Intrepid (CVS 11) - Naval Cruise Book

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4 X 1 . ' . jif lf? i fi 1 A FW' 1 A .1 Wink few . ,,.. J' . I :im l l ix lg A If ix The third INTREPID was launched on 8 October 51.1 ' - jf .X 1904, at the Mare Island fffalifornial Navy Yard, one f -'Cyl I- Q ff I ,X X I - of two 1800 ton steel sailing vessels built for the 1 F ij, 'ifgft f . Eli ' X training of Navy landsmen and apprentices which she l i rdfit i i i' 'hh is.l9,l:-7 sinwd h i ,'.. '-ff' ' did until 16 August 1907. At this time she was !! -.-L.,??f-:sly fi .: ' i f xi ii' . t tf L placed in service in San Francisco as a receiving i' .2 - 7 7133 1, H 4' ship, and later as a barracks for men of the Pacific ,gi fe ',4x1 A . . . , A ' I 41,1-, ww w 0: .E H - Fleet's F-boats. After 17 years of service, she was fi 1 . , f.,1Zflg!3 'LJ' I f g '- f..-.14 placed out of commission on 30 August 1921 and A 55 I 3' ' A231 ' 3:3 sold on 20 December of that year. lt was with remarkable prescience that the keel of the present INTREPID was laid on 1 De- cember 1941. The whole world was then at war, but the United States was not. Neither was there an immediate need for powerful new warships, but six days later, when the Japanese struck their infamous and crippling blowiat Pearl Harbor, the United States had both problems - the war and the need for new ships. lNTREPlD was an ideal solution. lNTREPID's sister ships, the LEXlNGTON KCV-161, ESSEX CCV-91 and YORKTOWN CCV-101 were already entering or preparing to enter the war. Following the formal champagne christening on 26 April 1943, the final touches were completed and lNTREPID was commissioned on 16 August 1943. Speaking to the crew after the ceremony Captain T. L. Sprague, the ship's new captain, initiated the continuance of lNTREPlD's tradition by saying . . . only in the cool courage and fearless bravery of the present crew, will the heroic and undaunted crews of the past live again. INTREPID then went to the War.

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, ,, . Origin of ' -ff I I ii Vi il fa It Z li ffl f Y X., E 1, N f L flki- if 3, f , f w fr' it i f will l. il q TX , . . . I. . . 4 X.XL if 3 .W i U X Since a ship is conceived of as a iving thing, and ' A ,ZWFFV QV seafaring men have always considered it as such, she X : if x .1Q:'Ejal5l9F' must be regarded as a product not only of the craftsmen who built her, the officers and men who man her, but of L,r'l 1 - ,,,-e s' ?'lf'3T her ancestry as well. The predecessors of a ship lend we 'psig T11 T to her the name which she bears, and around it are built 'if -'T ' fi 553' the traditions, regulations, and records which every ' Larfgjffi- L21 subsequent ship of that name must equal, if not excel. The first INTREPID, a 60-ton ketch captured from the Tripolitons during the Tripolitan War by the American schooner ENTERPRISE, was the main character of the mostbold and daring act of the age. Without a shot being fired, INTREPID, under the command of Lt. Stephan Decatur, Jr., entered Tripoli harbor, tied up to the Frigate, PHILADELPHIA, which had been captured by the Tripolitans, and within 20 minutes set the torch to PHILADELPHIA. The first lNTREPlD met her demise when called upon to enter the Bay of Tripoli once more, this time loaded with powder and explosive shells. While rescue ships waited at the mouth of the bay for the crew, there was a flash and tremendous explosion, then silence. There were no survivors. INTREPID had lived up to her name which is synonymous with fearless, bold, courageous, and undaunted. There were two more lNTREPiDs between the first gallant ship and the present one, and while they were not ships of the line, they contributed to two areas that have always stood high on the list of importance to the Navy, the research and development of new tactics, techniques, and weapons, and training. The second INTREPID was an experimental iron-built, steam, torpedo-ram commissioned in August 1874, and from that date until T6 May l892, when she was decom- missioned and sold, she steamed the Atlantic coast compiling research material for the Navy. 2 V t i N.. ' ?Q e ii ji'

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Commanding Uff Captain Charles S. Williams, Jr., became Commanding Officer of the INTREPID after serving as Commanding Officer of the USS PLATTE CAO-245. Born in San Pedro, California, Captain Williams enlisted in the Navy in September i940 and served his first tour of duty aboard the USS TENNESSEE fBB-43l. Shortly thereafter, he was selected to enter the U. S. Naval Academy and was commissioned an Ensign in June l945. For the next two years, he served aboard the cruisers USS NASHVILLE CCL-43land USS TOLEDO CCA-i33i. ln March 1949 he received his wings and was designated a Naval Aviator after completing i8 months of flight training. Subsequently, Captain Williams served in Patrol Squadron THIRTY- FOUR, Anti-submarine Squadron THIRTY, and was Commander of Anti-submarine Squadron THIRTY-FIVE and FORTY-ONE. Captain Williams served on the staff of the Commander Naval Air Force Atlantic from i954 to l956. ln i960 and l96l, he served as the personal Aide to the Chief of Naval Personnel. While serving aboard USS KEARSARGE CCV5-335 in i965 and i966 as the ship's Navigator, he was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation. He served on the staff of the Director of ASW Programs in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations from 196710 l969. Pursuing his education, he received his Master of Arts Degree from Stanford University in i959 and was graduated from the industrial College of the Armed Forces in i967. While serving as Commanding Officer ofthe USS PLATTE in i969 and l97O, he was awarded the Bronze Star for operations conducted off Vietnam. 4 . .-......-. --.- ..,A........ - ra '- .... . ., , . .., . . .. , icer Captain C.S. Williams Jr