Independence (CVA 62) - Naval Cruise Book

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ii-7 INDEPENDENCE planes blasted Wake Island and Rabaul in October and then joined Admiral Raymond Spruance's air and amphibious forces off Tarawa. On November 20, 1943, the INDEPENDENCE was attacked by Japanese torpedo bombers. Six of the attackers were destroyed, but the ship was hit by three torpedoes. Two of them were duds, but the third exploded in the after mess deck The INDEPENDENCE withdrew under her own power, and returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs, and by July 1944, she was ready for action as the first carrier with an entire air group especially trained for night operations. Following many successful night sorties on Japanese held islands from July 1944, to March 1945, the INDEPENDENCE was ready for her final wartime cruise. She again took aboard a new air group, survivors of the PRINCETON and set out for Japanese home waters. During July and August, Honshu and Hokkaido were attacked. When the Japanese gave up in mid-August, INDEPENDENCE pilots flew surveillance sorties over Japan, and covered . the occupation landings. Shortly thereafter, INDEPENDENCE began Magic Carpet runs returning servicemen to the U.S. In two years of war, this fighting 'ship won eight battle stars. Used as a target vessel in Bikini tests, INDEPENDENCE, dama ed and radioactive, was sunk off the coast of California 8 in weapons tests, and her name was stricken from the Navy lists in February of 1951. TOKYO BAY BIKINI .... The heavy attack carrier USS INDEPENDENCE CCVA 621 was constructed at the New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York, 'and is the fifth United States vessel so named. The latest INDEPENDENCE, one of the world's largest warships, was built at a cost of S200 million. Her keel was laid in July 1955, and the christening of the ship took place June 6, 1958, with Mrs. Thomas S. Gates, wife of the then Secretary of the Navy, acting as sponsor. Commissioning deremonies took place on 10 January 1959, with Admiral Arleigh Burke, USN, Chief of Naval Opera- tions, as the principal speaker. On February 2, 1959 USS INDEPENDENCE left her berth at the New York Naval Shipyard for her first builders' trials, returning on 5. February to con- tinue fitting out and making preparations for acceptance trials, and the naval yard's work, except for a few minor details, was completed. Arriving in Norfolk in mid-April she took on supplies and ammo. A week later, on the 23rd, she was underway for the Caribbean. After completing eight weeks of shakedown train- ing under the Fleet Training Command, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she left for home arriving there on the first of July. p The Mighty I makes history

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responsibility is sacrifice and defense BOSTUN MARCUS ISLAND PHILLIPINE SEA

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L e l I -.1 Jul , 1955 Rear Admiral Cowdrey hammers the name plate into place . . . the 5th INDEPEN- DENCE is born. The keel plate is lowered