USS America (CV-66)

USS America (CV-66) was a ''Kitty Hawk''-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1965, she served for over three decades, seeing extensive action in the Vietnam War and later in Operation Desert Storm. The carrier was decommissioned in 1996 and ultimately sunk in a live-fire test in 2005, providing invaluable data for future carrier design.

Service history

Following shakedown and training in the Caribbean Sea, America deployed to the Gulf of Tonkin in 1968, commencing combat operations during the Vietnam War. Her air wing flew thousands of sorties against targets in North Vietnam and Viet Cong positions, participating in major campaigns like Operation Rolling Thunder and Operation Linebacker. In subsequent years, she operated extensively in the Mediterranean Sea as a key component of the Sixth Fleet, responding to crises such as the Lebanese Civil War and the Gulf of Sidra incidents with Libya. In 1991, she deployed to the Persian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm, launching F/A-18 Hornets and A-6 Intruders on combat missions against Iraqi forces. Her final deployment in 1995-96 included enforcing the no-fly zone over Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav Wars.

Design and construction

America was the third of four ''Kitty Hawk''-class supercarriers, an improved design following the ''Forrestal''-class. Ordered in 1960, her keel was laid on 9 January 1961 at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia. The design incorporated an Angled flight deck, four C13 steam catapults, and a modified island structure, optimizing her for operating heavier, faster jet aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat and A-6 Intruder. She was launched on 1 February 1964, sponsored by Catherine McDonald, wife of Admiral David L. McDonald, the Chief of Naval Operations. The ship was commissioned on 23 January 1965 under the command of Captain Lawrence Heyworth Jr.

Decommissioning and fate

After 31 years of service, America was decommissioned on 9 August 1996 at Naval Station Norfolk. Despite efforts by a veterans' organization to preserve her as a museum ship, the Navy determined that donation was not feasible due to the ship's material condition and the high cost of preparation. Instead, she was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day and placed in the Inactive Fleet at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. In 2005, she was towed to the Atlantic for a unique purpose. In a controlled sinking exercise, she was subjected to extensive live-fire testing by elements of the Navy and Air Force. She finally sank on 14 May 2005, about 250 nautical miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, providing critical data on ship survivability for the design of the future ''Gerald R. Ford''-class carriers.

Awards and legacy

Throughout her career, America earned multiple unit awards, including three Meritorious Unit Commendations, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, and eight Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals for crises from Lebanon to Libya. Her crew also received the Vietnam Service Medal and the Southwest Asia Service Medal for her wartime service. The ship was awarded the Battle "E" five times. Her legacy is carried on by the crews who served aboard her and in the extensive data gathered from her sinking, which continues to inform naval architecture and damage control practices. The name was later revived for the USS ''America'' (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship commissioned in 2014.

See also

* List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy * Naval aviation * United States Sixth Fleet * Vietnam War * Operation Desert Storm

Category:Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers Category:Ships sunk as targets Category:1965 ships