USS Ticonderoga (CV-14)

USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) was an of the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1944, she served with distinction in the final years of World War II, participating in major campaigns across the Pacific Ocean. The ship was modernized and saw extensive action during the Vietnam War, earning multiple battle stars. Her name commemorates the Capture of Fort Ticonderoga during the American Revolutionary War.

Construction and commissioning

The ship's keel was laid down on 1 February 1943 at the Newport News Shipbuilding yard in Virginia. She was launched on 7 February 1944, sponsored by Stephanie Sarah Pell. The vessel was commissioned on 8 May 1944 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard, with Captain Dixie Kiefer in command. Her construction was part of the massive wartime Emergency Shipbuilding Program initiated by the United States Department of the Navy.

Service history

Following shakedown cruise in the Caribbean Sea, Ticonderoga transited the Panama Canal to join the Third Fleet in the Pacific Theater of Operations. She participated in raids on Luzon and supported the Battle of Leyte, where aircraft from her deck helped sink the Japanese battleship Musashi during the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea. In January 1945, while operating off Formosa, she was struck by two kamikaze aircraft during the South China Sea raid, suffering significant casualties but remaining operational. The carrier later took part in the Battle of Iwo Jima and the Battle of Okinawa, launching strikes against Imperial Japanese Navy remnants and home island targets. After Victory over Japan Day, she assisted in Operation Magic Carpet. In the 1950s, she underwent the SCB-27C and SCB-125 modernizations, emerging as an attack aircraft carrier (CVA-14). During the Vietnam War, she completed multiple WestPac deployments from Naval Air Station Alameda, conducting Operation Rolling Thunder strikes against North Vietnam and Yankee Station operations in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Design and description

As a "long-hull" Essex-class ship, sometimes referred to as the Ticonderoga-class, her design featured a lengthened bow (clipper bow) for improved seakeeping. Following her 1950s reconstruction, she displaced over 40,000 tons and was fitted with an angled flight deck, steam catapults, and a reinforced hangar deck. Her armament evolved from original 5"/38 caliber gun batteries to include 3"/50 caliber guns and later, RIM-2 Terrier surface-to-air missile systems. She could operate approximately 90-100 aircraft, including F-8 Crusader fighters and A-4 Skyhawk attack planes during her later service.

Awards and legacy

Ticonderoga received five battle stars for her World War II service and three for the Vietnam War. She was also awarded the Navy Unit Commendation and the Meritorious Unit Commendation. The ship is historically significant as one of the last front-line fleet carriers of the Essex class to be decommissioned, representing the zenith of propeller-driven naval aviation and the transition to the jet age. Her name was later carried by the guided-missile cruiser USS Ticonderoga (CG-47), the lead ship of her class which introduced the Aegis Combat System.

Decommissioning and fate

After her final deployment, Ticonderoga was decommissioned on 1 September 1973 at Naval Station San Diego. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 16 November 1973. Despite efforts for preservation, the carrier was sold for scrap to the Zidell Explorations company in 1974 and dismantled in Portland, Oregon the following year. Some artifacts, including her bell, are displayed at the Fort Ticonderoga museum in New York.

Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers of the United States Navy Category:Ships built in Virginia Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States