Kitty Hawk (CVA 63) - Naval Cruise Book

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,E-rrp 'q Wv. ' P2 fb 'E 4. fi Six? 1907-09: iii---' M Great White Fleet first armada of warships to circumnavigate globe. The most noteworthy technical advance made by the Navy during the period between 1919 and 1941 was the progress in Naval aviation. The NC-4, a large Navy flying boat, made the first transatlantic flight in May 1919, but the aircraft carrier was the principal naval development of this period. In 1922, the first aircraft carrier, USS LANGLEY, was commissioned. In the late 20's, the LEXINGTON and the SARATOGA were commissioned. These were fol- lowed in the 30's by the RANGER, YORKTOWN and ENTERPRISE. Then in 1940-41, WASP and HORNET were added to the fleet. On 7 December 1941, came a treacherous attack on the U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor, the Naval Base and airfields in the vicinity. United States losses were heavy, sunk were 6 ships, 4 of them battleshipsg 11 other ships were damaged, dead were 2004 Navymen, 109 Marines and 228 Armyg wounded, 912 Navy, 75 Marines and 360 Army. Five of the ships sunk were raised and repaired. The ARIZONA, which was completely wrecked by a magazine explosion, with a loss of 1102 lives, has been enshrined at Pearl Harbor as a memorial to all servicemen who lost their lives on 7 December 1941. From that point, it was an uphill struggle, but the U.S. Navy began moving forward until victory was finally achieved. The first fruits were tasted five months later at Battle of the CoralxSea and a few weeks of that, at the Battle of Midway. During these difficult years the proud battleships were joined by other instruments of seapower. For the first time in history, fleets used carrier aircraft to attack each other without actuallycoming in sight of one another. The largest battleship afloat, the Iapanese dreadnought YAMATO, perhaps symbolized the coming final defeat of the enemy when she was destroyed by the planes of the U.S. Navy's air arm. The Navy's submarine force, on the other hand, accounted for the destruction of over 'five million tons of .enemy ships in the years of World War II. The island-hopping campaigns, too, gave rise to the superiority of yet another tactic employed during World War II, the use of huge amphibious forces to land troops at an enemy's doorstep. D c . . In this two-ocean war, the U.S. Navy had its hands full. In the Atlantic, it 10111Bd with the British Navy in first containing and then destroying the submarine menace which came close to completely cutting off Europe from America s war production capability -5 ffl g' LL! .ff-fr - fi 1 nyc .ff .412 v i Z liwsggz Q- !f WX IHA lx Q 2 45 Q 'I fair- ' ff X i f '1 fWL Zeer 4 P l Harbor Hawaii 1941 Iapan bombs U S fleet and naval base at ear . . . A I ,I-----..-,.-.. 'N an as 5 ' A g, j U --T- F 1 , . -- lasvfgcrgrfgf-T . X 42 gf' .. ,-. - ffsyf' ,,,-ff-f 1 - ff. , Mi, 3, . ,f- fs . . ,Ie 9 . if ' W A ' an . 41 - 0 1--'T' ' 0 , 1 , , ff n -. f if-, , 1 . ' , ,- - 'Z-AQ? 1. Q - 1 ' . - -ff' V. P '- fri , ef I fr ig.-ff . . v - , , n - - . fzfin- ,M Q-1-1, . u I 4 .,-L ,la-,. -P ,JLG A , r.4,,- ,tg 4 . - A 'Hy ' I 'S ff-ff?-f -4.54512 ' ,139 71 K l Nl' I' I E7 .4 11-V 1 19244527-:Q '41, '.f+ - fy 91-an Z ..f' , .y - - .,,' ,Q- g. -ik.. . -' MP'-04.4 .w ' 4 - IQ ' 51' : -,K ..'. .2 ,- '-' faf sf-1 .-4' ' ' x A ' ! ' . -J - ,. , - A - I .0 1 .I .- . 15 f ...........-, .,, -. . ., v.,, . , Qi.. It -4 . . ' :.-g..,,Al' 'L . Qrjkf f e-1 r .-P' Q at x, 5, 1-. 1' li f tQr.,. 41314--' ' f 4 4 I .' X ll' -1' . -'H A . .6 'LL , M I T 4 4 ly V 1' Kfeffxx l ' . . -f :4ff9Z'5Ba ' 4-4 ' 311561. ' ' -'i'f??-fz-1.55523 i'- .' f 7 1 ' -' 1 ,yi -- . 1 -llu- 'd-n-'j:',.. 4- Ny.. I .- n 1, -' I X I , C. ,-2.22,-f F ' I I If 'A' 1-5:71, '14, S I ' K - . . f I- - -- ' '- .-: - - - I I 4? f jf: - .441 '. f 1- .ff - .. rue' il I 4 : s 1 . , - 1 ,. - ' 'r ...- M fr . 5 H .l

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n- K , 'Y'-8 v is i-N,-Y We - I? K--Q, 3 Y 1 -414 T' -lt, .-,,.,..... J,j LJ '-' . -x lb - 1882: First battle between ironclad warships U.S.S. Monitor and G.S.S. Virginia. The Naval history of the Civil War vividly portrays the employment of sea forces against an enemy economically dependent on shipping. The Confederate States were a consolidated land power possessing many sea and river ports. affording access to world commerce which they vitally needed. War imports were denied them by an effective Union blockade. The spectacular Confederate achievements were accomplish- ed with sboestring resources which were soon expended. 'I'he most famous Naval battle of the war was significant as a preview of things to come. lt has been said that probably no naval conflict in the history of the world attracted so much attention as did the battle between the USS MONITOR and the CSS VIRGINIA lex-USS MERRIMACJ Fighting the first action of its kind in history, ironclads conclusively demonstrated the superiority of metal over wood. The futility of the long and furious cannonade. contrasted with the outstanding victories of the VIRGINIA over unarmored ships such as the CUMBERLAND and the CON- GRESS on the previous day. made the battle a significant step in the development of the warship. The climactic incident that set off the Spanish-American War was the sinking of USS MAINE. in Havana Harbor. Cubs. killing 250 officers and men. It was evident from the first that the war would be primarily naval and would be decided in favor of the nation able to establish control of the seas. Shortly after the war began. a fleet under Commodore George Dewey entered Manila Bay in the Philippines and destroyed the Spanish fleet. It was at the beginning of this battle that Dewey gave his famous order. You may fire when you are ready. Gridley. ln a bold stroke of peaceful strategy. President Theodore Roosevelt sent the Fleet on a world cruise. In late 1907. 16 battleships, with other ships, popularly known as the Great White Fleet. left Hampton Roads. Virginia. visited a number of South American ports. stopped at San Francisco and then set course for Australia and the Orient. arriving at Yokohama in October 1908. The Navy was given the most cordial reception ever accorded a visiting fleet. This dramatic expression of U.S. purpose and power impressed the world. Talk of war disappeared. A powerful Navy gave Roosevelt the opportunity of carrying out his policy of speaking softly and carrying a big stick. Most of the Navy's action in.World War l was performed by cruisers. destroyers and subchssers as they tracked down German submarines and protected convoys. ww. L-1.2 MIN- s are-1-v . 'fb 'L -: --,-,,.ff 5xv,A , -Q Nflx, ,I-f-3311-:l?ff ,Q Q 5- 1898: Commodore George Dewey destroys Spanish fleet in Manila Bay. -

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The closing days of that global conflict ushered in the dawn of yet another age for man - the atcmic age. with all its consequences and its potential for advancement for mankind. ln lune of 1950 the Communists attacked South Korea. and the United Nations authorized forces. under U.S. Leadership. to repel them. Suddenly those who had been calling the Navy obsolete and trying to absorb the Marines into the Army had to come to the Navy and the Marines for help. Again the classic values of seapower were demonstrated. Electrifying indeed was the message flashed by the world's first nuclear submarine. USS NAUTILUS. on 17 lanuary 1955: Underway on nuclear power. The message would have the same impact as another one would have some 14 years later when man Hrst stepped upon the surface of the moon. The first USS KITTY HAWK, a 14,000 ton, 478 ft. aircraft transport, was acquired by the Navy in lune 1941. Originally a commercial vessel. she was converted to become the Navy's first aircraft transport ship IAPV-11. Her classification was changed to AKV-1 in late 1943. Her career ended on 26 Ianuary 1946. when she was decommissioned and returned to her former owners. The USS KITTY HAWK ICV-631 became part of Navy history when it was com- missioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 29 April 1961. Named for the historic location in North Carolina. where Orville and Wilbur Wright first achieved manned flight, KITTY HAWK was constructed by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation. At the time. she was the largest ship in the world and still maintains Impressive statistics: from bow to stern 1069 ft.. her flight deck encompasses 4.1 acres. fully armed she displaces more than 80,000 tons and from the waterline to the bridge is 98 feet. Soon after her commissioning, KITTY HAWK sailed around Cape Horn and entered her new homeport of San Diego on 1 November 1961. During her first few days more than twenty-thousand people visited her decks and spaces. For fourteen years. KITTY HAWK has performed outstandingly through exercises and operations. in peacetime and in some of the more difficult periods in our country's history. Beginning in late 1965, KITI'Y HAWK has made six combat West- pac deployments during the Vietnam conflict and performed with consistent distinction. Numerous air decorations were earned' by Air Wing ELEVEN and in 1969 KITTY HAWK was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by Lyndon B. lohnson in recognition of her performance during 1967-68. This was the first time the PUC was awarded for service in Vietnam. The KITI'Y HAWK still performs all her assigned missions in a superb manner. In 1973. KITTY HAWK departed on her first peacetime cruise in eight years and entertained the Shah of Iran in the Gulf of Oman. Whether in war or in peace the KITTY HAWK's role in seapower is an important one. lohn F. Kennedy. the late President. while aboard the KITTY HAWK on 6 Iune 1963 summed up Seapower. The events of October 1962 indicated, as they have all through history. that control of the seas can mean peace. Control of the seas can mean victory. The United States must control the seas if it is to protect our security. , ,J 5 -.-nf'