Independence (CV 62) - Naval Cruise Book

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5 sf The INDEPENDENCE we know today was commissioned CVA-62 on January 10, 1959 at the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard. The HonorableThomas S. Gates, Secretary of the Navy, presided over the ceremony. In 1962, she took part in the naval 5 blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis. 'f In 1965, INDEPENDENCE saw her first action off the coast of Vietnam. During this deployment, the A-6 Intruder was used m combat for the first time In 1983 INDEPENDENCE participated in OP ERATION URGENT FURY, the assault of Grenada After th1s,she steamed for the Mediterranean Sea where her aircraft saw action agamst Syrian targets m Leba non In 1988 after completing the Service DE C S PV Life Extension Program she reported toa new homeport m San Diego Cahforma In July 1990 INDEPENDENCE departed on her first Westem Pacific! Indlan Ocean deployment. While performing exercises m the North Arabian Sea INDEPENDENCE was called upon to deter Iraqi aggression agamst the nation of Kuwait durmg OPERATION DESERT SHIELD On October 2 1990 INDEPENDENCE be V . 4' 1. 1 I J' carrier smce 1974 to en ter the Arablan Gulf She remained on station for more than 90 con secutlve days as the Umted States defender of freedom 10 INDEPENDENCE HISTORY Y Sr ' I ,W 1 . - ',5.d..,a Mtv- ' , 'fl r o o 0 l A ' ' ' Ji ' - l VTE, 0 , y 4 o u E V I I I O 1 A 0 ' O O 2 9 t Before her1959 commissioning, INDEPEN N Ein the Brooklyn Naval ni ard. ' ' , I I O I 9 o 2 . 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 I , I U O I O E . l 9 9 0 I X ' !! ' 144 came the first aircraft , eee A . 9 4- - ' gig? U, n 'X 1, 0 5 r I it V ,I I V 'v 1' S' ffl ' th if A FF ' 1 'f I O - October 3, 1959 marked the lirst change of command ceremon on board INDEPENDENCE.

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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

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INDEPENDENCE changed homeports again on September 11, 1991 - - this time toYokosuka, Japan, embarking CarrierAir Wing FIVE and becoming the Navy's only forward deployed aircraft carrier and flagship for Commander, Carrier Group FIVE. The ship again deployed to the Ara- bian Gulf in mid-1992 and started the SDUTHERN WATCH operation, a mul- tinational mission to monitor Iraqi com- pliance with the U.N.-established no-fly zone south of the 32nd parallel. 0nAugust 27, 1992, aircraft from embarked carrierAir Wing FIVE began flying round-the-clock missions in support of the operation. CAPTR.Y.McElroy,INDEPENDENCE'sflrstcommanding officer from January 10 - October 3, 1959. The only alrcraft carrier to participate twice in OPERATION SOUTHERN WATCH, INDEPENDENCE ls shown underway In th In March 1994, the I-5 Team of INDEPENDENCE and CarrierAir Wing FIVE returned to Japan after successfully completing another deployment to the Arabian Gulf in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Today, more than thirty-five years since INDEPENDENCE's commis- sioning, she continues to stand in defiance of tyranny, in defense of life, liberty, and our nation's happiness -- all while being 35 Iiears Young. INDEPENDENCE HISTORY 11