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An email received from Bob on 05/17/2005
The
USS INDEPENDENCE was launched by New York Navy Yard June 6,
1958; sponsored by Mrs. Thomas Gates, wife of the Secretary of
the Navy; and commissioned January 10, 1959; Captain R. Y.
McElroy in command.
One of the newest class of "supercarriers" at the time of her
commissioning, INDEPENDENCE conducted shakedown training in the
Caribbean and arrived her home port Norfolk, June 30, 1959. On
August 25, during suitability trials on board INDEPENDENCE, an
A3D Skywarrior, piloted by Lt. Cmdr. Ed Decker, took off at a
gross weight of 84,000 pounds - the heaviest aircraft ever to
take off from a carrier.
INDEPENDENCE operated off the Virginia Capes for the next year
on training maneuvers, and departed August 4, 1960 for her first
cruise to the Mediterranean. There, she added her great strength
to the peace-keeping power of the 6th Fleet in that troubled
region, remaining in the eastern Mediterranean until her return
to Norfolk March 3, 1961. The remainder of the year was spent in
training and readiness operations off the Atlantic coast.
INDEPENDENCE sailed April 19, 1962 for Sixth Fleet duty in
support of President John F. Kennedy's firm stand on Berlin
during a reoccurrence of stress in a critical area. She returned
to Norfolk August 27, and sailed October 11 for the Caribbean
Sea. Called on by President Kennedy on October 24, during the
1962 Cuban missile crisis, INDEPENDENCE provided a strong,
visible reminder of U.S. determination and resolve while it
acted as a key participant in the U.S. naval blockade of Cuba.
She arrived off Puerto Rico in response to the presence of
Soviet missiles in Cuba and took part in the quarantine
operations which finally forced withdrawal of those missiles.
She then returned to Norfolk November 25, for readiness
exercises along the eastern seaboard, overhaul in the Norfolk
Naval Shipyard, and refresher training out of Guantanamo Bay.
INDEPENDENCE departed Norfolk August 6, 1963 to take part in
combined readiness exercises in the Bay of Biscay with sea-air
units of the United Kingdom and France then entered the
Mediterranean August 21, for further duty with the Sixth Fleet.
Cruising throughout the Mediterranean, she gained much valuable
experience during combined NATO exercises, including close air
support to Turkish paratroops, reconnaissance, communications,
and convoy strike support. President Makarios of Cyprus paid her
a visit October 7, 1963, after which she joined in bilateral
U.S.-Italian exercises in the Adriatic with Italian patrol
torpedo boats, and U.S.-French exercises which pitted her
aircraft against French interceptors and a surface action with
French cruiser COLBERT (C 611). She returned to Norfolk March 4,
l964.
Following training exercises, ranging north to New York and
south to Mayport, Fla., INDEPENDENCE departed Norfolk September
8, 1964 for NATO Teamwork exercises in the Norwegian Sea and off
the coast of France, thence to Gibraltar. She returned to
Norfolk November 5, 1964 and entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard
for overhaul.
On May 10, 1965, INDEPENDENCE deployed for more than seven
months, including 100 days in the South China Sea off the coast
of Vietnam, the first Atlantic Fleet carrier to do so. She also
was the fifth U.S. carrier operating off Vietnam. INDEPENDENCE
and her embarked Air Wing 7 received the award of the Navy Unit
Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from June 5
to November 21, 1965. They participated in the first major
series of coordinated strikes against vital enemy supply lines
north of the Hanoi-Haiphong complex, successfully evading the
first massive surface-to-air missile barrage in aviation history
while attacking assigned targets, and executing, with daring and
precision, the first successful attack on an enemy
surface-to-air missile installation. The carrier launched more
than 7,000 sorties in sustaining an exceptional pace of day and
night strike operations against military and logistic supply
facilities in North Vietnam. "The superior team spirit, courage,
professional competence, and devotion to duty displayed by the
officers and men of Independence and embarked Attack Carrier Air
Wing Seven reflect great credit upon themselves and the United
States Naval Service." INDEPENDENCE returned to her homeport,
Norfolk, Va. arriving December 13, 1965. During the first half
of 1966, she operated off Norfolk, replenishing and training air
groups. On May 4, 1966, she participated in Operation Strikex.
The carrier departed Norfolk June 13, for European operations
with the Sixth Fleet. INDEPENDENCE was involved with unit and
NATO exercises from July into December. She then continued her
Sixth Fleet deployment into 1967. On September 25, 1970, word
was received that Gamal Abdul Nasser, President of the United
Arab Republic had died; an event that might plunge the entire
Middle East into a crisis. INDEPENDENCE, along with USS JOHN F.
KENNEDY (CV 67), USS SARATOGA (CV 60), and seven other U.S. Navy
ships, were put on standby in case U.S. military protection was
needed for the evacuation of U.S. citizens and as a
counterbalance to the Soviet Union's Mediterranean fleet. Pilots
of VMA-142, -131, and -133 began qualification landings in A-4
Skyhawks aboard INDEPENDENCE on August 3, 1971. For the next
three days, four active duty and 20 reserve pilots operated
aboard the carrier - the first time that Marine Corps Air
Reserve Squadrons qualified in carrier duty. In May 1973,
President Richard M. Nixon delivered his annual Armed Forces Day
address from the decks of INDEPENDENCE. While based in Norfolk,
the ship made deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian
Ocean. From October 8 to 13, 1973, Task Force 60.1 with
INDEPENDENCE, Task Force 60.2 with USS FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT (CV
42), and Task Force 61/62 with USS GUADALCANAL (LPH 7) were
alerted for possible evacuation contingencies in the Middle
East. The ships were on alert as a result of the 1973 Yom Kippur
war between Arab states and Israel. INDEPENDENCE operated off
the island of Crete.