USS Intrepid (CV-11) - June 13, 2003
First view of the USS Intrepid (CV-11) from 44th and 12th Avenue
Walk two blocks over to the crossover at 46th & 12th
Finally visit an aircraft carrier, the 3rd Essex class commissioned in 1943
Cold War M60 Patton tank w/105mm gun and a section of Berlin Wall
. . . beside a Soviet Cold War T-72 tank with 125mm gun
First view of the long flight deck on a cool, foggy, rainy day
Cross over to the starboard side to the safety minded chain link fence
Look over supports to a lost Pier 84 off the starboard side
Grumman F-14B Super Tomcat, the 7th built, served as a prototype
This Coast Guard Sikorsky HH-52A Seaguard rescued over 15K people
Flight Deck Island of the Fighting "I"
MiG-21 Fishbed PFM, flown by Poland's 10th Fighter Interceptor Regiment
Forward deck bow prong looks huge compared to distant streets of NYC
One of a handful of existing Grumman A-6E Intruder II
Ling-Temco-Vought A-7E Corsair II delivered to the Navy in 1974
Plenty of carrier based aircraft on the forward flight deck
But the CIA's A-12 Blackbird definitely prefers a longer runway
A total of 15 A-12s, 3 YF-12s, and 32 SR-71s built, 17 lost
Stout A-12 landing gear
This Oxcart has two wheels in the front and six in the back
Pratt & Whitney J58 engines removed from pigeon spies
Grumman F11F-1 Tiger on raised support, retired in 1959
North American FJ-3 Fury (Navy's version of the F-86 Sabre)
Intrepid's angled flight deck was installed in 1956
A-6 Cockpit Landing Simulator on Flight Deck
Grumman F6F-5 Hellcat fighter & Grumman TBM-3E Avenger torpedo bomber
Dassault Etendard IV M parked between the Mig 21 & A-12
Climb the flight deck island and view the Intrepid's bridge
HH-52A, E1-B Tracer, TS-2 Tracker, F-10 Skyknight, UH-1M Huey, and F-16
Coke machines placed safe from jet blast, intakes and props!
Looking down on the USS Edson and its two rear 5 inch guns
The bridge of the USS Edson, which served 1958-1988
View of the forward 5 inch gun and the USS Growler beyond
View of the ramps ascending the Intrepid's port side from the Edson
USS Edson torpedo loader for Mark 32 torpedo tubes
One more view of the Edson's forward 5 inch gun while disembarking
Start tour w/introductory movie in the Regulus Missile underwater storage
Forward torpedo room with four bow torpedo tubes
Helm of the Growler (active only four years 1960-1963)
Extended attack periscope of a diesel-electric submarine w/nuclear armament
Houston's WaterWorld patrons should not attempt
The two torpedo tubes of the stern torpedo room
Later replaced by Polaris, Poseidon, and now Trident missile submarines
The sub had to surface and prepare the Regulus missle for launch
The sub was towed from Bremerton, WA thru Panama to NYC in 1988
Two Regulus Guided Cruise Missiles could be stored in each of 2 tubes
Precursor to today's Tomahawk cruise missle
A final look at the Fighting "I" with McDonnell Douglas AV-8C Harrier II