Kitty Hawk (CV 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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acrefory of the Navy Arriving The Honorable John F. Lehman Jr., Secretary of the r4avy, embarked in Kitty Hawk as we sailed from Pearl Hartxx, Hi., on April 15th. Secretary Lehman, wtv3 is a naval flight officer and a Lieutenant Commartder in the Naval Reserve, was launched and recovered in an SH-2 Sea Sprite heli- copter and the A-6E Intruder in which he completed a weapons delivery training mission. The Kitty Hawk battle group, USS Wabash, USS Mt. Hood. USS Halsey, USS Hoel, USS Gushing, USS Leftwich, and the USS Fanning executed a pass-in-review in secretary Lehman ' s honor. WNIe onboard, secretary Lehman also received tours of operational, maintenance and weapons spaces. Secretary Lehman was also given operational brief- ings by RAdm Lawrence C. Chambers, Commander, Carrier Group Three and by Kitty Hawk Commanding Officer, Captain Foster S. Teague. Secretary Lehman took time out to address the crew of Kitty Hawk and Air Wing 15 via the ship ' s closed circuit television system. In his talk with the crew, the secretary talked about current Navy problems and initiatives, emphasizing the vital role of the carrier bot- tle group in preserving world peace. Secretary Lehman was accompanied by his wife Bar- bara wtiile on Kitty Hawk.

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iSllrpn)1 On completion of her fifth combat tour and seventh cruise in the Western Pacific, which ended on July 17, 1971, Kitty Hawk was awarded the Admiral Flotley Me- morial Award for her perfect safety record during a full deployment in the area of Southeast Asia. This record of no combat or operational losses had never been equaled by any other carrier. She also received her third award of the Navy Unit Commendation, to add to the previously awarded Presidential Citation, National De- fense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Vietnam Cam- paign Medal. America ' s involvement in Vietnam ended early in 1973, but not before Kitty Hawk received another Meritorious Unit commendation for her actions be- tween February and November 1972. Kitty Hawk recorded a total of six combat cruises to the Gulf of Tonkin. In all of them, the Hawk served her country with distinc- tion and honor. Kitty Hawk more than met the challenge and served notice to potential foes that she is a formida- ble opponent. The ship returned to a much calmer Western Pacific dur- ing her ninth deploy- ment. During the eight-month cruise, the Hawk and Air Wing 11 spent 68 days in the Indian Ocean. In peacetime, training toward the objective of oper- ational readiness was the Kitty Hawk ' s major goal on WESTPAC number 10. During the almost seven-month deployment, ending on December 15, 1975, the Hawk and Air Wing 1 1 participated in many operational exer- cises with other ships of the Seventh Fleet. Kitty Hawk arrived at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on March 12, 1976, for a complex overhaul period which lasted 12 months. Extensive modifications and modern- ization took place to complete Kitty Hawk ' s conversion to her new designation of CV-63. The overhaul cost over $100 million and consumed 10 million monhours of labor by the ship ' s crew and shipyard employees. Several key alterations made to Kitty Hawk included: The installation of the Tactical Support Center, which is an integral part of the ship ' s anti-submarine defense, the highly computerized VAST aircraft maintenance system and the NATO Sea Sparrow anti-air missile system. In addition, entensive modifications were made to enable Kitty Hawk to house the Navy ' s newest planes, the F-14 Tomcat and S-3 Viking. In October 1977, Kitty Hawk and Air Wing 1 1 began their last Western Pacific deployment together, returning to San Diego almost seven months later. On July 1, 1978, Kitty Hawk welcomed Air Wing 15 and began prepara- tions for yet another WESTPAC. On May 30, 1979, Kitty Hawk and Air Wing 15 left Son Diego for a Western Pacific deployment scheduled to end in December, which included In- dochina refugee search and assis- tance operations and Korean con- tingency oper- ations. WESTPAC ' 79 soon turned into 1980 as Kitty Hawk ' s 12th WESTPAC cruise was extended by Arabian Sea readiness oper- ations in response to the Iranian cri- sis. The ship and air wing were awarded the Navy Expidition- ary Medal for this 74-day period. Fi- nally, after nine long months over- seas, Kitty Hawk was awarded the Battle E for the second time on October 10, 1980, covering a competitive cycle running from January 1979 to August 1980. After a 13 month training and rehabilitation period, Kitty Hawk and Air Wing 15 departed on April 1, 1981 to accomplish what is recorded in this book. With the Hawk ' s air wing, composed of bomber, fighter, anti-submarine, attack and support aircraft, and exten- sive shipboard modificatioris, the Kitty Hawk is well equipped to meet the challenge of any threat to world peace. But her weapons are merely idle steel without the men who stand behind her. Kitty Hawk ' s crew and air wing are over 5,000 strong and each man plays an inte- gral part in her role as a keeper of the peace for the freedom loving peoples of the world. Since her concep- tion, the Hawk has set the standard in Naval aviation. With a proud past behind her, she continues to serve in the forefront of our nation ' s defense. And with a future just as bright, the Kitty Hawk and her Hawkmen will continue to be a powerful force for freedom. On the USS Kitty Hawk, we are forever Pressing On.

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