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USS Constellation (CV 64), now
decommissioned - San Diego, California - September 2003
decommissioning ceremony - NAS North
Island, California - August 7, 2003
decommissioning ceremony - NAS North
Island, California - August 7, 2003
decommissioning ceremony - NAS North
Island, California - August 7, 2003
NAS North Island, California - June 2003
final homecoming at NAS North Island,
California - June 2, 2003
final homecoming at NAS North Island,
California - June 2003
final homecoming at NAS North Island,
California - June 2003
final homecoming at NAS North Island,
California - June 2003
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - May 2003
with CVW-2 embarked - Perth, Australia -
April 2003
with CVW-2 embarked - April 2003
with CVW-2 embarked and USS Kitty Hawk
(CV 63) in the background - Arabian Gulf - April 2003
with CVW-2 embarked - Arabian Gulf -
April 2003
Arabian Gulf - April 2003
Arabian Gulf - March 2003
Arabian Gulf - March 2003
Arabian Gulf - March 2003
with CVW-2 embarked - November 2002
with CVW-2 embarked - San Diego,
California - November 2002
with CVW-2 embarked - San Diego, California
- November 2002
with CVW-2 embarked - Sydney, Australia -
April 2001
with CVW-2 embarked - April 2001
with CVW-2 embarked - March 2001
San Diego - October 1998
with CVW-2 embarked - April 1997
a RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile was launched
aboard USS Constellation (CV 64) - July 1996
July 1993
San Diego, California - February 1990
San Diego, California - February 1990
San Diego, California - February 1990
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - September 1989
NAS North Island, California - June 1989
NAS North Island, California - June 1989
hangar deck - March 1989
hangar deck, during underway
replenishment (UNREP) - March 1989
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
with CVW-14 embarked - December 1988
August 1988
August 1988
with aircraft of RCVW-12 embarked - August
1988
August 1988
August 1988
August 1988
Combat Information Center (CIC) -1988
with CVW-14 embarked - August 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - August 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - August 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - August 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - July 1987
July 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - March 1987
with CVW-14 embarked - August 1986
with CVW-14 embarked - August 1986
with CVW-14 embarked - October 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - October 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - October 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - October 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - October 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - February 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - February 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - February 1984
with CVW-14 embarked - February 1984
with aircraft of CVW-9 embarked - July
1980
with aircraft of CVW-9 embarked - July
1980
with aircraft of CVW-9 embarked - July
1980
with aircraft of CVW-9 embarked - July
1980
with aircraft of CVW-9 embarked - July
1980
with CVW-9 embarked - December 1979
with CVW-9 embarked - December 1979
with CVW-9 embarked - November 1979
Sovjet Ilyushin Il-38 aircraft over USS
Constellation (CV 64) with CVW-9 embarked - 1978/79
with CVW-9 embarked - May 1979
NAS North Island - 1976
with CVW-9 embarked - 1971/72
with CVW-14 embarked - 1964/65
with CVW-14 embarked - 1964/65
1962/63
1962
passing the Brooklyn bridge, New York -
July 1962
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USS Constellation (CVA 64 / CV 64):
The second Constellation (CVA 64) was built by New
York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, N.Y.; christened 8 October 1960 by Mrs. C. A.
Herter, wife of the Secretary of State; and commissioned 27 October 1961,
Capt. T. J. Walker, in command. She was named for one of the six frigates
bought by the Continental Congress in the late 1790s. The first of those
frigates, ships which were to make American naval history, was named for the
ring of 13 stars that formed a "new Constellation" on the flag of
the new United States.
It was in the last stages of her building at the New York Naval Shipyard, on
19 December 1960, a fire broke out on Constellation's hanagar deck. Fifty
civilian workers died in the blaze.
Constellation deployed to the western Pacific from her homeport of San Diego
on 5 May 1964. The first three months of that deployment brought normal operations,
training and port calls. However, on 2 August, while operating in
international waters in the Gulf of Tonkin, USS Maddox (DD-731) reported
being attacked by units of the North Vietnamese Navy. Within minutes of her
receipt of the message, USS Ticonderoga (CVA 14) dispatched four,
rocket-armed F8E Crusaders to the destroyer's assistance. Upon arrival, the
Crusaders launched Zuni rockets and strafed the North Vietnamese craft with
their 20-millimeter cannons. The Ticonderoga airmen teamed up with Maddox
gunners to thwart the North Vietnamese attack, leaving one boat dead in the
water and damaging the other two.
Two days later, late in the evening of the 4 August, Ticonderoga received
urgent requests from USS Turner Joy (DD-951), by then on patrol with Maddox,
for air support in resisting what the destroyer alleged to be another torpedo
boat foray. The carrier again launched planes to aid the American surface
ships, and Turner Joy directed them. The Navy surface and air team believed
it had sunk two boats and damaged another pair. President Johnson responded
with a reprisal to what he felt at the time to be two unprovoked attacks on
American seapower and ordered retaliatory air strikes on selected North
Vietnamese motor torpedo boat bases. On 5 August, Ticonderoga and
Constellation launched 60 sorties against four bases and their supporting oil
storage facilities. Those attacks reportedly resulted in the destruction of
25 PT-type boats, severe damage to the bases, and almost complete razing of
the oil storage depot. The strikes lasted for four hours. Constellation lost
an A-1H Skyraider, whose pilot, Lt. j.g. Richard A. Sather, became the first
Navy pilot to be killed in Vietnam, and an A-4E Skyhawk, flown byLt. j.g.
Everett Alvarez who became the first Navy POW.
On 7 August 1964, Congress authorized President Johnson to "take all
necessary measures to repel any armed attack against the United States ....
[and] to assist any member or protocol state" of the Southeast Asia
Treaty Organization (SEATO). This resolution passed in the House of
Representatives by a vote of 416 to 0 and in the Senate by 88 to 2.
Constellation returned 1 February 1965. Her crew was awarded the Navy Unit
Commendation and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for actions in the Gulf
of Tonkin. Constellation again deployed to the western Pacific from her home
of San Diego on 12 May 1966 with Carrier Air Wing 15. On 1 July, three North
Vietnam torpedo boats came out to attack USS Coontz (DLG 9) and USS Rogers
(DD 876) operating about 40 miles off shore on search and rescue missions.
Aircraft from Constellation and USS Hancock (CVA 19) made short work of the
attackers, sinking all three with bombs, rockets, and 20mm cannon fire. After
the attack, Coontz pulled 19 survivors from the water. Constellation returned
from the WESTPAC deployment on 3 December 1966.
Constellation made her third deployment to the western Pacific and Vietnam in
1967. She departed San Diego with with a new air wing, CVW 14, on 29 April
1967 and returned home on 4 December.
Constellation began her fourth deployment to the western Pacific and Vietnam
on 29 May 1968. It was during the initial stages of this deployment that she
was visited in June by President Lyndon B. Johnson. On 1 November, as
directed by President Johnson, all bombing of North Vietnam was halted at
2100 Saigon time. The last Navy mission over the restricted area was flown
earlier in the day from Constellation by Cmdr. Kenneth E. Enney in an A-7
Corsair II. Constellation remained on deployment, returning home to San Diego
on 31 January 1969. Following maintenance and training periods, the carrier
once again stood out from southern California, this time on her fifth
deployment to the western Pacific and Vietnam on 11 August 1969.
On 28 March 1970, Lt. Jerome E. Beaulier and Lt. (j.g.) Stephen J. Barkley in
an F-4 Phantom II of VF-142 off Constellation shot down a MiG-21 while
escorting an unarmed Navy reconnaissance plane on a mission near Thanh Hoa,
North Vietnam. This was the first North Vietnamese MiG kill since the 1
November 1968 bombing halt. Constellation returned home on 8 May 1970.
On 1 October 1971, Constellation sailed from San Diego to begin her sixth
combat deployment to Vietnam. Seven months later, Lieutenant Randy Cunningham
and Lieutenant (junior grade) Willie Driscoll became America's first aces of
the war by downing three MiG fighters during vicious dog-fighting over North
Vietnam, bringing their total to five enemy aircraft in four months.
Alternating on Yankee Station, Constellation, USS Oriskany (CVA 34) and USS
Enterprise (CVAN 65) provided 22 two-carrier days on the line by 1 November,
delivering 1,766 ordnance-bearing strike sorties, twelve and nine of them
into North Vietnam and South Vietnam, respectively. Two reconnaissance missions
were flown during the month, with the airfield at Vinh the mission
assignment. Escort aircraft on both missions expended ordnance in a
protective reaction role against firing antiaircraft artillery sites near the
field. Other protective reaction strikes were executed.
Constellation and Enterprise operated on Yankee Station together during the
month until 10 December, when Enterprise was unexpectedly directed to transit
to the Indian Ocean where she operated as flagship for the newly formed Task
Force 74 for the possible evacuation of U.S. citizens from East Pakistan in
connection with the Indo-Pakistani war. Constellation's tour was extended to
the end of the month due to these new contingency operations. USS Coral Sea
(CVA 43) joined Constellation on the line 15 December.
A total of 2,462 ordnance delivery strike sorties were flown during December
1971. The number of surface-to-air missile firing incidents increased and the
bold excursions by MiG aircraft into Laos prompted both the U.S. Air Force and
U.S. Navy to develop new tactics, combining efforts, to suppress the MiG
threat. A major protective reaction strike effort by both USAF and USN
commenced 26 December and terminated 30 December. In this period, TF-77 flew
423 strike sorties employing all-weather A-6A systems backed up by A-7Es as
pathfinders, with Dong Hoi, Quang Khe and Vinh the major targets assigned to
the Navy. During the month, the Laser Guided Bomb (LGB) was introduced by
squadrons aboard Constellation. Initially, 16 trial LGB drops were road cuts,
with subsequent targets antiaircraft artillery sites. In the coming year,
LGBs were to be used effectively against heretofore seemingly indestructible
targets in NVN, such as heavy steel bridge structures built into solid rock.
USS Enterprise rejoined Constellation on Yankee Station on 18 January 1972
following her tour in the Indian Ocean in December 1971. The next day, 19
January, Lieutenants Randall H. Cunningham and William P. Driscoll in an F-4
Phantom of VF-96 off Constellation shot down a MiG-21, the first enemy
aircraft downed since the 28 March 1970 shoot-down of a MiG-21 by Lt. Jerome
E. Beaulier and Lt. (j.g.) Stephen J. Barkley in an F-4 Phantom II of VF-142
off Constellation . The 19 January action occurred during a protective
reaction strike in response to earlier antiaircraft artillery and
surface-to-air missile firings from the area which had menaced an RA-5C
reconnaissance plane and its escorts. This accounted for the Navy's 33rd MiG
shot down in the Vietnam war since the first shoot-down on 17 June 1965,
downed by Commanders Louis C. Page and John J. Smith in an F-4 of VF-21 off
USS Midway (CVA 41).
Throughout January 1972 Constellation, Coral Sea and Enterprise served
intermittently on Yankee Station. With only light ground action, limited
troop contacts and the withdrawal of U.S. ground troops continuing during the
month, the level of air operations also remained low, a situation which
continued generally throughout the first three months of the year. During
January, a total of only eight Navy tactical air attack sorties were flown in
South Vietnam. In North Vietnam, there was very little attack effort except
for some protective reaction strikes.
During the following month, naval air attack sorties in South Vietnam had risen
to 733 compared tothe eight during January. The increase was due to the
preemptive operations by allied forces in preparation for an expected
large-scale enemy offensive during Tet which did not materialize.
Constellation, Coral Sea and Hancock served overlapping tours on Yankee
Station, assuring two to three carriers on station at a time during most of
February 1972.
Naval Air attack sorties in South Vietnam in March 1972 again dropped to 113.
On 23 March the U.S. canceled further peace negotiations in Paris, France,
because of a lack of progress in the talks. This was followed by the North
Vietnamese invasion of South Vietnam. This "Easter," or
"Spring Offensive" was the result of the long buildup and
infiltration of North Vietnamese forces during previous months and presaged
some of the most intense fighting of the entire war. The North Vietnamese
invasion prompted increased air operations by the carriers in support of
South Vietnamese and U.S. forces. The carriers on Yankee Station when North
Vietnam invaded on 30 March were Hancock and Coral Sea, which had rotated
with Constellation and USS Kitty Hawk (CVA 63).
Beginning on 5 April 1972, aircraft from Constellation, along with those from
Hancock, Coral Sea and Kitty Hawk took part in Operation Freedom Train which
involved Navy tactical air sorties against military and logistic targets in
the southern part of North Vietnam that were involved in the invasion of the
south. The operating area in North Vietnam was limited initially to between
17° and 19°N. However, special strikes were authorized against targets above
the 19th parallel on various occasions. The magnitude of the North Vietnamese
offensive indicated that an extended logistics network and increased resupply
routes would be required to sustain ground operations by North Vietnam in
their invasion of South Vietnam. Most target and geographical restrictions
that were placed in effect since October 1968 concerning the bombing in North
Vietnam were lifted gradually and the list of authorized targets expanded.
Strikes in North Vietnam were against vehicles, lines of communication
(roads, waterways, bridges, railroad bridges and railroad tracks), supply
targets, air defense targets and industrial/power targets. By the end of
April, operations were permitted in North Vietnam throughout the region below
20° 25'N and many special strikes above the 20th parallel had also been
authorized.
By mid-April, the Navy was averaging 191 sorties per day in South Vietnam, a
97 percent increase over the previous week. Sorties concentrated west and
north of Quangtri City with interdiction and direct air support flown in the
area. Carriers on Yankee Station were Constellation, Hancock, Coral Sea, and
Kitty Hawk. On 16 April, in Operation Freedom Porch, aircraft from Constellation
and the other three carriers on Yankee Station flew 57 sorties in the
Haiphong area in support of U.S. Air Force B-52 strikes on the Haiphong
petroleum products storage area. From 25 through 30 April, Constellation's
VA-146, VA-147 and VA -165 hit areas around the besieged city of Anloc in
support of South Vietnamese troops, some only 40 miles outside the capital of
Saigon. Targets attacked included artillery fire bases, enemy tanks, bunkers,
troop positions, ammunition caches and gun emplacements.
On 9 May 1972, Operation Pocket Money, the mining campaign against principal
North Vietnamese ports, was launched. Early that morning, an EC-121 aircraft
took off from Da Nang airfield to provide support for the mining operation. A
short time later, Kitty Hawk launched 17 ordnance-delivering sorties against
the Nam Dinh railroad siding as a diversionary air tactic. Poor weather,
however, forced the planes to divert to secondary targets at Thanh and Phu
Qui which were struck at 090840H and 090845H, Vietnam time, respectively.
Coral Sea launched three A-6A and six A-7E aircraft loaded with mines and one
EKA-3B in support of the mining operation directed against the outer
approaches to Haiphong Harbor. The mining aircraft departed the vicinity of
Coral Sea at 090840H in order to execute the mining at precisely 090900H to
coincide with President Richard Nixon's public announcement in Washington
that mines had been seeded. The A-6 flight led by the CAG, Cmdr. Roger E.
Sheets, was composed of Marine Corps aircraft from VMA-224 and headed for the
inner channel. The A-7Es, led by Cmdr. Leonard E. Giuliani and made up of
aircraft from VA-94 and VA-22, were designated to mine the outer segment of
the channel. Each aircraft carried four MK 52-2 mines. Capt. William R. Carr,
USMC, the bombardier/navigator in the lead plane, established the critical
attack azimuth and timed the mine releases.
The first mine was dropped at 090859H and the last of the field of 36 mines
at 090901H. Twelve mines were placed in the inner segment and the remaining
24 in the outer segment. All MK 52-2 mines were set with 72-hour arming
delays, thus permitting merchant ships time for departure or a change in
destination consistent with the President's public warning. It was the
beginning of a mining campaign that planted over 11,000 MK 36 type destructor
and 108 special MK 52-2 mines over the next eight months. It is considered to
have played a significant role in bringing about an eventual peace
arrangement, particularly since it so hampered the enemy's ability to
continue receiving war supplies.
On 10 May 1972, Operation Linebacker I, the heavy strike of targets in most
of North Vietnam, evolved and lasted until restrictions on operations above
20°N were imposed 22 October. The operation was an outgrowth of Freedom Train
and the President's mining declaration which also stated that the U.S. would
make a maximum effort to interdict the flow of supplies in North Vietnam. On
this first day of Linebacker I, the Navy shifted its attacks from targets in
southern North Vietnam to the coastal region embracing Haiphong north to the
Chinese border. In all, 173 attack sorties were flown in this region this
day, although another 62 were directed into South Vietnam in continuing
support of allied forces there.
It was the most intensified air-to-air combat day of the entire war. Navy
flyers shot down eight MiGs. An F-4 Phantom II from VF-96 on board
Constellation — Lt. Randall H. Cunningham, the pilot and Lt. (j.g.) William
P. Driscoll — while engaged in aerial combat over Haiphong shot down three
MiGs for the first triple downing of enemy MiGs by one plane during the war.
These three MiG downings, coupled with their 19 January and 8 May downing of
two MiGs, made Lt. Cunningham and Lt. (j.g.) Driscoll the first MiG aces of
the Vietnam War. Three other kills were scored by planes of VF-96 and one by
VF-92 off Constellation and one by VF-51 off Coral Sea.
During the five and one-half month period of Linebacker I, the Navy
contributed more than 60 percent of the total sorties in North Vietnam, with
60 percent of this effort in the "panhandle", the area between
Hanoi and the DMZ. Tactical air operations were most intense during the
July-September quarter with 12,805 naval sorties flown. Most attack sorties
in North Vietnam fell into two classes — armed reconnaissance and strike. The
former was directed usually against targets of opportunity within three main
areas — near Hanoi, Haiphong and the Chinese border. Strike operations were
preplanned and usually directed at fixed targets. Most types of fixed
targets. not associated with armed reconnaissance, required approval by the
Commander-in-Chief, Pacific, or by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, prior to
attack. Principal Navy aircraft were the A-7 and A-6, which accounted for
roughly 60 and 15 percent of the Navy's attack sorties, respectively. About
25 percent of the Navy's effort was at night. Carriers participating in the
initial May to June operations from Yankee Station were Constellation, Coral
Sea, Hancock, Kitty Hawk, Midway and USS Saratoga (CVA 60).
On 11 May 1972, Naval aircraft flying from Constellation, Coral Sea, Midway,
and Kitty Hawk laid additional mine fields in the remaining ports of
significance in North Vietnam: Thanh Hoa, Dong Hoi, Vinh, Hon Gai, Quang Khe
and Cam Pha as well as the Haiphong approaches. This early mining was not
confined solely to the seven principal ports. Other locations were also
seeded early in the campaign, including the Cua Sot, Cap Mui Ron, and the
river mouths, Cua Day and Cua Lac Giang, south of Don Son and the Haiphong
port complex. The following day, 12 May, the 72-hour delay arming time on the
initial mines laid at Haiphong was up at 120900H Vietnam time. Nine ships at
Haiphong had taken advantage of the grace period to depart the port.
Twenty-seven ships remained. Both Soviet and Soviet-bloc ships headed for
Haiphong at the time had diverted to different destinations, thus avoiding a
direct confrontation with the mine fields. Constellation was relieved at
Yankee Station and returned home to San Diego, arriving on 30 June 1972. She
received a Presidental Unit Citation from President Nixon in 1973.
On 5 January 1973, Constellation, along with Carrier Air Wing 9, began her
seventh deployment to the western Pacific and Vietnam. The Vietnam
cease-fire, announced on 23 January went into effect on the 27th. Aircraft
from Constellation and Oriskany operating on Yankee Station, the location of
which was changed to a position off the coast of the northern part of South
Vietnam, flew strikes against targets in southern Laos. Combat sorties from
carriers on Yankee Station against targets in Laos had continued since the
cease-fire in Vietnam. These combat support sorties were flown in support of
the Laotian government which had requested this assistance and it had no
relationship with the cease-fire. Constellation returned from this deployment
on 11 October 1973.
Constellation again departed for WESTPAC on 21 June 1974, her eighth such
deployment. On 19 November Constellation was part of an eight-ship force from
the United States participating in the Central Treaty Organization Exercise
Midlink 74. The exercise got underway as the largest naval exercise ever held
in the Arabian Sea. Participating were forces from the United States, United
Kingdom, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey. Constellation returned from this
deployment on 22 December 1974.
On 31 January 1975, Constellation departed San Diego for the Puget Sound
Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Wash., to undergo on of the most extensive carrier
overhauls ever undertaken, enabling her to carry the Navy's newest air
supremacy fighter, the F-14A Tomcat, and the S-3A Viking, a submarine hunter.
On 1 July 1975, she, along with all U.S. carriers, were redesignated as
"CV" from "CVA." This change was made to improve the
accuracy of designations in modern warfare. By removing the letter A, which
stood for attack, the new designation CV could serve a multipurpose air,
surface, and ASW role, depending on the type of aircraft carried. After 14
months at Puget Sound, Constellation departed the shipyard on 26 April 1976
to rejoin the Pacific Fleet.
On 3 July 1976, Constellation celebrated America's Bicentennial by hosting a
nationally-telecast TV special from her flight deck. The special featured
many major celebrities and guests.
A newly refurbished Constellation began her 10th deployment in April 1977,
which included the first port call by a U.S. carrier to Pattaya, Thailand.
On 26 September 1978, "Connie" sailed west again beginning her 11th
deployment. On 27 December, Constellation and her escort ships were directed
to the vicinity of Singapore in response to the internal crisis in Iran and
because of vital U.S. interests in the Arabian Gulf area, but on 2 January
1979, the President directed Constellation and her escort ships to remain on
station in the South China Sea and not enter the Indian Ocean. Constellation
and her escorts were released from contingency operations in the South China
Sea on 28 January. The crisis in Iran abated when the Shah of Iran departed
for exile on 16 January. Due to the uneasy situation in Iran all U.S.
government dependents and nonessential American citizens were ordered to
evacuate the country on 30 January.
Constellation and her escorts were ordered to the Gulf of Aden on 7 March
1979 in response to the conflict between North and South Yemen. The Gulf of
Aden and the Arabian Gulf were considered vital waterways for the passage of
petroleum products to the U.S. and her allies. On 16 April, Constellation was
relieved by Midway as the Indian Ocean contingency carrier. Constellation
returned to San Diego 17 May 1979. The deployment had twice been extended and
her service earned her the Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medals.
Constellation began her 12th deployment to the western Pacific on 26 February
1980. On 18 April, the carrier and her battle group departed Subic Bay, the
Republic of the Philippines, to relieve Coral Sea in the Indian Ocean, doing
so on 30 April. Coral Sea had been on station for 89 days in connection with the
Iranian crisis. On 4 November 1979, a mob of Muslim "students,"
adherents of the Ayatollah Khomeini's fundamentalist revolution, stormed the
U.S. Embassy in Teheran and seized the Americans in the compound, including
14 Marine guards. The students announce that they will release their hostages
if the United States will extradite the deposed Shah, who is undergoing
medical treatment in New York, for trial by a revolutionary tribunal.
President Jimmy Carter refuses to concede to the Iranians' demands. On 19
November, the Iranians occupying the Teheran embassy free three American
hostages: a woman and two black Marines. Ten more of the Americans are freed
the following day, but fifty-three remained in captivity for a total of 444
days, being released on 20 January 1981 as President Ronald Reagan took
office.
Constellation herself set a new endurance record in 1980 remaining on station
in the Indian Ocean for an exhausting 110 consecutive days. Midway relieved
Constellation on 17 August, and the ship began her voyage home, arriving 15
October.
Constellation began her 13th deployment in October 1981, returning to San
Diego in May 1982. Before the deployment, in late summer 1981, the carrier
played host to President Ronald Reagan. During this visit, Mr. Reagan presented
a Presidential Flag to the ship and proclaimed her "America's
Flagship." While operating in the Gulf of Oman, Secretary of Defense
Caspar Weinberger and the Chief of Naval Operations paid Constellation a
visit.
In December 1982, Constellation again sailed north to Puget Sound Naval
Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., to begin a 14-month complex overhaul. During
the overhaul, Constellation was modified to carry the Navy's newest strike
fighter, the FA-18 Hornet. Connie was the first carrier to receive the new
aircraft. She was also fitted with the new Phalanx radar-guided gattling-gun,
two new flush deck catapults and the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System.
Constalltion completed the $235 million overhaul two weeks early and under
budget, something which a carrier had not accomplished since the 1940s,
according to the shipyard.
Constellation set sail on her 14th deployment to the western Pacific and
Indian Ocean on 21 February 1985. This was the first operational deployment
of the F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter and the LAMPS, which used the SH-60B
Seahawk ASW helicopter. The Hornets replaced the A-7E Corsair IIs operated by
two squadrons assigned to CVW-14, making Constellation the Navy's first
carrier to have F/A18s assigned to her air wing. The SH-60B Seahawk
helicopter operated as the air subsystem of the LAMPS MK III weapon system,
deployed aboard the frigate USS Crommelin (FFG 37). In addition to the
western Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean, the cruise included port visits
to Singapore, Kenya and Western Australia. Constellation returned to her
homeport of San Diego In late August. For her performance during this cruise,
the carrier's crew earned the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The ship also
received the Secretary of the Navy's Environmental Protection Award.
With the cruise and two major awards, 1985 was a pretty good year for
Constellation, but 1986 would be even better. During the first part of this
year Constellation earned the Golden Anchor Award for retention excellence
and a second consecutive Environmental Protection Award. The most Important
award, though, came when the ship earned the U.S. Pacific Fleet Battle
Efficiency Award covering her outstanding performance from January 1985 to
June 1986.
Constellation began a two-month Northern Pacific Cruise (NOPPAC) in September
1986. In early September, the ship spent five days in Vancouver, British
Columbia, where many members of the crew visited EXPO '86. In late September
the ship spent four days in Anchorage, Alaska. It was the first carrier to ever
visit that port. During these port visits, the ship hosted over 15,000
visitors.
Constellation's final port visitwas in Seattle, Wash., where an estimated
45,000 visitors walked her decks while America's Flagship celebrated the
Navy's 211th birthday. Connie returned home to Naval Air Station North Island
in San Diego in time for her 25th birthday. On 27 October 1986, Constellation
celebrated her Silver Anniversaiy on board with a concert, ceremony and a
giant cake.
On 11 April 1987, Constellation once again made her way west to the western
Pacific and Indian Oceans. But this cruise, her 15th major deployment, took
her on up into the North Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
On 2 August 1988, Constellation successfully fought a severe fire in the main
engineering space using the installed HALON firefighting equipment; this was
the first carrier use of the system in fighting a fire.
In February 1990, Constellation left San Diego, returning to the east coast
for a three-year overhaul. The $800-million Service Life Extension Program
(SLEP), completed in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in March 1993, added an
estimated 15 years to the carrier's operational life. The overhaul saw
upgrades to virtually every system on the ship. Constellation departed the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard 4 March 1993, the fifth and last carrier to
complete SLEP. Back in San Diego, the carrier was visited on 18 August by
Secretary of the Navy John H. Dalton on his first trip to southern
California. Following a similar trip two days earlier to east coast commands,
the Secretary also Naval Station San Diego, Camp Pendleton, the Marine Corps
Recruit Depot, Naval Air Station Miramar, Naval Submarine Base San Diego and
other area commands.
On 31 July 1994, Lt. Kara Hultgreen made her first qualifying landing in an
F-14A on board Constellation, 110 miles southwest of San Diego. She thus
became the first fully qualified female Tomcat pilot. Lt. Hultgreen was
assigned to VF-213 at NAS Miramar, Calif. Lt. (j.g.) Carey Dunai, also in an
F-14, became the second woman to reach the milestone with her qualifying trap
moments later. Lt. Hultgreen was killed at sea 25 October 1994 while
approaching USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) for a landing 50 miles off San
Diego.
Constellation and her battle group deployed again on 10 November 1994, and
spent most of December in the western Pacific. On 11 January 1995, the
carrier and her seven-ship battle group entered the Arabian Gulf. With
Constellation were the guided missile cruisers USS Chosin (CG 65) and USS Lake
Erie (CG 70), the destroyer USS Kinkaid (DD 965), the ammunition ship USS
Kiska (AE 35), the replenishment oiler USS Cimarron (AO 177), and the attack
submarine USS Topeka (SSN 754). Aircraft from Constellation's air wing,
Carrier Air Wing Two (CVW 2), patrolled the U.N. no-fly zone over southern
Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch.
During this period in the Gulf, when the Constellation's crew learned of its
hometown San Diego Chargers' American Football Conference championship
victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, it decided to send the Chargers and the
fans of San Diego a personal message. On 18 January, about 850 sailors from
Connie and her air wing assembled on the flight deck in their white uniforms
to form the words "Go Chargers" spelled out on the ship's flight
deck. Photographers in a helicopter flying above the ship took photos and
shot video and them back to San Diego. Constellation returned to San Diego in
May 1995.
Actor and comedian Tim Allen visited Constellation during an at-sea period in
early 1996. Mr. Allen, star of ABC's then-top-rated sitcom Home Improvement,
along with the show's producers and writers, came aboard 19 January, and were
scouting Constellation as a possible setting for a future show. That show,
number A553, episode 127/ 6.01, aired on the ABC television network on 17
September 1996.
In February 1997, Constellation was selected by the Navy as one of the test
ships for a new working uniform. The test lasted six months. Also, from 10
through 21 February 1997, Constellation, along with her Carrier Battle Group
and the USS Boxer (LHD 4) Amphibious Ready Group with the 15th Marine
Expeditionary Unit embarked, took part in Pacific Joint Task Force Exercise
(PAC JTFEX) 97-1 off the southern California coast. More than 15,000 military
personnel tested their ability to project combat power ashore during the 3rd
Fleet exercise. The exercise included various air strike and support
missions, maritime interdiction operations, humanitarian operations,
operational testing of weapons systems, logistics support, search and rescue
and command and control. The amphibious operations supporting the exercise
culminated with an amphibious landing at Camp Pendleton, Calif., involving
surface and helicopter assault forces.
On 19 April 1997, while Constellation and her nine-ship battle group were on
a routine six-months deployment, she was conducting a vertical replenishment
with the replenishment ship USNS Niagara Falls (T-AFS 3) when one of the
replenishment ship's UH-46E Sea Knight helicopters crashed into the sea. The
crash occurred approximately 2,000 miles southwest of Hawaii and all four
crew members were safely rescued. The helicopter crew members from Helicopter
Support Squadron Five, homeported in Guam, were rescued by the quick reaction
of other CH-46 helicopters on-scene at the time of the incident. Assisting in
the rescue was a motor-whale boat from Niagara Falls, also homeported in
Guam. The four crew members, who escaped injury, were transported to
Constellation for medical observation and were released to the Niagara Falls
the same day.
The Constellation Battle Group entered the Arabian Sea 16 May 1997 and
conducted high tempo operations that included more than 4,400 sorties during
more than 10 weeks in the Arabian Gulf. Operations included exercises with
friendly forces in the region. Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2, embarked in
Constellation, participated in Operation Southern Watch flying 1,460 sorties
enforcing the no-fly zone over southern Iraq.
On 14 July 1997, Constellation rescued two Iranian merchant seamen found
adrift in international waters of the Arabian Gulf. Lookouts aboard the
carrier spotted the two men clinging to floating debris about 70 nautical
miles northeast of Bahrain. Constellation crewmen immediately launched a rescue
boat to retrieve the stranded seamen from the water. Once on board, the two
stated they had been adrift for approximately five days, after their Iranian
cargo dhow, Ramazan, with eight other crewmen aboard, broke up in rough seas.
The two Iranian merchant seamen were later transfer ashore. An unsuccesful
search for any other survivors continued using helicopters from Helicopter
Antisubmarine Squadron Light (HSL) 37, Detachment 9, embarked aboard USS Lake
Erie (CG 70); and Helicopter Antisubmarine Squadron Light(HSL) 42, Detachment
5, embarked aboard USS Thorn (DD 988).
Constellation and her battle group departed 5th Fleet's Area of
Responsibility on 17 August 1997 and began her journey back towards San
Diego. The Battle Group included USS Merrill (DD 976), USS John Paul Jones
(DDG 53), USS Chosin (CG 65), USS Lake Erie (CG 70), USS Cimarron (AO 177)and
USS Mount Hood (AE 290).
Beginning 28 August 1997, Constellation participated in Fleet Battle
Experiment Bravo (FBE-B) with deployed naval forces in the eastern and
western Pacific to test warfighting concepts and capabilities for the 21st
century. The experiment had two main parts. The first experiment ran from 4
through 7 September, and involved the Ring of Fire concept, a naval fire
support "Battle LAN" that was tested during Third Fleet's Battle
Experiment Alfa (FBE-A) in March 1997. The second part of the experiment,
called Silent Fury, began 2 September and lasted until the 23rd. During this
phase, Third Fleet, in conjunction with Naval Strike Air Warfare Center at
Naval Air Station Fallon, Nev., examined the targeting process and the
challenges inherent in the employment of new types of guided munitions soon
to be in the Navy's weapons inventory. Other units participating were the USS
Peleliu (LHA 5) Amphibious Ready Group with 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit
(MEU) embarked, USS Russell (DDG 59), and USS Nimitz (CVN 68).
After completing one of the most successful work-up schedules in Navy
history, Constellation departed San Diego on 18 June 1999, beginning her 19th
overseas deployment. She immediately put her war fighting skills to the test
by conducting a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX). This marked the first time
ever that a carrier has conducted JTFEX at the beginning of a deployment.
With increased tensions between North and South Korea, Constellation then
headed for the Korean theatre to closely monitor the situation and provide a
calming influence. After port calls in Pusan, Republic of Korea; Yokosuka,
Japan; Singapore; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Constellation entered the
Arabian Gulf on 28 August, relieving USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71). She
then began flying combat air patrols over the Iraqi no-fly zones in support
of Operation Southern Watch. During her 10-week stay in the 5th Fleet theater,
Constellation and CVW-2 flew 1,256 sorties and expended nearly 44 tons of
ordnance during nine combat engagements against Iraqi ground and air targets.
She left the Arabian Gulf for some well-earned rest with port visits in
Fremantle/Perth and Sydney, Australia. Constellation recorded a rare
deployment milestone of 10,000 aircraft "traps" just before
returning to San Diego for a memorable holiday homecoming on 17 December
1999. For their extraordinary efforts during the Navy's last deployment of
the 20th century, the crew of Constellation was awarded the 1999 Battle
"E" as the Pacific Fleet's best carrier.
On 19 May 2000, more than 1,700 educators, school administrators, students
and community leaders from California, Nevada and Arizona joined the crew of
Constellation at Naval Air Station North Island for a day of life at sea. The
ship set sail at 7 a.m. and cruised the waters off San Diego, returning at
about 4 p.m.
On 16 March 2001, Constellation stood out from San Diego for its 20th
deployment in its 40-year history. Nearly 12,000 Sailors and Marines began
the scheduled six-month deployment as part of the Constellation Carrier
Battle Group and the USS Boxer (LHD 4) Amphibious Ready Group (ARG). In
addition to Constellation and the embarked air wing, Carrier Air Wing (CVW)
2, other deploying units included USS Chosin (CG 65), USS Benfold (DDG 65),
USS Kinkaid (DD 965), USS Thach (FFG 43), the Canadian frigate HMCS Winnipeg
(FFH 338), USS Rainier (AOE 7), and the attack submarines USS Santa Fe (SSN 763)
and USS Columbia (SSN 771). Constellation returned from this deployment on 15
September 2001 to a different United States. The events of four days earlier
on 11 September 2001, a date, like that of the attack on Pearl Harbor, that
will "live in infamy," had changed the country. Terrorists had
crashed three commercial airliners into New York's World Trade Center and the
Pentagon in Arlington, Va.
Constellation hosted more than 270 former "Connie" Sailors at a
reception in the ship's hangar bay on 27 October 2001 to celebrate the ship's
40th anniversary. "My thoughts today do not so much concern
Constellation herself, mighty as she is, as the men who in the future will
write her story; whose actions aboard her will tell all," said Cmdr. C.
K. Ruiz, Constellation's first executive officer on the day of the ship's
commissioning at the New York Naval Shipyard, 27 October 1961. Retired Capt.
Stanley W. Vejtasa, Constellation's second commanding officer, was the guest
speaker for the event. More than 150 "plankowners," or members of
the original commissioning crew, were in attendance.
The Constellation battle group was underway again off the coast of southern
California on 19 October 2002 for Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX), a final
battle group exercise prior to their upcoming deployment, when a Sailor from
Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, was blown overboard by jet blast at five
minutes past midnight as he walked behind an EA-6B Prowler on the carrier's
flight deck. He had been performing routine duties during normal night flight
operations at the time of the incident. Because his shipmates saw him go over
the side, rescue efforts began immediately. Constellation executed a
180-degree turn to position itself in the vicinity of the Sailor. Helicopters
and Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) from Constellation, USS Valley Forge
(CG 50), USS Bunker Hill (CG 52), and USS Kinkaid (DD 965) assisted. At
approximately 7:20 a.m., Bunker Hill's helicopter detachment spotted the
Sailor in the water. Constellation's helicopter squadron recovered the Sailor
and returned him to the ship where he was in stable condition following
medical treatment. Constellation returned to port 29 October.
Constellation's 21st deployment began on 2 November 2002 when the carrier and
her battle group deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The
battle group consisted of guided-missile cruisers USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and
USS Valley Forge (CG 50); guided-missile destroyers USS Higgins (DDG 76) and
USS Milius (DDG 69), and guided-missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43). Other
units include the fast attack submarine USS Columbia (SSN 771), based in
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, and the fast combat support ship USS Rainier (AOE 7),
based in Bremerton, Wash.
The crew of Constellation quickly responded to a main machinery room fire 8
November, preventing any serious injuries or degradation to the ship's
ability to continue its deployment. The fire, which broke out in one of
Constellation's four main machinery rooms, was caused by a fuel oil leak. The
affected space was immediately evacuated and installed fire fighting
equipment contained the fire until the ship's fire parties and damage control
teams extinguished it. Constellation arrived in the Arabian Gulf on 14
December, its second deployment to the area in 15 months.
While on station in Arabian Gulf, Constellation was visited Rep. Ellen
Tauscher (D-Calilf.), serving her third term representing California's 10th
Congressional District, San Francisco's East Bay suburbs. The carrier was
also visted by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark, Master Chief Petty
Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Terry Scott and Chief of Chaplains Rear Adm.
Barry Black. On the hangar deck, the CNO told the crew "Remember, the
American people are watching you. Be ready to go write some history. Hit
fast, hit hard, hit with precision."
On 19 January 2003, Constellation added another accomplishment to the list by
recording its 390,000th trap. Lt. Frank Wittwer, flying Falcon 407, an
F/A-18C Hornet from Strike/Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137, caught the number two
wire, at 8:53 p.m., marking the milestone trap for the ship. On 5 March, crew
members joined thousands of Americans across the United States in the
simultaneous playing of the National Anthem. The Star Spangled Banner echoed throughout
Constellation, approximately 1,060 feet from bow to stern, at precisely 7
p.m. local time. Additionally, several Sailors participated in interviews
with hometown media. Minutes before the National Anthem was played,
Commanding Officer Capt. John Miller provided comments to Constellation's
crew about the meaning and significance of the project. "The National
Anthem project is a wonderful example of the support we are receiving from
the folks back home. We are fortunate to have the opportunity to participate
in this landmark demonstration of pride and patriotism," he remarked.
Operation Iraqi Freedom, the multi-national coalition effort to liberate the
Iraqi people, eliminate Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, and end the
regime of Saddam Hussein, began on 20 March 2003 with the firing of Tomahawk
missiles from U.S. ships in the Arabian Gulf and Red Sea. On 25 March,
aircraft from two squadrons of Carrier Air Wing 2 aboard Constellation
successfully destroyed three significant Iraqi naval targets. The aircraft
involved received short-order tasking for a time-sensitive strike to engage
several naval targets in the vicinity of Basra.
Two F/A-18C Hornets from Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151, "The
Vigilantes," one of three F/A-18 squadrons aboard, participated in the
strikes with one aircraft from Sea Control Squadron (VS) 38, "The Red
Griffins," the S-3B Viking squadron, aboard Constellation. One Hornet
independently identified and destroyed two naval targets. The S-3B, working
in conjunction with the second F/A-18C, as the laser designator, destroyed
its target by firing a laser guided missile, the AGM-65E Maverick. The F/A-18
provides laser illumination throughout target engagements. This event was the
first time the Navy's S-3 has received tasking for overland strikes in its 30
year history. In addition, it is also the first time the S-3 has fired a
laser-guided missile in combat.
On 1 April, an S-3B Viking from Sea Control Squadron 38 of Carrier Air Wing
(CVW) 2 aboard Constellation veered off the flight deck after making an
arrested landing at approximately 5:10 a.m. local time. Shortly after
touching down on deck, the S-3B malfunctioned while taxiing on the carrier's
flight deck and slid to the port side of the deck. The plane went over the side
and hit flight deck safety netting, with the two pilots aboard ejecting into
the water. The plane then followed into the water.
A helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron (HS) 2 was performing
search-and-rescue (SAR) operations for the flight cycle and arrived on scene
immediately. Both pilots were recovered by a SAR swimmer and transported to
Constellation, where they were evaluated for minor injuries. After completing
SAR operations and recovering the pilots, scheduled flight operations aboard
Constellation continued.
Constellation departed the Arabian Gulf on 16 April 2003 and began her
journey back to her homeport of San Diego. While transiting home on her final
deployment in the Arabian Gulf, Constellation received a distress call from
an Indonesian inter-island ferry boat carrying civilian passengers in the
Banda Sea. USS Milius (DDG 65), also transiting home with the Constellation
Strike Group, was in a position to assist, and was tasked by Destroyer
Squadron (DESRON) 7, embarked on Constellation, to investigate and render
assistance to the vessel.
Milius responded immediately and quickly launched a Rigid Hull Inflatable
Boat (RHIB) into the water to assess the situation. The ferry, which had 27
civilians aboard, including children, suffered an electrical generator and
diesel propulsion engine failure, which had been inoperable for three days.
The vessel had attempted to hail several passing ships for two days before
Milius responded. Once on the scene, several crew members from Milius embarked
the ferry to make repairs. They were able to restore electrical power but
found the diesel engine was not repairable. Adding further complications to
the initial situation was the fact that no one on the vessel spoke English.
Constellation, however, had two linguists aboard and was able to dispatch a
helicopter carrying Cryptologic Technician Interpretive 3rd Class Russell
Crandall, an Indonesian interpreter, to assist the Milius crew in
communicating with crew of the ferry.
After a full assessment of the situation and discussion with the vessel's
captain, it was determined that the best option for ensuring the vessel's
safety would be to tow it to the nearby Indonesian island of Pulau-Sanana,
the closest island to the vessel. As Milius began slowly towing the disabled
vessel towards the port of Sanaa, the civilians aboard the vessel showed
their gratitude to the Milius crew by chanting, "USA, USA!"
Following a port visit in Pearl Harbor on 22 May 2003, Constellation and
other ships in its strike group got underway for San Diego on 27 May.
Aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 2 flew from Constellation on 31 May and June 1.
Constellation arrived at Naval Air Station North Island, Calif., 2 June 2003.
During Operation Iraqi Freedom, the Constellation Carrier Strike Group flew
more than 1,500 sorties (missions) and expended more than 1 million pounds of
ordnance, including 408 Tomahawk cruise missiles. USS Bunker Hill was one of
the first warships to conduct Tomahawk strikes against leadership targets in
Iraq. Its embarked LAMPS (Light Airborne Multi-Purpose System) helicopter
detachment, Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 45 "the
Wolfpack," supported the rescue of United Nations workers being forcibly
removed from oil platforms in the Northern Arabian Gulf and provided medical
evacuations from Umm Qasr.
On 13 July Constellation held an "Alumni Day" event, inviting
shipbuilders, Sailors and Marines who served aboard the ship during its
history to self-guided tours through some of the ship's spaces. After 41
years of commissioned service, and completing 21 deployments, Constellation
was decommissioned in San Diego at the Naval Air Station North Island on 7
August 2003.
The decommissioned carrier was towed, beginning 12 September 2003 from the
Naval Air Station North Island to the Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility at
Bremerton, Wash., by a contracted ocean-going tug operated by Foss Maritime
of Seattle, Wash.
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