"I am convinced, Our Father, that your fondest feelings are reserved for the least pretentious and most genuine of us. I am sure that Aviation Boatswain's Mates are some of your favorites. Certainly Aviation Boatswain's Mates have yet to find the virtues of humility, or soft-spokenness or gentleness. They do lead with their jaws, and they always seem to be more ready to fight than to switch. They can be singled out by their red eyes, and by a grubbiness which is a mark of their trade, but their wills match their strong backs, and their love of each other is a wondrous thing to behold. They are the salt of the deck, and the saltiness is honest and open, and they are uniquely your sons. We are grateful for them. As you love them specially, we mark them particularly tonight. Bless them every one, and forever keep them from harm and hurt. In Christ's name, Amen."
Built by New York Navy. Laid down 1 July 1955, launched 6 June 1958, commissioned 10 Jan 1959. Redesignated as a multimission carrier (CV 62) 28 February 1973. after being modified to operate ASW aircraft. SLEP at Philadelphia Navy Yard 4/1985 to mid-1988.
Replaced Midwayas forward-deployed carrier in Japan, 1991. Island was extensively enlarged during SLEP and other modernizations. Replaced by Kitty Hawk in July 1998 and decommissioned to reserve on 30 September 1998. Struck from the Navy list on 8 March 2004.
Status:Stricken, to be disposed of (Maintenance Category X).
Planned disposition:In April 2004 Navy officials identified ex-Independence as one of 24 decommissioned ships available to be sunk as artificial reefs. As of February 2008, however, she was scheduled to be dismantled in the next five years.
The below deckers are ok too, I don't care what everybody else says about ya.
Best Moment Every one of them in Japan
Worst Moment As an Airman Apprentice, I acted in accordance with the finest traditions of the Navy by showing up to Alcohol Prevention class drunk...
...20 days restriction, 20 days extra duty, 1/2 months pay forfeited
Chain of Command Started with me then went up a couple of notches until it got to the President. I'm pretty sure there wasn't anyone below me....hmmm....nope....just me down there.
Other Memories Gabbard "taking the day off" and showing up to pick up his mail
Bustria eating balut
Seymore and his true "lifer" tattoos
Helicopter crash in the water and waiting at a stetcher for surviving crewmen to come back...they never did.
Lost an Airboss to the Tailhook scandal
Watched a Marine on CNN get dragged behind a truck in Somalia until he was dead....then told we were leaving the coast of Somalia to do routine patrols in the Gulf instead of pulverize them. Bill Clinton's call. I don't get it.
We were ALWAYS underway. Out of the three years I spent on the boat, two of them were spent at sea.
