Independence (CV 62) - Naval Cruise Book

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I 1 P 1 We hold these truths Q to be seb' evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by thezr Creator wzth certatn ln alzenable rtghts In defiance of tyranny our natzon was born In defense of ly'e, ltberty and that nattons s happzness INDEPENDENCE a name that stands for our very way of lqfe wzth INDEPENDENCE and freedom go responszbzlzty, zndzvzdual and collectlve p t d f th f' HNDEPENDENCE QCVA 621 b l s INDEPENDENCE HISTORY 4 . , . we must never take this for granted 1 ' cruiseb k I I

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'H-V ' .- kyn' L- . I DEPENDEN C E The mere Wd ' evokes thoughts of freedom, integrity and individuality. To us, the crew of this warship, INDEPENDENCE has been home, protector, maintainer, and above all -- the symbol of power and liberty which makes our nation the most powerful and respected in the world. But the INDEPENDENCE story does not begin on this deployment. Her service and that of her predecessorsareasmuchapartofthenations fabric as the ideals of her name. The first INDEPENDENCE was a 10- glmoontinental sloop under the command of Captain John Young. The second INDE- PENDENCE was lalmched in 1814, and in addition to serving during the Mexican- American Wal, this 74-gtm frigate was the flagshipforCommodoneBainbridge'sMedi- terranean Squadron. In 1912, another IN- DEPENDENCE wascormnissioned and op- erated as part of the Naval Overseas Trans- portation Service. The fourth INDEPENDENCE, the first of several aircraft carriers to be converted from cruiser hulls, was latmched in 1942. She fought in various actions throughout the Pacific Ocean, including the Marcus Islands,Wake and Raboul. At Tarawa, INDEPENDENCE was hit by three torpedoes, but she managed to withdraw under her own powen Returning in 1944, she saw action in repatriating the Republic ofthe Philippines.Aircraft from her deck also fought over Okinawa and made attacks on the Japanese homeland. Overall, she earned eight battle stars for her operations in the Pacific. Following the war she was assigned as an atomic test ship at Bikini Atoll. Damaged but not sunk, she retLu'ned to San Francisco where she was sunk off the coast of California in a special test in 1951. INDEPENDENCE HISTORY 9 E