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Final Voyage of the USS Kitty Hawk
THE FINAL VOYAGE
OF THE USS KITTY HAWK
By Dr. Kimberly Selber Photography by Michael Sularz
Like waiting on an old friend not seen in decades, hundreds of veterans and spectators lined the shores of Isla Blanca Park to pay tribute to the USS Kitty Hawk one last time.
On May 31st, the US Navy’s last commissioned conventionally powered aircraft carrier finished her final voyage. Traveling from the Naval Base Kitsap in Bremerton, Washington, the “Battle Cat” traveled 16,000 miles to Brownsville, Texas. The massive aircraft carrier was too large to go through the Panama Canal and had to be towed around South America and through the Strait of Magellan, a journey that took several months.
The majestic lady was commissioned into service in 1961, and by 1962 she was practicing launching and recovering the U-2 Dragon Lady— high-altitude reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft. Seven years later, Kitty Hawk and her air wing were awarded a presidential unit citation for contributions during the Vietnam War’s Tet Offensive.
In 1998 Kitty Hawk moved to Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan. For the next ten years, she was positioned in the Pacific, only leaving to support Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and later, Operation Iraqi Freedom. In 2009, USS Kitty Hawk was officially retired and was the last ship in its class to be decommissioned.
As their final salute, many former Navy Veterans who served on the Kitty Hawk attended a tribute ceremony at the Cameron County Amphitheater to share stories and see old friends. It was the end of an era.
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