USS Kearsarge (CV-33)

History

USS Kearsarge (CV-33) was created during the intense fighting in the Pacific Theater of World War II (1939-1945) and was destined not to take part in this conflict as it ended in August 1945 with the Korean War (1950 -1953) and the subsequent Vietnam War (1955-1975) related postwar operations. She was one of 24 ships of the foremost Essex class that proved vital to U.S. naval operations in the Pacific against Imperial Japan. The USS Kearsarge was laid at the New York Navy Yard on March 1, 1944 and launched on May 5, 1945.

Commissioned on March 2, 1946.

The USS Kearsarge follows the Essex class design with a continuous straight flight deck from stern to bow. The island superstructure is offset to starboard in a typical fashion and dimensions include an overall length of 888 feet, a beam of 93 feet and a draft of up to 28.6 feet. Displacement is 27,100 tons under standard load.

There are approximately 3,448 crew members on board, including the Air Force Squadron, which has between 90 and 100 WWII-era aircraft of various makes and models.

On June 25, 1950, elements of the North Korean army invaded South Korea, pushing the United States back to war. USS Kearsarge was recommissioned on February 15, 1952, and landed in Pacific waters to begin her training, preparation, and war journey.

Once stationed in the Far East, their fighters were furiously used for nearly half a year, recording some 6,000 sorties in total, including airspace denials and strikesall in support of ground forces. Around this time, her hull classification was revised to "CVA-33".

North and South Korea signed a disturbing truce to "end" the war, with the USS Kirsachi remaining in Asian waters to deter further communist aggression (including protecting island nation Taiwan from the encroachment of communist China). From 1956 to 1957 she had additional work adding seaworthiness and a sloping flight deck (stern to starboard to forward to port). In 1958, she received additional anti-submarine (ASW) equipment to better deal with the threat posed by the growing Soviet underwater force, which eventually led to the hull being reclassified as "CVS-33" again.

Her crew and aircraft then took on a humanitarian role after a devastating typhoon in Japan.

In August 1962, she was used to salvage the Project Mercury capsule and has completed various training sessions since then. She was again stationed in Asian waters in the 1960s as the conflict in Vietnam grew in influence and visibility. She began her journey to provide anti-submarine warfare service to naval fleets, having her warplanes attack enemy ground targets as soon as they appeared.

In 1965, she underwent an overhaul in Long Beach, California, and briefly stayed in West Coast waters before returning to the Far East again. From October 1966, she participated in further missions related to the Vietnam War, until the warship was finally in home waters in December of that year.

By that time, she was frequently operating jet fighters, such as the classic Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bomber (described in detail elsewhere on this site) from her flight deck.

With the end of the Vietnam War, the US Navy began to clean up its aging fleet and lost the USS Kearsarge. She was decommissioned in February 1970 and held for three years before being removed from the Naval Register.

In February 1974, her dismantled hull was sold as scrap, and her sailing days officially ended.

Specification

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