USS Kitty Hawk
There were two vessels in the US Navy named after the town in North Carolina where the Wright Brothers flew their first manned aircraft. The first (AKV-1) was a civilian ship purchased by the US Navy in 1941 and refitted as an aircraft transport. The second (CV-63) is currently in service as the lead ship of the Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers.
Kitty Hawk AKV-1 was commissioned as a Navy ship in 1941 just in time to transport vital equipment to the fleet decimated by the attack on Pearl Harbor. She sailed back and forth from Hawaii to the West Coast several times carrying important planes and supplies on each trip. She provided transportation back to the US for the men of the USS Hornet, which had gone down during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. Between February of 1943 and June 1944 the Kitty Hawk made seven voyages to Hawaii and seven to the southwest Pacific carrying men, planes and ammunition. She continued her duties as needed until the hostilities ceased in 1945. She was decommissioned in January 1946 and returned to her original civilian owners, Seatrain Lines.
The second Kitty Hawk (CV-63) was commissioned in 1961 in Philadelphia. She is the first and only active carrier in her class. Her maiden voyage took her around Cape Horn to San Diego where she participated in air and sea demonstrations for Admiral George W. Anderson. In 1962 she joined the 7th Fleet and replaced the USS Midway as the flagship.
In 1965 she was refitted and sailed to Vietnam to enter into combat operations there.
She was able to be an effective fighting unit despite intense enemy fire and very poor weather conditions. She was honored with the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from November 1965 to May 1966. She supported the US presence in the Far East until 1967.
During the 1970’2 the Kitty Hawk underwent several modernizations to allow her to participate fully in the Navy’s plans. Her fuel system was updated and she was refitted to handle Grumman F-14 Tomcats. In 1979 she assisted in the rescue of many Vietnamese civilians who were attempting to flee their country in small boats. She was also sent to the North Arabian Sea to provide support during the Iran Hostage Crisis.
Since 1998 the Kitty Hawk has served as the only permanently deployed aircraft carrier in the fleet. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she was deployed to the North Arabian Sea to offer support for Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2008 the Kitty Hawk will be replaced as the forward carrier by the USS George Washington and decommissioned sometime later in the year.
Both of the vessels named Kitty Hawk served their country well. Unfortunately, they were both constructed during periods when the dangers of asbestos exposure were unknown and the crewmen aboard both vessels may have been put at risk for serious respiratory problems because this material was used widely as an insulator on piping and electrical fixtures within the ship’s construction. Any sailor who is concerned about possible asbestos contamination should consult a specialist to be evaluated.
