Wreck of USS America (CV-66)

USA / North Carolina / Wanchese /
 military, shipwreck, aircraft carrier, United States Navy
USS America was the 3rd member of the Kitty Hawk Class of conventionally powered Supercarriers and served with the US Navy from 1965 to 1996.

Originally scheduled to be Nuclear powered, the America was built with conventional propulsion after the USS Enterprise substantially overran her building costs. The America went on to serve out of Norfolk and was present for nearly every major international conflict since the 1960s, with deployments including the 6-day war, 3 Vietnam deployments, Libya and operations in the Desert Shield & Desert Storm in the 1st Gulf War.

While the balance of her sisterships were being decommissioned, the America was kept in commission through the mid 90s without her scheduled SLEP (Service Life Extension Project) when she suffered what the US Navy called a severe engineering casualty. Crew stated "Parts went up the flues". Either way, damage was severe and the America was subsequently decommissioned in August 1996.

The America was towed into NISMF Philadelphia where she was slowly stripped of her parts and electronics to support her sister USS Kitty Hawk, which is still in service and forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan. Several efforts were mounted to save the America as a museum ship however all proved unsuccessful as the US Navy decided that she would be far more valuable as a target ship for weapons tests, as much of the Kitty Hawk Class design has been repeated in the Nimitz Class of Supercarriers.

Towed out of Philadelphia on April 19, 2005, the USS America was the subject of 4 weeks of extensive live-fire excercises, purportedly involving Cruise Missiles, Mines and small boat IED's. USS America survived all these tests and was eventually sunk at this location by controlled scuttling on May 14th, 2005 in 2,180 fathoms (16,860ft) approximately 250 miles east of Cape Hatteras and now lies on an even keel on the seafloor. The exact details of her final exercise and sinking will likely remain classified for some time.

To date, the America is the only Supercarrier to be sunk by the US Navy.

www.navsource.org/archives/02/66.htm
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_America_(CV-66)
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   33°9'10"N   71°39'4"W

Comments

  • My hubby served onboard during Vietnam with VFMA-333. It's a shame the America ended up as target practice.
  • Things of that nature help us build better ships as well as train our personnel so it's not all bad.
  • Very good choice of pictures.
  • Updated the coordinates to the exact location released in 2010.
  • Plankowner - Returned for Decomm. Sad day then, even more sad when she was sunk.
  • HAD TIME OF MY LIFE ON BOARD HER, I STILL DREAM IAM ON ACTIVE DUTY AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR.
  • I was a Plank owner of this beautiful ship America .Served on the Aft cats and loved every moment of it.Miss the crew too ! RIP America
  • did the last cruse on her as my first ship
  • Served as an engine men from 82-85.
  • I know someone who was a pilot on that ship, Robert Carey
  • I was the Command Master Chief in VA-85 when Bob Carey was there. Daniel Bush is my name. Please tell him hello for me.
  • was on the America from 1965 to 1969 in the v-3 dept'
  • I saw a pic of her actually sinking. Her flight deck appeared intact and she went down by the bow. All of the talk I've read about her supposedly being split in half by a Sunburn or a thermobaric missile is false. To all that served and to those who never made it home, I thank you.
  • We all salute who served aboard her.
  • I was ships company in the medical department under the command Admiral Leighton ("SNUFFY) Smith and Medical Officer Jerry Rogers, From 1983 to 1983, My name is Dennis(HARRY-O) Harris.
  • Served onboard from 89 to 91 with vaq-137 the "rooks" 29 confirmed kills of 31 missiles in desert storm. Good memories, glad she went out fighting sad she did.
  • Marvin Alexander Served aboard from 1972 to 1974. Air Department. V-2 waist cats....cat 3. Later transfer to the jet shop ALMD.
  • I served on the America from 1970-1973. It was sad to see her go down. I saw her in Philly 6 months before she was sunk. It brought back a lot of memories. She will be missed. Don MM
  • I served aboard her from November 1977- October 1981. I was helmsman, and received my master helmsman license. She stood the test of time.
  • When she was commissioned she came to pier 12 in Norfolk NOB. I was an honor guard from another ship. Richard Nixon came on board. What a beautiful ship. was shocked to see her in Philadelphia navy yard and to hear of the waste.
  • Served aboard her 77-81, it totally sucks to hear of the disgrace the u.s Navy bestowed on her. Why would you shoot at and then sink a fighting ship caring the name america?? And then sink so frickin deep, that sailors who served aboard her have no way to have their ashes placed aboard her.There are many old ww2 carriers in mothballs that could have served as a target. It seems disgraceful to do this to a ship named America. She will always be preforming flight OPS in the med in my dreams. Goodbye old girl
  • I served from june of 90 until feb of 93. VAQ is a squadron correct? that does suck that we will never be able to see any part of her again. not a huge military guy but sure would be cool some day to go take a walk on the ship I once served on. How far into 91. you were stationed when we were out to sea for 92/93/94 days straight. remember that. had a sub sandwich as long as the flight deck during the "steel beech" Picnic. LOL Wow crazy. Jim Beckstrom is my name. I was V-4 division. Fuels. worked the night shift most of the time. 6pm to 6am.
  • I served on the America when her designation was Attack Carrier, CVA-66 for her first Vietnam Nam tour and the Around the world Cruise. Won't the navy E with hash marks and was awarded a Presidental Unit Citation! She was a fine lady and didn't deserve her final end!
  • I served on her for the cruise of1981 I thought she was a great ship also. I was with VAQ133 out of whidby nWA. I think it's to bad they sunk her, I would have liked to someday go back to see her, but she will live forever in my memory. RIP.
  • James Boulton you are so right. I am just now finding out her fate. She was a proud lady and I was honored to serve aboard her --- Tonkin Gulf, 1970. RIP USS America.
  • My dad served on The America BMC Raymond Webb. I'm his daughter Harriett Webb. I remember going aboard several times. the gangway was the scariest part.
  • I salute and Thank each and every one of the Enlisted and Officers who served on board this beautiful girl. God Bless you all. Its a shame she was given such a sad decommission.
  • Spent most of 1984 on America working on the radar planes VAW-123 Screwtops as corrosion control and later lineman.
  • Glenn Maranz (guest) Ships company Parachute Rigger. I just missed being a plank owner but I was there for the Israeli-Arab war, the U.S.S. Liberty incident and the Russian Bears flying overhead etc. etc. Seventy years old and still think of her often! Really sorry I can't bring my grandchildren to see her after hearing so many of my "Navy stories".
  • I servied on board the uss america cva 66 from 1965-1969, She was a good ship hated to see her put down that way but we couldn’t do any thing about that wish we could have. R.I.P. america......
  • She was my home for 4 years, 8 months and 8 days in 1975 to 1980. I was aboard for 3 Med Cruises, saw Pope John Paul II on Easter Sunday in Vatican City, went to the Coliseum in Rome, went to a casino in Split Yugoslavia went on liberty in Guntanimo Bay Cuba, the Virgin Islands, became a Shellback on the way to San Salvador and Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. One of my most memorable liberties was in Cairo Egypt, where I rode on a camel in the shadow of the pyramids. Some of the best times in my life. Yes, it was a job, but it was an awesome adventure. I miss her greatly. She was scuttled on my 50th birtday.
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This article was last modified 11 years ago