USS Constellation (CV-64)

History of USS Constellation (CV-64)

The Kitty Hawk-class conventionally powered aircraft carrier of the United States Navy (USN) has a total of four ships, built to the "Modified Foresta-class" standard. These boats feature an island superstructure (and a lattice mast) on the starboard side of the stern and two of the four hangar lifts installed in front of the superstructure itself.

The USS Constellation (CV-64) became the second ship after the USS Kitty Hawk and previous sisters USS America and USS John F. Kennedy (the latter was built to a slightly different standard than the three).

The Constellation was ordered July 1, 1956 and laid by the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 14, 1957. She expired on October 8, 1960, and then served on October 27, 1961.

The USS Constellation became the third ship to bear the Constellation name, affectionately known as "Connie" and "America's Flagship" during her sailing career.

At the time of construction (under the original pennant designation "CVA-64"), the Constellation had a displacement of 62,000 tons (short), a length of 1,088 feet, a beam of 282 feet, and a draft of 39 feet. Power comes from 8 x boiler units feeding 4 x steam turbines producing 280,000hp on 4 x axles.

The top speed in ideal conditions is 34 knots. She had a crew of 5,630, including 2,480 in the Air Wing alone.

Aircraft available on board come in a variety of makes and models to cover mission roles from fleet defense and interception to search and rescue (SAR) and general transportation. Special mission platforms are also carried, with squadrons of up to 72 aircraft. There are a total of four steam catapults in the design, which are used to quickly launch fighter jets and use fishing line devices to catch incoming aircraft on the return trip. Outside of her air force, Constellation carries two Sea Sparrow Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) systems and three 20mm Phalanx Close-In Weapon Systems (CIWS).

Initially, she was equipped with the "Terrier" SAM system.

The USS Constellation caught fire during construction, severely delaying her arrival. While no casualties were reported, the damage ran into the tens of millions of dollars, ruining the ship's career even before it left port.

After repairs were completed, she joined the Pacific Fleet in 1962, replacing Kitty Hawk in the Gulf of Tonkin near Vietnam.

The warship served on numerous missions during the Vietnam conflict (1955-1975) and was present at the beginning and end of U.S. engagement in the war. Her fighter jets performed a variety of strike, bombardment, patrol and reconnaissance missions for her role in the theater.

In the years that followed, she and her crew participated in several RIMPAC exercises and helped enforce a no-fly zone in Iraq after the 1991 Gulf War. It has served as a deterrent near North Korea on several occasions, most recently during Operation Enduring Freedom after 9/11 and subsequent Operation Iraqi Freedom - surprisingly, no crew casualties were reported, only A plane got lost in the promise.

Over time, her air wing has been modernized accordingly, with more powerful fighters and bombers, as well as transport and special mission types, while updates are marked by her and her two sisters' SLEP (Service Life) extension plan) (USS America is obsolete). earlier).

The USS Constellation was decommissioned on August 6, 2003, and removed from the Naval Register on December 2. Her position was officially filled by the newer nuclear-powered Nimitz-class supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). The end of her ocean-going career marked more than 40 years of loyal service to the Grand Carrier before her hull was stripped of all usefulness and sold immediately for scrap in 2015.

All four Kitty Hawk-class carriers have since been decommissioned from frontline service - the last being the USS John F. Kennedy, which was decommissioned in March 2007. The USS Kitty Hawk remains in reserve, while the Kennedy will be the museum ship. The USS America was sunk in May 2005.

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