The Life of the Oriskany

The USS Oriskany is going to be sunk to create a reef, the largest vessell ever to undertake such a mission. Here’s some background:

· 1943: Congress authorized the construction of the attack aircraft carrier USS Oriskany CV-34.

· 1945: Launched, New York Naval Shipyard.

· 1950: Commissioned, New York Naval Shipyard.

· 1952: Became the first ship to round Cape Horn.

· 1952: Arrives at new home port in San Diego.

· 1952-53: Combat operations off Korea.

· 1953: “The Bridges at Toko Ri” filmed on board.

· 1958-59: Angled flight deck added during a major renovation at the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard.

· 1963: President Kennedy witnesses operational readiness demonstration aboard the Oriskany in San Diego.

· 1965: First combat operations off Vietnam.

· 1966: Magazine fire kills 44 crew members off Vietnam; arrives at new homeport, Alameda, Calif.

· 1967: Assists USS Forrestal when fire strikes that carrier off Vietnam.

· 1968: Overhaul and repairs, San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard.

· 1969-1973: Combat operations off Vietnam.

· 1975-76: Final cruise in western Pacific.

· 1976: Decommissioned, Alameda, Calif.

· 1995: Sold for scrap, Vallejo, Calif.

· 1997: Scrap contractor defaults, repossessed by Navy.

· 1999: Towed to Beaumont, Texas.

· 2003: Efforts under way to have Escambia County selected as site for sinking of decommissioned ship. Cities in other states also make bids.

· 2004: Towed to Corpus Christi, Texas, to be cleaned and prepared for use as artificial reef.

· 2004: Escambia County selected as site for sinking.