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Keel Laid - July 1955 Launched 06 June 1958 - New York Navy Yard , Brooklyn. Christened by Mrs. Thomas S. Gates, Wife of the Secretary of the Navy, acting as Sponsor. The fifth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name INDEPENDENCE.
COMMISSIONED
USS Independence (CVA 62) - 10 Jan. 1959 - Brooklyn, NY. *** THE COMMISSIONING *** You're Invited To The Commissioning Of The United States Navy's Newest And Largest Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE CVA-62 HOME PORTS: Norfolk, Va. 1959 * San Diego, Ca. 1988 * Yokosuka, Japan 1991 First Builders' Trials 2 February 1959 to 5 February 1959 Returned to Brooklyn to continue fitting out and to make preparations for acceptance trials. Shakedown Cuise * CVW-7 Guantanamo (Gitmo) Bay, Cuba. Port of Call - Ciudad Trujillio 30-31 May Departed 23 Apr 1959 - Returned Norfolk - 01 Jul 1959 Yard Period New York Navy Yard , Brooklyn. First Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 04 Aug 1960 - Returned 03 Mar 1961 Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 04 Aug 1961 - Returned 19 Dec 1961 Med Cruise / 6th Fleet Duty * CVW-7 Departed 19 Apr 1962 - Returned 27 Aug 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis * CVW-7 Departed 11 Oct 1962 - Returned 25 Nov 1962 Yard Period Overhaul - Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Refresher Training Guantanamo (Gitmo) Bay, Cuba. Med Cruise * CVW-7 Joint Exercise With United Kingdom & France Departed 06 Aug 1963 - Returned 04 Mar 1964 NorLant / Med Cruise * CVW-7 (NATO Teamwork) Departed 08 Sep 1964 - Returned 05 Nov 1964 Royal Order of the Bluenose Crossed Artic Circle 22 Sep 1964 Yard Period Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. WestPac / Tonkin Gulf * CVW-7 Vietnam Operations South China Sea Departed 10 May 1965 - Returned 13 Dec 1965 Polywog to Shellback Crossed Equator 21 May 1965 100 days in the South China Sea off the coast of Vietnam. Med European Operations 6th. Fleet: * CVW-7 Departed 13 Jun 1966 - Returned 01 Feb 1967 Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 30 Apr 1968 - Returned 27 Jan 1969 NorLant Cruise * CVW-7 (NATO Peace Keeper) Departed 03 Sep 1969 - Returned 09 Oct 1969 Royal Order of the Bluenose Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 23 Jun 1970 - Returned 31 Jan 1971 NorLant / Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 16 Sep 1971 - Returned 16 Mar 1972 Royal Order of the Bluenose Crossed Artic Circle 28 Sep 1971 Overhaul Portsmouth Yards Last of the 5" Guns Removed On 28 Febuary 1973 U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE CVA-62 was Re-designated U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE CV-62
May 1973, President Richard M. Nixon delivered his annual
Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 21 Jun 1973 - Returned 19 Jan 1974 Stationed off the coast of Israel, during the October, Yom Kippur War Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 19 Jul 1974 - Returned 21 Jan 1975 During The 1974 Med Cruise The INDY helped in the recovery of bodies from a TWA aiecraft that crashed in the Med. (Information provided by Robert Stailey SK3) NorLant / Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 15 Oct 1975 - Returned 05 May 1976 Royal Order of the Bluenose Med Cruise * CVW-7 Departed 31 Mar 1977 - Returned 21 Oct 1977 Yard Period Major Overhaul 1978 Med Cruise * Persian Gulf CVW-6 (Iranian Hostage Crisis) Departed 28 Jun 1979 - Returned 14 Dec 1979 SoLant / Indian Ocean / Med Cruise * CVW-6 Departed 19 Nov 1980 - Returned 10 Jun 1981 Polywog to Shellback Crossed Equator 29 Nov 1980 Crossed Equator 14 Apr 1981 Med Cruise * CVW-6 Departed 07 Jun 1982 - Returned 22 Dec 1982 The INDEPENDENCE provided critical support to the multinational peacekeeping force in Lebanon. Caribbean / Med / NorLant Cruise * CVW-6 Royal Order of the Bluenose Departed 18 Oct 1983 - Returned 11 Apr 1984 Air wing CVW-6 flew missions in support of Operation Urgent Fury in, the action to liberate the Caribbean nation of Grenada. Returning to Lebanon that same year, CVW-6 conducted air strikes against Syrian positions. Med Cruise / Indian Ocean * CVW-6 Departed 16 Oct 1984 - Returned 19 Feb 1985 Overhaul Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Apr 1985 - 06 Jun 1988 S. L. E. P. Navy Service Life Extension Program
It was fitting that the Indy should  AP Photo 06 Jun 1988 Refresher Training Guantanamo (Gitmo) Bay, Cuba. 3 weeks Followed by crew changes in Norfork before leaving for San Diego, California.
Left for new Home Port - San Diego, Ca. 1988 WestPac / Indian Ocean / North Arabian Sea / Persian Gulf (Operation Desert Shield) * CVW-14 Departed 23 Jun 1990 - Returned - 20 Dec 1990 She was the first carrier to enter the Arabian Gulf since 1974. The INDEPENDENCE remained on station for more than 90 days and permanently reestablished a U.S. Naval presence and provided ready response capabilities in the region. Moved Home Port Yokosuka, Japan 11 September 1991. Embarking CVW-5 and becoming the Navy's forward deployed aircraft carrier and Flagship For Commander, Carrier Air Wing Five. WestPac / Indian Ocean / Persian Gulf (Operation Southern Watch) * CVW-5 Departed 15 Apr 1992 - Returned - 13 Oct 1992 Polywog to Shellback * Crossed Equator 25 Apr 1992 Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. A multinational mission to monitor Iraqi compliance with the U.N. Established "no-fly zone" below the 32nd parallel. Off The Coast Of Korea * CVW-5 (Exercise Team Spirit) Departed 15 Feb 1993 - Returned - 25 Mar 1993 WestPac * CVW-5 Departed 11 May 1993 - Returned - 01 Jul 1993 WestPac / Arabian Gulf / Somalia (Operation Southern Watch) * CVW-5 Departed 17 Nov 1993 - Returned - 17 Mar 1994 WestPac * CVW-5 (Korean Crisis) Departed 19 Jul 1994 - Returned - 29 Aug 1994 
On 30 June 1995, the 36-year-old INDEPENDENCE became the WestPac / Indian Ocean / Persian Gulf (Operation Southern Watch) * CVW-5 Departed 19 Aug 1995 - Returned - 18 Nov 1995 WestPac * CVW-5 (Taiwan / China Tensions) Departed 09 Feb 1996 - Returned - 27 Mar 1996 In March 1996, routine training was extended and Indy moved to the South China Sea to monitor Chinese missile exercises off the coast of Taiwan. On 18 April 1996, President Clinton paid a visit to INDEPENDENCE as part of an official state visit to Japan. In June, INDEPENDENCE sailed to Hawaii to participate in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) '96 multinational exercise
In November 1996, INDY returned to Japan after Indian Ocean * CVW-5 (Exercise Cobra Gold) Departed 15 Feb 1997 - Returned - 10 jun 1997 This four month "SOUTHERN SWING" deployment, covering several major exercises and seven ports of call. Included in these ports of call were two historic port visits. The first was on 28 February to the island territory of Guam. Indy was the first aircraft carrier to pull into Guam in 36 years. The second, two months later, was Port Klang, Malaysia. Indy became the first aircraft carrier in the world to make a port visit to Malaysia.
Before sailing back to her home, INDEPENDENCE
Arabian Gulf * CVW-5 (Operation Southern Watch) Polywog to Shellback Departed 23 Jan 1998 - Returned - 05 Jun 1998 On 21 January 1998, the Secretary of Defense, William Cohen spoke to the crew of the Independence aboard her flight deck officially announcing the Independence's deployment to the Arabian Gulf. Cohen said Independence would relieve the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) to keep the presence of America in the Gulf as a reminder to Saddam Hussein that he needs to comply with the United Nations resolutions.
DECOMMISSIONED USS Independence (CV 62) - 30 Sep. 1998 - Bremerton, Wa. Capt. Mark R. Milliken, commanding *** THE DECOMMISSIONING *** You're Invited To The Decommissioning Of The United States Navy's Oldest Active Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. INDEPENDENCE CV-62  |
U.S.S. Independence CV-62
Rob wrote: Looks like they may be doing To Visit Rob's U.S.S. Hancock site, click here
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