Constellation (CV 64) - Naval Cruise Book

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gli. .I 1 5? . x.- 3 'E 2-.-1' wx 1 6 , -. --V 'Qu-Irv-f ' ' - . - -1-.wwf-xv-vvkv-fy-4-vw' , Y,--4 - .M - f-Jai . 3, -27275--Lic. U I H .f ,f If :I .X ,A ,L X R, . f kr' vm 2 1 2 1 fa! if ffm fi? ., -7 7' f e f 4 F 'i N .gf few 1'5 . .- J' J 1 ,ff Q 'cr V ,I dj if yi X IFJ Qi,-171 M' U , J v 7 , , My V, ff if strikes against North Vietnamese vessels and bases. Over the next eight years, Constellation would return to the South China Sea for a total of seven combat cruises, conducting air strikes against heavily fortified North Vietnamese positions, engaging naval targets and shooting down enemy aircraft. In 1968 President Lyndon Johnson made a sur- prise visit prior to Connie's fourth deployment to the Western Pacific CWestPacJ. In November, Connie pilots flew the last strike missions into North Vietnam prior to a bombing halt declaration. In May 1972, LT Randy Cunning- ham and LTJ G Willie Driscoll of Fighter Attack Squadron 96 became America's first fighter aces of the Vietnam War by downing three MIGS during vicious dog fighting over North4Vietnam. The extra- .if ordinary effort brought their total to five if enemy aircraft in four months. For her actions in Southeast Asia, Constellation was awarded the Presi- dential Unit Citation by President Richard Nixon. I In 1975 Connie was redesignated CV from CVA following a complex overhaul to the flight deck, enabling her to deploy with the S-3A Viking Canti- submarinel and F-14 Tomcat Cfighterl aircraft. I A newly refurbished Connie began her 10th deployment in April 1977, which ' if ' - ' L5 f rb7-is-nf,--J' -.-P Y - . - .11 ' w..,M,..u.m--..,..,. ,., 1 .1 Above: Constellation's Commanding Officer T.J. Walker stands by anxiously as Mrs. Christian A. Herter christens the Connie on October 27th, 1961. ' Below: After being commissioned, on October 27 th 1961 the Connie prepares to set sail for its new homeport of Naval Air Station CNASJ North Island San Diego, CA.. included the first port call by a U.S. carrier to Pattaya, Thailand. In September 1978, Connie sailed west once again on her 11th overseas deployment. The ship was extended on station in the Arabian Gulf because of the Iranian hostage crisis. Her service earned her the Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. While on her 12th deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, Constellation set a new endurance record for that time by remaining on station for 110 consecutive days. In the summer of 1981, Connie hosted President up i..,.,,,W,,MW X .-afaH'v,'wv-ffm 4l..'1., 112611 7' ,KM 1+ .......-1--, N

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In 1894, Constellation became a training ship for the Naval Training Center in Newport, R.I. In addition to being used extensively as a training ship for Naval Academy midshipmen, she also helped train more than 60,000 recruits during World War I. Decommissioned in 1933, Constellation was recommissioned as a national symbol on August 24, 1940 by President Franklin Roosevelt. Shortly after the country's entry into World War II, she became the flag- ship for Admiral Ernest J. King and Admiral Royal Ingersoll. The treasured warship was decommissioned in February 1955 and was taken home to her perma- nent berth in Baltimore Harbor. Now a national Historic Landmark, she is the last existing Civil War era naval vessel and the last sail-powered warship built by the U.S. Navy. Ironically, just as the aircraft carrier USS Constellation CCV 645 was beginning her 19th overseas deployment, the U.S. Sloop of War Constellation com- pleted a S9-million restoration project in July 1999. The restoration will allow a new generation of Amer- icans to learn about the important role Constellation had in our nation's history. ' Like her famous namesakes, USS Constellation CCV 641 has a proud and distinguished record. Connie, as her crew affectionately calls her, has almost 38 years of service, which has seen her sail into harm's way from Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam to the turbulent waters of the Arabian Gulf. Built at the New York Naval Shipyard as the second ship in the Kitty Hawk class of aircraft car riers, Connie was commissioned on October 27, 1961, under the motto Spirit of the Old, Pride of the New. She has been homeported at Naval Air Station North Island 0 in San Diego since July 1962. Just like the original Constellation, America's newest and best Navy ship was immediately put to the test. In response to North Vietnamese attacks on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1964, Constellation departed from a scheduled port visit to Hong Kong and was the first U.S. warship to launch i Above: l Construction workers work feverishly on the Connieis flight deck. Below: The belly of the ship under construction at the New York Naval ' Shipyard in 1959. Total cost for building Connie was 400 million in 1961. Above far left: The Frigate USS Constellation, one of the first ships ever built for the U.S. Navy sails toward its new homeport, Baltimore Harbor in february 1955. X

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Ronald Reagan. It turned out to be a watershed moment in the carrier's illustrious history. Reagan presented a Presidential Flag to the ship and pro- claimed Constellation as America 's Flagship - a new shipls motto which is used to this day. In 1982, Constellation returned to the yards, this time in Bremerton, Wash. Naval aviation had under- gone vast changes since 1961, and when Connie came out of the yards in 1984 two weeks early and under budget, it was completely modernized. One facet of the shipis upgrade was the ability to carry the Navy's newest strike fighter, the FIA-18 Hornet. She was also fitted with the new PHALANX radar-guided gatling gun, two new flush deck catapults and the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System. Above: TT Newly commissioned Constellation steams under the Brooklyn Bridge in New York Harbor in 1961. Below: During WestPac 1987, Constellation once again found itself in the spotlight, this time providing vital air cover for the escort of U.S. flagged oil tankers through the Arabian Gulf. In February 1990, Con- stellation left San Diego, return- ing to the East Coast for a three- year overhaul. The S800-million Service Life Extension Program CSLEPJ, completed in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in March 1993, added an estimated 15 years to the carrier's operational life. The overhaul saw upgrades to virtually every system on the ship. For almost 200 years, Constellation has traveled the worlds oceans representing Americais interests. Whether it was from the cannons of the Yankee Racehorsei' or from the aircraft of Americas Flagship, i' Constellation has always been first to answer our nation's call. And just as thousands of Sailors have done before, today's Sailors will continue to protect freedom around the globe and add to Constellation's stellar history. Let friend and foe alike know that America has the muscle to back up its words, and shqzs like this and men like you are that muscle you are America's Flagship. - President Ronald Reagan to the crew of Constellation of the coast of Caldornia, August 20, 1981. I Today Connie is a superior warship as it was when it first commissioned nearly 40 years ago. Although it's been through major changes over the years, reconstruction has made it compatible for the future. The one thing that has never changed is the pride and the professionalism of Connieis crew. . C' 7