USS Saratoga
The USS Saratoga was built in 1952 as a Forrestal Class Supercarrier, designed to hold a tremendous amount of weight and cargo. The Saratoga was the last ship that was built with an axial deck, and later she was converted to have an angled deck. The ship, which was named after the Battle of Saratoga, was built in the New York Naval Shipyard and launched on October 8, 1955. By that time her classification had been changed to Attack Aircraft Carrier. She was commissioned by the Navy on April 14, 1956 and put under the command of Captain R.J. Stroh.
After completing standard exercises and operations, she sailed to Florida. On June 6, 1957, Former President Eisenhower and several members of his cabinet came aboard The Saratoga to witness demonstrations of her superior weapons technology.
On February 1, 1958, The Saratoga sailed to the Mediterranean and joined the 6th Fleet. For nearly a year she spent her time either there, or back in the US stationed in Florida.
The Saratoga was taken to Pennsylvania on January 2, 1968 to receive upgrades and new technology. Nearly a year later she was finally finished, and her crew went through a tough period of training. The newly refurbished ship received another President - on Armed Forces Day President Nixon boarded The Saratoga for a demonstration of her amazing firepower.
By 1972 The Saratoga had been reclassified as a Multi-purpose Aircraft Carrier, and became deeply involved in the Vietnam Conflict. She served as a member of the 7th Fleet and took part in many combat missions, making a total of 7 trips to The Gulf of Tonkin to participate in the war effort. Over this time, her aircraft flew hundreds of missions into Vietnam and played a major part in the ongoing battles. For her efforts in this war, The Saratoga received one battle star.
In September of 1980, The Saratoga was the first ship to be put into a new program known as the Service Life Extension Program. This consisted of a complete overhaul of the ship that took over 2 years to complete. By February 2, 1983, she was ready to set out to sea again, complete with a new nickname for the ship, Super Sara.
On her second deployment as a refurbished ship, The Saratoga became involved in a hijacking incident. A group of terrorists hijacked an Italian luxury liner called the Achille Lauro. Once they were back on land, these terrorists boarded a jet plane and made a retreat. President Ronald Reagan ordered the fighter planes on board The Saratoga to find and intercept the jet. In just over an hour The Saratoga's planes had located the jet and forced it to land, the terrorists were arrested, and the planes had returned to their ship.
The Saratoga continued to be involved in important missions over the next several years, such as Operation Desert Storm. She remained active until August 20, 1994. She was decommissioned and removed from the Naval Vessel Register on the same day. Since then she has been partially stripped to provide parts for active ships. Throughout her long and distinguished career, The Saratoga has received many honors and special guests. Perhaps her sterling record has only one stain on it; the presence of asbestos on the ship. Before asbestos was discovered to be a hazardous material, it was used commonly in construction products such as insulation. Since asbestos is made up of tiny fibers, anytime the insulation or other products crack or break apart, those fibers are released into the air, where they may be easily breathed in. Once inhaled, the asbestos can cause diseases such as mesothelioma and other forms of respiratory disease. Those who sailed on Saratoga before the asbestos was removed should be aware of the dangers they may have faced, and be checked out by a doctor for the possibility of asbestos exposure.
Last modified: June 27 2008.
