Last voyage of the Oriskany

Another link with quality pictures

http://www.irishmansoftware.com/Oriskany.htm

A225HVY

Just a couple of different views of Oriskany’s sinking.

Some of the modified Essex class that were in the disposal yards in the bay. They obvoiusly had been de-mothballed, as their white coating and other sealing material had been removed.

I don’t know which ones, but if you can find out when (month & year) the movie was filmed, then more might be learned.

An addition to my post above: SCB-27A also included re-building the Island and funnel structure to increase the internal control spaces and angle the aft end of the funnel.

Ja… the Bonnie (CVA-31) was stricken 20 Sep. 1989, and sold for scrap on 4 Feb. 1992.

The following modified Essex-class carriers were still in USN possession in 1980:
CVA-11 Intrepid – stricken 30/9/80 (preserved as museum New York City, N.Y.[CVS-11])
CVS-12 Hornet – stricken 25/7/89 (preserved as museum Alameda, Ca. )
CVA-16 Lexington – stricken 26/11/91 (preserved as museum Corpus Christi, Tx. [CVS-16/AVT-16])
CVS-20 Bennington – stricken 20/9/89 (sold for scrap 12/1/94)
CVA-31 Bon Homme Richard- stricken 20/9/89 (sold for scrap 4/2/92)
CVA-34 Oriskany – stricken 25/7/89 (sunk as reef 17/5/06)
CVA-38 Shangri-La – stricken 15/7/82 (sold for scrap 9/8/88 [scrapped in Taiwan][CVS-38])

The only other existing Essex-class carrier is the CVS-10 Yorktown, which was stricken 1/6/73 (preserved as museum Patriot’s Point, Charleston, S. C.. She was formally dedicated as a memorial on the 200th anniversary of the Navy, 13 October 1975.)

1973-1976 were the years of “the great scrapping”… with 7 modified Essex-class carriers meeting the torches:
CVS-9 Essex – stricken 1/6/73 (sold for scrap 1/6/75)
CVA-14 Ticonderoga – stricken 16/11/73 (sold for scrap 1/9/75 [CVS-14])
CVS-15 Randolph – stricken 1/6/73 (sold for scrap ?)
CVS-18 Wasp – stricken 1/7/72 (sold for scrap 21/5/73)
CVA-19 Hancock – stricken 31/1/76 (sold for scrap 1/9/76)
CVS-33 Kearsarge – stricken 1/5/73 (sold for scrap _/2/74)
CVS-36 Antietam – stricken 1/5/73 (sold for scrap 28/2/74 [only partially modified])

The “unmodified” Essex-class carriers were disposed of as follows:
CVS-13 Franklin – stricken 1/10/64 (sold for scrap 27/7/66 [AVT-8])
CVS-17 Bunker Hill – stricken 1/11/66 (retained as moored electronic test ship San Diego until Nov 1972; Scrapped 1973 [unmodified from WW2 configuration][AVT-9])
CVS-21 Boxer – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap _/2/71 [LPH-4])
CVS-32 Leyte – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap _/_/70 [AVT-10])
CVS-37 Princeton – stricken 30/1/70 (sold for scrap _/5/71 [LPH-5])
CVS-39 Lake Champlain – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap 28/4/72)
CVS-40 Tarawa – stricken 1/6/67 (sold for scrap 3/10/68 [AVT-12])
CVS-45 Valley Forge – stricken 15/1/70 (sold for scrap 29/10/71 [LPH-8])
CVS-47 Philippine Sea – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap _/3/71 [AVT-11])

note that the 7 which had been designated CVA were the only ones with steam catapults, all others had hydraulic ones.
CVA=Attack Carrier
CVS=Anti-Submarine Carrier
AVT=Aviation Transport (later Aviation Training Ship)
LPH=Landing ship, Personnel, Helicopter

The following site shows which ships recieved which modifications, and when.
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/cvcvn.htm

27A was a strengthening of the flight deck & handling equipment, H-1 catapults replaced by H-8, larger elevators,fitting for jets, removal of the twin 5″ guns, and hull bulging from 93′ to 101′.
27C was installation of C-11 steam catapults and stronger arresting gear, more flight-deck strengthening, aft elevator moved to starboard deck-edge, and hull bulging to 103′.
125 was enclosing the bow, adding the “angle deck”, re-aligning the arresting gear and replacing it with one with half the wires, and lengthening the forward elevator.
125A (CVA-34) was the 27C & 125 with metal over the wood flight deck aft and the strongest arresting gear fitted to any Essex carrier.
144 was ASW oriented and included a SQS-23 bow-dome-mounted sonar [early 1960s](CVS-9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 33).

CVA-11, 14, 19 received 125 in the later period, not another 27C or 17C.
CVA-16, 31, 38 received 125 along with 27C in the same period.

A nearly off topic question… What were the carriers that appears supposedly in San Francisco Bay in one of the “Dirty Harry” Films?

Ja… the Bonnie (CVA-31) was stricken 20 Sep. 1989, and sold for scrap on 4 Feb. 1992.

The following modified Essex-class carriers were still in USN possession in 1980:
CVA-11 Intrepid – stricken 30/9/80 (preserved as museum New York City, N.Y.[CVS-11])
CVS-12 Hornet – stricken 25/7/89 (preserved as museum Alameda, Ca. )
CVA-16 Lexington – stricken 26/11/91 (preserved as museum Corpus Christi, Tx. [CVS-16/AVT-16])
CVS-20 Bennington – stricken 20/9/89 (sold for scrap 12/1/94)
CVA-31 Bon Homme Richard- stricken 20/9/89 (sold for scrap 4/2/92)
CVA-34 Oriskany – stricken 25/7/89 (sunk as reef 17/5/06)
CVA-38 Shangri-La – stricken 15/7/82 (sold for scrap 9/8/88 [scrapped in Taiwan][CVS-38])

The only other existing Essex-class carrier is the CVS-10 Yorktown, which was stricken 1/6/73 (preserved as museum Patriot’s Point, Charleston, S. C.. She was formally dedicated as a memorial on the 200th anniversary of the Navy, 13 October 1975.)

1973-1976 were the years of “the great scrapping”… with 7 modified Essex-class carriers meeting the torches:
CVS-9 Essex – stricken 1/6/73 (sold for scrap 1/6/75)
CVA-14 Ticonderoga – stricken 16/11/73 (sold for scrap 1/9/75 [CVS-14])
CVS-15 Randolph – stricken 1/6/73 (sold for scrap ?)
CVS-18 Wasp – stricken 1/7/72 (sold for scrap 21/5/73)
CVA-19 Hancock – stricken 31/1/76 (sold for scrap 1/9/76)
CVS-33 Kearsarge – stricken 1/5/73 (sold for scrap _/2/74)
CVS-36 Antietam – stricken 1/5/73 (sold for scrap 28/2/74 [only partially modified])

The “unmodified” Essex-class carriers were disposed of as follows:
CVS-13 Franklin – stricken 1/10/64 (sold for scrap 27/7/66 [AVT-8])
CVS-17 Bunker Hill – stricken 1/11/66 (retained as moored electronic test ship San Diego until Nov 1972; Scrapped 1973 [unmodified from WW2 configuration][AVT-9])
CVS-21 Boxer – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap _/2/71 [LPH-4])
CVS-32 Leyte – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap _/_/70 [AVT-10])
CVS-37 Princeton – stricken 30/1/70 (sold for scrap _/5/71 [LPH-5])
CVS-39 Lake Champlain – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap 28/4/72)
CVS-40 Tarawa – stricken 1/6/67 (sold for scrap 3/10/68 [AVT-12])
CVS-45 Valley Forge – stricken 15/1/70 (sold for scrap 29/10/71 [LPH-8])
CVS-47 Philippine Sea – stricken 1/12/69 (sold for scrap _/3/71 [AVT-11])

note that the 7 which had been designated CVA were the only ones with steam catapults, all others had hydraulic ones.
CVA=Attack Carrier
CVS=Anti-Submarine Carrier
AVT=Aviation Transport (later Aviation Training Ship)
LPH=Landing ship, Personnel, Helicopter

The following site shows which ships recieved which modifications, and when.
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/cvcvn.htm

27A was a strengthening of the flight deck & handling equipment, H-1 catapults replaced by H-8, larger elevators,fitting for jets, removal of the twin 5″ guns, and hull bulging from 93′ to 101′.
27C was installation of C-11 steam catapults and stronger arresting gear, more flight-deck strengthening, aft elevator moved to starboard deck-edge, and hull bulging to 103′.
125 was enclosing the bow, adding the “angle deck”, re-aligning the arresting gear and replacing it with one with half the wires, and lengthening the forward elevator.
125A (CVA-34) was the 27C & 125 with metal over the wood flight deck aft and the strongest arresting gear fitted to any Essex carrier.
144 was ASW oriented and included a SQS-23 bow-dome-mounted sonar [early 1960s](CVS-9, 10, 12, 15, 18, 20, 33).

CVA-11, 14, 19 received 125 in the later period, not another 27C or 17C.
CVA-16, 31, 38 received 125 along with 27C in the same period.

These pics are from the US Navy website gallery (search for Oriskany if the link doesn’t work). http://www.navy.mil/search/photolist.asp?sort_row=1&page=1&terms=oriskany&search_type=All
Hi-res versions are available too.

Sinking a Boeing 737

The east coast USA has seen New York City subway train cars sunk for
marine life habitates

www.artificialreef.bc.ca/

Video of her sinking

http://www.alert5.com/2006/05/goodbye-oriskany.html

Video of her leaving port.

Well, taking her apart in the US is too expnsive and letting her be taken apart elswhere might allow detailed study of her design but non-US powers, what else can there be done cost-effectively and safely but sink her as an artificial reef?

Saw her going down on the news, a crying shame! Such a great ship, it would have made a great casino in China…

Video of her leaving port.

And she’s started sinking…..

They’ve fired the charges. Sigh…..

Of this class of Carrier, what ever happened to Bonnie? I know she left active duty in the mid to late 80’s and I always thought that Australia could have used her. Could it have been retro fitted with modern day propulsion and given a second lease of life?

It´s time to say good bye…..

There is nothing “test” about this one (being a much-worked-over 1940 design)… she is simply being scuttled to provide an artificial reef for sea-life, and a wreck for recreational divers to dive on.

She is being scuttled in shallow water, and will become the property of the state of Florida when she reaches the (shallow, near-shore) bottom.

Yeah I agree, thanks sis!!!

Is it just me or is the USN sinking a lot of Carriers lately? Something tells me that the new type of carrier (the one that these tests are designed to help find facts for), is going to be one heck of a ship!

Nice pics, say thanks to you sister! 🙂