Constellation (CV 64) - Naval Cruise Book

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The roots ofa great ship are phiiited. USS CONSTELLATION ' S 1st Birthday Octobei 28, 1962. Taiwan President C hanjj Kai ( hek (left) aboard CONSTELLATION, July 25, 1963. J t«:k MfT r ' , »« ecretai7 of Defense Casper Weinberger visits ONSTELLATION with Captain D.M. Brooks lind a Connie Sailor Februai- 10, 1982. USS CONSTELLATION in the Gulf ofTonkin, 1968. President Lyndon Johnson makes a surprise visit to CONSTELLATION, Februaiy 17, 1968. Secretai7 of Defense William Cohen visits Connie at sea, in the Persian Gulf, October 23 1999. Pm P. Findley USS CONSTELLATION docked against the San Diego night sky prior to its 20th deployment. President Ronald Reagan onboard CONSTELLATION August 20, 1981. UN Ambassador Madelline Albright with Captain R.A. Deal and Connie Sailor, September 16, 1996.

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imMmmm AMERICA ' S FLAGSHUP 40 YEARS AMERICA ' S FLAGSHIP The USS CONSTELLATION (CV-64) was built at the New York Naval shipyard and was the second ship designed in the Kitty Hawk class of aircraft carriers. Connie was commissioned on October 27, 1 96 1 , under the motto Spirit of the Old, Pride of the New. CONSTELLA- TION has been homeported at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, CA since July 1962. BATTLE TESTED In August 1 964, in the Gulf of Tonkin CONSTELLATION was immediately put to the test. Responding to North Viet- namese attacks on U.S. destroyers, CONSTELLATION launched its own attacks against North Vietnamese vessels and bases. The first of any kind against the North Vietnamese by a U.S. Warship. Over the next eight years CONSTELLA- TION would return to South China Sea for a total seven combat cruises, conduct- ing air strikes against heavily fortified North Vietnamese positions, engaging naval targets and shooting down enemy aircraft. On May 10, 1972, LT. Randy Cunninghaman and LTJG Willie DriscoU, flying off Connie ' s deck became theyirsr U.S. aces of the Vietnam War by downing three MiGs in one day and a total of five in four months. In 1980, CONSTELLATION set a new endurance mark for that time by remaining on station a record 1 10 consecutive days. During WESTPAC ' 87 CONSTELLA- TION provided vital air cover for the escort of U.S. flagged oil tankers through the Arabian Gulf On January 11,1 995, CONSTELLA- TION again entered the Persian Gulf With Carrier Air Wing TWO embarked, CONSTELLATION patrolled and en- forced the U.N. backed No-Fly zone over southern Iraq in support of OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH. The ship also conducted maritime intercept missions also in support of U.N. sanctions against Iraq. These operations continued through the 1997, 1999 and 2001 deployments. HAILED BY COMMANDER IN CHIEFS Prior to CONSTELLATION ' S fourth Western Pacific deployment in 1968 President Lyndon Johnson made a suiprise visit to the ship and visited with the crew. During the Viemam War, President Richard Nixon awarded the Presidential Unit Citation to the CONSTELLATION for its actions in Southeast Asia. In the Summer of 1981, President Ronald Reagan presented CONSTELLATION with a presidential flag and proclaimed CONSTELLATION America ' s Flagship, the official monicker used by the ship today. RETROFIT RETROSPECT In 1975, the USS CONSTELLATION . was re-designated CV from CVA following a detailed and complex overhaul that enabled the ship to deploy with the S- 3 A Viking (anti-submarine) and F- 1 4 Tomcat (fighter) aircraft. In 1982, CONSTELLATION returned to the yards, this time in Bremerton, Washing ton. Naval aviation had undergone vast changes in the past 20 years, and it was time to modernize and refurbish Connie. When Connie returned from the yards in 1984, the ship was completely new. The ship was now able to carry the Navy ' newest strike fighter, the F A- 1 8 Hornet. , The ship was also fitted with the new PHALANX radar-guided gattling gun, tw new flush deck catapults and the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System. In February 1 990, Connie underwent a $800 million Service Life Extension Pro- gram (SLEP) overhaul. Every system wa- upgraded and Connie ' s life span was extended 15 years. In 1998 the CON- STELLATION returned to Bremerton. There, the ship underwent an extensivg rehabilitation of its berthing and woric spaces, technological upgrades, repair of two shafts and a complete repainting at a cost of $80 million dollars. CONNIE Saturday October 27,2001 marked the USS CONSTELLATION ' S 40th year as commissioned battleship. In September 200 1 , Connie completed its 20 th deploy ment. During this deployment Connie held the first of its kind graduation i ceremony at sea, in the Persian Gulf in honor of 144 Sailors and Marines who earned college degrees and cerificates | through various programs offered onboar( ship. In years to come other U.S. ships will try to duplicate and maybe surpass what the ship affecfionately known as Connie has done. But, like its predece sors CONSTELLATION, will always be... the first! Let friend and foe alike know that America has the muscle to back up its words, and ships like this and men like you, are that muscle you are America ' s Flagship. -President Ronald Reagan August 20, 1 98 1.

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