A. Schoech in command.
In January 1955, the carrier shifted to her new home port of Norfolk, Va., where she arrived on the 6th. Over the next month, she conducted carrier qualifications with Air Group 6 in the Virginia Capes operating area. On 3 February, she stood out of Hampton Roads for shakedown near Cuba, after which she returned via Norfolk to New York for additional alterations. During the late summer, the warship resumed carrier qualifications in the Virginia capes area. After a visit to Philadelphia early in September, she participated in tests of three new planes ? the A4D-1 Skyhawk, the F4D-1 Skyray, and the F3H-2N Demon. Ticonderoga then returned to normal operations along the east coast until 4 November when she departed Mayport, Fla., and headed for Europe. She relieved USS Intrepid (CV 11) at Gibraltar 10 days later and cruised the length of the Mediterranean during the following eight months. On 2 August 1956, Ticonderoga returned to Norfolk and entered the shipyard to receive an angled flight deck and an enclosed hurricane bow.
Those modifications were completed by early 1957 and, in April, she got underway for her new home port of Alameda, Calif. She reached her destination on 30 May, underwent repairs, and finished out the summer with operations off the California coast. On 16 September, she stood out of San Francisco Bay and shaped course for the Far East. En route, she stopped at Pearl Harbor before continuing west to Yokosuka, Japan, where she arrived on 15 October. For six months, Ticonderoga cruised Oriental waters from Japan in the north to the Philippines in the south. Upon arriving at Alameda on 25 April 1958, she completed her first deployment to the western Pacific since recommissioning.
Between 1958 and 1963, Ticonderoga made four more peacetime deployments to the western Pacific. During each, she conducted training operations with other units of the 7th Fleet and made goodwill and liberty port calls throughout the Far East. Early in 1964, she began preparations for her sixth cruise to the western Pacific and, following exercises off the west coast and in the Hawaiian Islands, the carrier cleared Pearl Harbor on 4 May for what began as another peaceful tour of duty in the Far East. The first three months of that deployment brought normal operations, training and port calls. However, on 2 August, while operating in international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, USS Maddox (DD-731) reported being attacked by units of the North Vietnamese Navy. Within minutes of her receipt of the message, Ticonderoga dispatched four, rocket-armed F8E Crusaders to the destroyer's assistance. Upon arrival, the Crusaders launched Zuni rockets and strafed the North Vietnamese craft with their 20-millimeter cannons. The Ticonderoga airmen teamed up with Maddox gunners to thwart the North Vietnamese attack, leaving one boat dead in the water and damaging the other two.
Two days later, late in the evening of the 4th, Ticonderoga received urgent requests from USS Turner Joy (DD-951), by then on patrol with Maddox, for air support in resisting what the destroyer alleged to be another torpedo boat foray. The carrier again launched planes to aid the American surface ships, and Turner Joy directed them. The Navy surface and air team believed it had sunk two boats and damaged another pair. President Johnson responded with a reprisal to what he felt at the time to be two unprovoked attacks on American seapower and ordered retaliatory air strikes on selected North Vietnamese motor torpedo boat bases. On 5 August, Ticonderoga and USS Constellation (CV-46) launched 60 sorties against four bases and their supporting oil storage facilities. Those attacks reportedly resulted in the destruction of 25 PT-type boats, severe damage to the bases, and almost complete razing of the oil storage depot. For her quick reaction and successful combat actions on those three occasions, Ticonderoga received the Navy Unit Commendation.
After a return visit to Japan in September, the aircraft carrier resumed normal operations in the South China Sea until winding up the deployment late in the year. She returned to the Naval Air Station, North Island, Calif., on 15 December 1964. Follow ing post-deployment and holiday stand-down, Ticonderoga moved to the Hunter's Point Naval Shipyard on 27 January 1965 to begin a five-month overhaul. She completed repairs in June and spent the summer operating along the coast of southern California. On 28 September, the aircraft carrier put to sea for another deployment to the Orient. She spent some time in the Hawaiian Islands for an operational readiness exercise then continued on to the Far East. She reached "Dixie Station" on 5 November and immediately began combat air operations.
Ticonderoga's winter deployment of 1965 and 1966 was her first total combat tour of duty during American involvement in the Vietnam War. During her six months in the Far East, the carrier spent a total of 116 days in air operations off the coast of Vietnam dividing her time almost evenly between "Dixie" and "Yankee Stations," the carrier operating areas off South and North Vietnam, respectively. Her air group delivered over 8,000 tons of ordnance in more than 10,000 combat sorties, with a loss of 16 planes, but only five pilots. For the most part, her aircraft hit enemy installations in North Vietnam and interdicted supply routes into South Vietnam, including river-borne and coastwise junk and sampan traffic as well as roads, bridges, and trucks on land. Specifically, they claimed the destruction of 35 bridges as well as numerous warehouses, barracks, trucks, boats, and railroad cars and severe damage to a major North Vietnamese thermal power plant located at Uong Bi north of Haiphong. After a stop at Sasebo, Japan, from 25 April to 3 May 1966, the warship put to sea to return to the United States. On 13 May, she pulled into port at San Diego to end the deployment.
Following repairs she stood out of San Diego on 9 July to begin a normal round of west coast training operations. Those and similar evolutions continued until 15 October, when Ticonderoga departed San Diego, bound via Hawaii for the western Pacific. The carrier reached Yokosuka, Japan, on 30 October and remained there until 5 November when she headed south for an overnight stop at Subic Bay in the Philippines on the 10th and 11th. On the 13th, Ticonderoga arrived in the Gulf of Tonkin and began the first of three combat tours during her 1966-67 deployment. She launched 11,650 combat sorties, all against enemy targets located in North Vietnam. Again, her primary targets were logistics and communications lines and transportation facilities. For their overall efforts in the conduct of day and night strikes on enemy targets, Ticonderoga and her air group earned their second Navy Unit Commendation. She completed her final line period on 27 April 1967 and returned to Yokosuka, from which she departed again on 19 May to return to the United States. Ten days later, the carrier entered San Diego and began a month-long, post-deployment stand-down. At the beginning of July, the warship shifted to Bremerton, Wash., where she entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for two months of repairs. Upon the completion of yard work, she departed Bremerton on 6 September and steamed south to training operations off the coast of southern California.
On 28 December 1967, Ticonderoga sailed for her fourth combat deployment to the waters off the Indochinese coast. She made Yokosuka on 17 January 1968 and after two days of upkeep continued on to the Gulf of Tonkin where she arrived on station on the 26th and began combat operations. Between January and July Ticonderoga was on the line off the coast of Vietnam for five separate periods totaling 120 days of combat duty. During that time, her air wing flew just over 13,000 combat sorties against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces, most frequently in the continuing attempts to interdict the enemy lines of supply. In mid-April, following: her second line period, she made a port visit to Singapore and then, after upkeep at Subic Bay, retur ned to duty off Vietnam. On 9 July, during her fifth and final line period, Lt. Comdr. J. B. Nichols claimed Ticonderoga's first MiG kill. The carrier completed that line period and entered Subic Bay for upkeep on 25 July.
On the 27th, she headed north to Yokosuka where she spent a week for upkeep and briefings before heading back to the United States on 7 August. Ticonderoga reached San Diego on the 17th and disembarked her air group. On the 22d, she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for post-deployment repairs. She completed those repairs on 21 October 1968, conducted sea trials on the 28th and 29th, and began normal operations out of San Diego early in November. For the remainder of the year, she conducted refre sher training and carrier qualifications along the coast of southern California.
During the first month of 1969, Ticonderoga made preparations for her fifth consecutive combat deployment to the southeast Asia area. On 1 February, she cleared San Diego and headed west. After a brief stop at Pearl Harbor a week later, she continued her voyage to Yokosuka where she arrived on the 20th. The carrier departed Yokosuka on the 28th for the coast of Vietnam where she arrived on 4 March. Over the next four months, Ticonderoga served four periods on the line off Vietnam, interdi cting communist supply lines and making strikes against their positions.
During her second line period, however, her tour of duty off Vietnam came to an abrupt end on 16 April when she was shifted north to the Sea of Japan. North Korean aircraft had shot down a Navy reconnaissance plane in the area, and Ticonderoga was called upon to beef up the forces assigned to the vicinity. However, the crisis abated, and Ticonderoga entered Subic Bay on 27 April for upkeep. On 8 May 1969, she departed the Philippines to return to "Yankee Station" and resumed interdiction operations. Between her third and fourth line periods, the carrier visited Sasebo and Hong Kong.
The aircraft carrier took station off Vietnam for her last line period of the deployment on 26 June and there followed 37 more days of highly successful air sorties against enemy targets. Following that tour, she joined TF 71 in the Sea of Japan for the remainder of the deployment. Ticonderoga concluded the deployment, a highly successful one for she received her third Navy Unit Commendation for her operations during that tour of duty, when she left Subic Bay on 4 September 1969.
Ticonderoga arrived in San Diego on 18 September. After almost a month of post-deployment stand-down, she moved to the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in mid-October to begin conversion to an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) aircraft carrier. Overhaul and conversion work began on 20 October 1969, and Ticonderoga was redesignated CVS-14 on the 21st. She completed overhaul and conversion on 28 May 1970 and conducted exercises out of Long Beach for most of June. On the 26th, the new ASW support carrier entered her new home port, San Diego. During July and August, she conducted refresher training, refresher air operations, and carrier landing qualifications. The warship operated off the California coast for the remainder of the year and participated in two exercises, HUKASWEX 4-70 late in October and COMPUTEX 23-70 between 30 November and 3 December.
During the remainder of her active career, Ticonderoga made two more deployments to the Far East. Because of her change in mission, neither tour of duty included combat operations off Vietnam. Both, however, included training exercises in the Sea of Japan with ships of the Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force. The first of these two cruises also brought operations in the Indian Ocean with units of the Thai Navy and a transit of Sunda Strait during which a ceremony was held to commemorate the loss of USS Houston (CA-30) and HMAS Perth in 1942.
In between these two last deployments, she operated in the eastern Pacific and participated in the recovery of the Apollo 16 moon mission capsule and astronauts near American Samoa during April of 1972. The second deployment came in the summer of 1972, and, in addition to the training exercises in the Sea of Japan, Ticonderoga also joined ASW training operations in the South China Sea. That fall, she returned to the eastern Pacific and, in November, practiced for the recovery of Apollo 17. The next month, Ticonderoga recovered her second set of space voyagers near American Samoa. The carrier then headed back to San Diego where she arrived on 28 December.
Ticonderoga remained active for nine more months, first operating out of San Diego and then making preparations for inactivation. On 1 September 1973, the aircraft carrier was decommissioned after a board of inspection and survey found her to be unfit for further naval service. Her name was struck from the Navy list on 16 November 1973. Ther ship was disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 1 September 1975.
Ticonderoga received five battle stars during World War II and three Navy Unit Commendations, one Meritorious Unit Commendation, and 12 battle stars during the Vietnam War.
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