America (CV 66) - Naval Cruise Book

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F-18 . . . traps aboard AMERICA On 10 June, 1977, the ship led a five-ship task group that deployed to South America. During this five-week period, AMERICA and other ships of the task group conducted exer- cises with units of the Brazilian Navy. This marked the first time in history that Brazilian aircraft operated from the deck of an American carrier. September 29, 1977, saw AMERICA leaving Norfolk for her sixth Mediterranean deployment. The cruise included intensive flight operations, participation in the annual NATO National Week XXI fleet exercises and port visits to Italy, Spain and Yugoslavia. AMERICA returned to her Nor- folk homeport in late April, 1978. After a three month overhaul period and pre-deployment training. AMERICA again embarked Carrier Air Wing Elev- en, a west coast air wing, and departed Norfolk on her tenth extended deployment in March of 1979. She conducted oper- ations with assets of the Sixth Fleet and NATO, and returned to Norfolk in September, 1979. Shortly after returning. AMERICA conducted initial carrier qualifications for the F A-18 Hornet. In November, 1979, AMERICA once again steamed into the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for an extensive overhaul peri- od. This overhaul lasted more than eleven months and cost over three hundred million dollars. Installation of new com- bat equipment and overhaul of the engineering plant was paramount. Some of the major installations included the NATO Sea Sparrow Missle System, PHALANX Close In Weapons system. Tactical Flag Command Center and a so- phisticated Carrier Air Traffic Control and Display system. Naval aviation history was made aboard AMERICA on 14 January, 1981. Ensign Brenda Robinson, USNR, piloting a C-IA carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft, became the first black female aviator to become carrier qualified. After a series of qualification landings. Ensign Robinson made an arrested landing on the flight deck and received congratula- tions from the Commanding Officer, Captain Rene W. Leeds, USN. After successful type training in the Carribbean and an outstanding performance during the Operational Readiness Exam, AMERICA made final preparations for her eleventh deployment; her first dedicated to Indian Ocean operations.

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In July, 1971, after a six month overhaul, upkeep and train- ing period, AMERICA left Norfolk for a third Mediterranean deployment. A particular emphasis of this cruise was joint operations with allied navies. These exercises were particu- larly successful and the ship ' s aircraft safety record was accident-free. AMERICA returned in December, 1971 and six months later was en route to her third combat deployment to South- east Asia. She was one of four aircraft carriers on Yankee Station the day that the Viet Nam Peace Agreement went into effect. AMERICA returned to Norfolk on 24 March, 1973, within one week of the final prisoner of war release and after nearly 300 days away from homeport. AMERICA was awarded her second Meritorious Unit Commendation during this cruise. After a maintenance, upkeep and pre-deployment period, AMERICA sailed on her fourth deployment to the Mediterra- nean in early January, 1974. The ship was delayed from returning due to the deteriorating political situation in Cy- prus. She finally arrived in Norfolk on 3 August, 1974, after completing more than 8,600 launches without an accident. After a brief period of leave and upkeep in Norfolk, AMERICA returned to sea on 6 September, 1974, to partici- pate in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) exer- cise Northern Merger . Naval and shore units from nine of the NATO countries participated in the two-week exercises which included a port visit to Portsmouth, England. Following an 11 month shipyard period, AMERICA em- barked on her fifth Mediterranean deployment on 15 April, 1976. An early accomplishment of this deployment was the aid provided by the ship in the evacuation of America and foreign nationals during the civil conflict in Lebanon. Re- turning from this deployment in October, 1976, AMERICA spent a three-month shipyard period in Portsmouth, Virginia. Above: Miss America USO show aboard AMERICA. 1970. Left: The crew of Miss AMERICA congratulates each other after making the 66,000th trip on AMERICA. 23

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Left: F A-18 Hornet . . . initial sea trials aboard AMERICA, October, 1979. Top: AMERICA NIMITZ at Pier 12 . . . Between major deployments, March, 1977. Above: Shirley Cothran. Miss America, 1975 . . . rededicates AMERICA ' S CIA Miss AMERICA . 25