Trivia Questions (Answers @ end)
- Who said, “The greatest glory in living lies not in never failing, but in rising every time we fall.”?
- In what movie did we hear, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”?
- In what song (and who sang it) did we hear the following?
Here she comes now sayin’ Mony Mony
Shoot ’em down, turn around, come on Mony
Hey! She gives me love and I feel alright now
Listen to the audio of this blog, read by Andy Adkins. Click the “Audio” button below.
No, I’m not going away… at least not anytime soon. This week’s post is dedicated to USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), who, along with USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), recently received their final orders to transfer to Brownsville, Texas.
I know I’m a little sad for her final fate, but I’m also proud to have served aboard her in the mid-1970s.
(US Navy official photograph)
Kitty Hawk’s Rich History
Kitty Hawk saw 26 major deployments (defined as more than 2 months); six (6) of those were to Vietnam; ten (10) to the Indian Ocean. Her active duty covered the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the Global War on Terrorism. During the Vietnam War, Kitty Hawk received 31 Vietnam Service Medals (1965—1972).
Throughout her lifetime, Kitty Hawk had 497,511 arrested carrier landings and 448,301 launches (who keeps these statistics?). On August 6, 2008, she experienced the final trap and catapult launch. She pulled into San Diego the next morning for the turnover to USS George Washington (CVN-73).
During her 48 years of active duty, Kitty Hawk hosted 5 different carrier air wings: CVW-15, CVW-11, CVW-9, CVW-2, and CVW-5. I tried to find out how many different aircraft squadrons served aboard her, but wasn’t able to. Perhaps someone may enlighten me on that stat.
Kitty Hawk was the first of four supercarriers in the Kitty Hawk-class. The others following her included USS Constellation (CV-64), USS America (CV-66), and USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67).
Originally designated as CVA-63 (attack carrier), Kitty Hawk was converted to a multi-mission carrier (CV) in 1973. Anti-submarine warfare would now also serve a major role in her future deployments. She became the first Pacific Fleet carrier to carry the “CV” designation.
Kitty Hawk Statistics
- Kitty Hawk weighed about 61,000+ tons (unloaded) and about 82,000 tons (loaded). She cost about $400 million (1961). That’s about $3.5 billion today.
- As a comparison, the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) weighs about 100,000 tons (loaded). She cost about $12.8 billion (plus $4.7 billion “R&D”).
- Kitty Hawk’s keel was laid on December 27, 1956; she was launched May 21, 1960. A total of 1,241 days.
- USS Gerald R. Ford’s keel was laid on November 13, 2009; she was launched October 11, 2013. A total of 1,428 days.
- As far as I know, Kitty Hawk is the only US Navy aircraft carrier to “run over” a Russian submarine (March 21, 1984).
- Kitty Hawk served 33 commanding officers, including her first, CAPT William F. Bringle, CAPT Robert E. Kirksey & CAPT Samuel W. Hubbard, Jr. while I was aboard (’75-77), and her last, CAPT Edward P. McNamee.
My Kitty Hawk History
I reported aboard Kitty Hawk in March 1975 as an ABH-3 (Aviation Boatswain’s Mate-Handler, Third Class) after spending 15 months at NAS Agana, Guam/Crash. I was lucky enough to make the Westpac ’75 (May – Dec) cruise and experienced liberties in several different countries, including our overseas home port, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan.
During our one year “tour” in the Bremerton Shipyards in 1976, I “appreciated” my leisure time, though there was NO comparison to being at sea. I also made E-5 (ABH-2) one month before my 3-year anniversary while in the shipyards. When we returned to San Diego I had several months left of my enlistment and was fortunate enough to continue my time out on the flight deck before I departed the U.S. Navy in July 1977.
I worked with V-1 Division on the flight deck, first as a Crash crewman (during Westpac ’75), then as a Yellow Shirt director in Fly 3 after the shipyards. I loved both jobs and, like many Navy veterans, wouldn’t trade anything for those great times.
I’ve written many (MANY) blogs about my time aboard Kitty Hawk, most of them great memories. In case you’re wondering, here are my three favorite Kitty Hawk blogs:
- #68—Flight Ops: Another Fine Day in the Navy!
- #101—From the Flight Deck: Indescribable Beauty
- #40—Midrats… and other Navy Chow
Decommission Ceremony
Kitty Hawk left San Diego for the last time on Thursday, August 28, 2008, bound for its next stop: Bremerton Naval Ship Yards. The Kitty Hawk Veterans Association had worked diligently with Kitty Hawk and the Navy to get former shipmates on board for this last cruise and had been successful.
Unfortunately for me, I was stuck in Arkansas attending a trial in which I was supposed to testify as an expert witness, but never did. So I missed the chance of a lifetime to make one last cruise on her. I’m not complaining… I bought a new truck with the consulting fees I received for my work on that project.
However, 65 former crew members made the cruise, including 38 crew members who had been onboard when Kitty Hawk was originally commissioned in 1961; these guys are affectionately called “Plank Owners.”
Bremerton Shipyards
More than 2,000 former shipmates, crew members, guests, and distinguished visitors attended the January 31, 2009 decommissioning ceremony in Bremerton. I made this special trip. This was the first time I had seen her in over thirty years.
As I climbed aboard her for the ceremonies, I experienced a wide range of emotions. In July 1977, all I wanted to do was get off the carrier and get out of the Navy. Thirty-two years later, in 2009, I was happy to be aboard her one last time.
Some facts you may already know
USS Kitty Hawk was commissioned April 29, 1961 at New York Shipbuilding Corporation and decommissioned May 12, 2009; a total of 48 years & 13 days. I believe Kitty Hawk was the 3rd longest “active” serving aircraft carrier, following USS Enterprise (CV-65; 55 years & 70 days) and USS Lexington (CV-16; 48 years & 264 days).
USS Kitty Hawk was decommissioned by Captain Todd Zecchin; Captain Zecchin was also responsible during the decommissioning of USS John F. Kennedy.
As far as I know, three movies were filmed aboard (or partially aboard) Kitty Hawk:
- Seven Days in May (1964), starring Burt Lancaster & Kirk Douglas
- Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966), starring Dick Van Dyke
- The Final Countdown (1980), starring Kirk Douglas & Martin Sheen
Kitty Hawk Internet Resources
While there is a plethora of information about the Kitty Hawk on the Internet, the following is a list of resources I’ve found useful over the years. I hope they continue to help with your research.
- Kitty Hawk Veterans Association: Kitty Hawk Veterans Association with info about reunions, history, membership directory, and online “Ship Store.”
- Command Operational Reports: Ship’s Command Operational Reports through the years.
- Deck Logs: Ship’s Deck Logs through the years.
- Naval History and Heritage: USS Kitty Hawk Naval History.
- Cruise Books: Digitized Kitty Hawk Cruise Books (Westpac) through the years. Also, patches, photos, history.
- Photo Collection: U.S. National Archives. 2,184 Photos of USS Kitty Hawk through the years.
Kitty Hawk 2022 Reunion—San Diego
In this month’s Kitty Hawk Veterans Association newsletter, President Jim Melka announced the next reunion is set for the first week in June 2022 in San Diego.
The reunion is open to all Kitty Hawk Veteran Association members. For more information, either visit the KHVA website (www.kittyhawkvets.com) or contact Jim Melka directly at jfmelka@netins.net / (319) 332-1632.
A Final Word
I know a lot of Kitty Hawk veterans are sad and rightly so. The Kitty Hawk Veterans Association put a lot of time and effort attempting to establish her as a museum. But in the long run, it just wasn’t meant to be.
Both Kitty Hawk and USS John F. Kennedy are scheduled to head to Brownsville, TX to the scrapyard (International Shipbreaking Ltd./EMR), estimated to reach sometime late in the first quarter of 2022.
The Navy sold both carriers for a penny apiece. BTW—I believe all carriers were sold for a penny apiece. Part of me thinks that’s an insult; part of me thinks it should’ve been more, but what, I don’t know. I don’t have a clue as to what she might “be worth,” but I know moving the two old carriers from their present locations to Brownsville, TX will cost tens of millions of dollars and perhaps that’s the reason.
As I kid, I witnessed several old (OLD) houses in Gainesville and in Starke, Florida that were “sold” for a few dollars. But as part of the deal, the new owner had to relocate those 100-year-old houses. That was really cool watching as they moved a whole house down the street. It takes a lot of work, organization & coordination, and man power to move something so big. Not to mention the potential liabilities of towing from Bremerton (and Philadelphia for the Kennedy).
Photo credit: MC3 Jarod Hodge.
I’m somewhat partial to Kitty Hawk for lots of reasons. One, she was my home for 2½ years (’75-77). Two, there’s a strong bond between almost all Kitty Hawk veterans, whether or not we knew each other. And three, you have to admit, she has had a rich history over her 48 years in service.
For me, I choose to remember the good times I had aboard, the continuous fellowship I gain from meeting other shipmates who served aboard, and I hope others will continue to share their memories far into the future.
Until we meet again,
Andy
Answers
- Nelson Mandela.
- The Wizard of Oz (1939), Dorothy (Judy Garland).
- Mony Mony (1968), Tommy James and the Shondells; written by Bobby Bloom, Bo Gentry, Thomas Gregory Jackson, & Richard Rosenblatt.
Hey Andy, The Hawk was also used in a scene from Top Gun, and some of her crew, myself included, were used in the T.V. movie War and Remembrance. You might want to edit also, you have both the Connie and the America as CV-64, sorry the teacher/proofreader in me came out.
Dave Gross AS1.
Thanks, Dave. My wife just caught the typo, too, so I updated it.
Very nice article and source of pictures of the Hawk. I’ve been having a great time looking through them. Thank you for your efforts.
Thanks, Keith. I plan to continue writing about her… lots of great memories.
I just thought of a question about which I’ve wondered for years: On the bow of the flight deck, There are two stingers (for lack of a better description) which extend past the deck. I’m pretty sure both stingers were there while we were on WestPac75, but I have seen pictures with only one stinger, and the newer pictures with none. Can you tell me anything about this? Thanks Andy.
Timing is everything… Just last week, I inquired about the same thing. I was told the two extensions off the bow are called “horns.” They were used to catch the launch bridals in the days before us. The shuttle was the same, but the newer aircraft used a nose bar instead of a bridal. Alongside the catapult were two small tracks (one on each side) where the bridal would hook in. The idea was that the horns would catch the bridals as the aircraft launched, saving the USN lots of dollars. Some of the older ABEs mentioned that during the “transition,” they’d have to switch back & forth between different aircraft; a royal PIA. I don’t remember bridal launches on Westpac ’75.
Over the years, as there were fewer aircraft that required the launch bridle, the horns were removed one-by-one. As the Chief Photographer’s Mate in charge of the ship’s photo lab, I took the photo’s of the last horn being removed during the ship’s overhaul in Bremerton in January 1998. I’ve posted it a couple times on the Kitty Hawk Facebook page so it’s out there somewhere!
Thanks so much, Mahlon. I was curious how long they remained.
Andy,
As usual you knocked it out of the park. She had a rich history, which is all the more reason they should have released her to the Association. There are no super carriers that are museums. And those to carriers are the conventional carriers. It’s a sad time and for me very heart breaking, I had so much hope, I wrote a total of 26 letters in an attempt to get someone’s attention to no avail. It’s hard to believe that our government and the Navy in general wouldn’t want to preserve her and her history. I’ll shut up now. Thanks for all you do for all of us KH vets. See you in San Diego in June.
Thanks, Mike. Appreciate your comments and, like you, had hoped that she would become a museum. See you in San Diego.