USS Saratoga begins her final voyage with one last fixed wing carrier take off / landing.
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- Опубліковано 23 сер 2014
- This video is about USS Saratoga departure from Newport, RI on 8/21/14 and features an electric model airplane taking off from a real aircraft carrier that is underway.
I did three tours on Sara. The first was with VA-83 out of Cecil Field flying A-7's. Two tours as ships company with V-2 Division. So I lived on the flight deck. It was the toughest time of my life, worked my ass off, never got any sleep, and the chow line was endless....never thought I would miss that life so much. But the ship got old and so did I...the Navy has no need for me or Sara any more...but I have no regrets, and I am thankful for the memories good and bad.
thank you for your service
This made me really sad. My Dad had two tours in the Mediterranean on the Saratoga, he was a fighter pilot. His favorite thing to do was land on the carrier at night, he said it was like landing on a postage stamp in the middle of the ocean. My dad died in 2015 but boy did he love to fly! I've actually been on this ship and I still remember the smells the sounds and we were treated like royalty. I miss you Papa ( CDR. L.D. Tennison ).
The grand ole ship had her problems through the years, but in the Gulf of Tonkin her squadrons flew more sorties, dropped more bombs, and hit more targets than any carrier in a war zone. I was in VA-75 1970-74 and made three cruises on the ship. I salute you!
I was there 70 - 73 VAW 123, we used the same wheels and tires as the A6's, we swapped back and forth as needed. If it was made of metal, W/C 120 fixed it.
The SARATOGA was where I experienced most of my carrier aviation...1967-73..where the sharp helmsman made a hard PORT turn to avoid running over me after my forced ejection of # 4 Cat. Damage control experts kept us afloat when we flooded #3 boiler room off Athens Greece. I left VA-105 for advanced flight instructor duty just when SARA headed off to engage in the final missions of the VN war....she established a phenomenal combat record (see previous comments)...forgive the tear in my eye as I say goodbye great lady.
Hooray for all VA and VAW personnel.
Seems fitting that the very last air op be a Corsair... Okay, a little Corsair, but still...
This SARATOGA never carried Corsairs.
Artemis Gordon; It was still pretty cool!
Corsair II, the A-7. I was with VA-305 when we went aboard Ranger, CVA-61 for a two week cruise.
Artemis Gordon Well, during WW2, the Navy felt like due to the high cockpit and that it was hard to negotiate a landing, that the F4U Corsair would better be suited to taking off and landing from land bases then from a carrier. However, wasn't it used during Korean war???
The USN eventually operated the F4U from carriers during WWII.
The Corsairs closed out 1944 by going aboard the fast
carriers with both Navy and Marine pilots assigned to fly them. Assignment to shipboard duty was the
year’s supreme accomplishment for the F4U’s. It came none too soon as the Japanese were
threatening the entire U.S. Fleet with kamikaze attacks, and their fighters were getting better and
faster.
As a result of the growing kamikaze tide, VMF-124, the first Marine squadron to take Corsairs into
combat, also became the first to operate from a carrier.
www.aviatorsdatabase.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/F4U-Corsair-summary.pdf
Few can say they landed a model airplane on a real carrier. Wow.
and fewer can say they have landed a real plans on a model aircraft carrier
Ta Hun Kwai
much fewer can say the sailed on a real Carrier on a model Sea
2:30 that’ll buff out.
@@tahunkwai5979 You are so right! 🤣
Few have landed a model carrier on a real AC-130 Gunship
My Father Served aboard Her...
I walked her deck at 7 years old....
RIP CV-60...RIP #WilliamHWatson...
I was stationed on that great ship when I first got in the Navy. The best ship I was ever on. I also was one of the last 4 people to be stationed there before it was sent off. It was a sad day when it left and I was not able to cross the Quarter deck anymore. I salute you old girl. So many great memories.
I was proud to be an aviator aboard the "Sara" in the mid to late 70's. Sorry she is being retired, but she made plenty of deployments during her career. RIP lovely lady!!
Aj corson Thank you for your service, sir.
Aj, my brother in law was a Marine on that ship in 1977-78. He has many fond memories. Thank you for your service.
It saddens me to see the Sara in this state. She was my home from 76-79 and as much as I cursed at her back in those days - I always was proud to have served on her. Everything passes in time, but the memories of the Saratoga will live on in the minds of those who had the honor of calling her "my ship".
My brother Floyd Slaton jr. served 23 year on that ol girl 3 tours in Vietnam. I sure miss him. And it is sad to see his ship gone.
Thank you for all who served !
Worked on her during, 1986 Philadelphia, Naval Yard, overhaul, did stress relief, Cat system, and all boilers! WG- ship Electrician, learned, in Navy, served on board CV-67, Kennnedy. That pay got me my Family! Glad she held up!
Hey shipmate, did med cruise 80, took her to philly, left in 82. Can't believe I'm seeing this.
Carry on.
I remember standing out on those flight deck spurs leaning into the wind like an idiot. Farewell Sara' Air dept/V-1 Div/Fly 1 87-90
+John McPherson thank you for your service!
John McPherson
Were you a pilot for the F14 tomcat?
Oh no, I was in V-1 division. I toted chocks and chains and crawled underneath the aircraft while they were connected to the catapults. Just a humble blueshirt I was 👍
John McPherson no humble at all. Vital job and a dangerous one, I think. Thanks for your service.
Such a sad thing for me. I spent 27 years in the Navy. The USS Forrestal was my first ship, but I went TAD to the Saratoga in early 1984. I remember her being at Berth C2 NavSta Mayport and getting underway for the Med. All the ships I served on are gone now...only my memories, photos, and cruise books to keep them alive .
Todd F thanks for ur service
I served on 2 DDs the USS Cotton DD669, out of Newport, the Uss Roert K. Huntington out of Mayport. Discharged in 65 but made Med cruises with the Sara, Rosey, Enterprise, I expect they'll all be gone soon along with my 2 Cans... So Sad!
Thank you want did for us
Sst Pilot My Grandpa was on the USS forrestal and USS Saratoga
I was on the otherside with the FF's...in Mayport 78-82' I remember Sara and the USS ZIPPO "Forrestal" I was called upon by the commander of the base to do security exercises to see if I could get on board a vessel anyway I could and plant paper bombs to do as much damage as possible to the base. I wanted. a Carrier but my Captain said to start small so I attacked the USS Patterson and BLEW her up the went after the USS Dale CG-19 Guided Missle Cruiser and got caught halfway down the starboard side by the Officer of the Deck....
Here's some Saratoga lore for all of you.
Perhaps you remember Sara having a wide, vertical black stripe on her island running up underneath the big '60'.
That was a referral to the older USS Saratoga, CV-3. She wore a vertical black stripe on her funnel so you could more easily tell her apart from her sister, the USS Lexington, CV-2. CV-60 was wearing that stripe every time I saw her.
My dad served on USS Saratoga CV3 1940-1943
I was a member of VA-44 and we were part of the air group on Sara's shake down cruise in 1956. She should have become a museum.
One of my brothers served on her during the gulf war. I have a jacket he gave me with a few campaign patches sewn to it. It had a silhouette of her with CV-60. One that sticks out to me is “Red Sea Yacht Club.” Uncle Sam holding the Ten Commandments with “Thou shall not pass.”
I was aboard Sara then with VAQ-132. I have both of those patches!
SUPER SARA....My first ship...82-86....Great times!!!!
Joe Marzocca thank you for ya service sir
I worked on her as a civilian while she was in the Philly shipyard, just prior to that.
My dad was on her in 81-84 I believe, he was a brown shirt
I was on the first cruise after she left the Philly shipyards. Med Cruise "84. I was an Air Wing Marine working I level attached to VMA-533.
USS Luce DDG-38 - 1985-1987 Tied up across the basin from you guys all the time. Sara and the Forest Fire next to each other. Good times!
Clint my boy I am very very envious of you sir. You got the chance of a life time to be the last aircraft/Pilot to take off and land on the Saratoga. Didn't know when I clicked vid it was anything to do with r/c what a great idea to bring your F4U along, when you took off my first thought was "oh man I hope you get it back that's risky" but then thought well sort of I mean the Sara is HUGE. Well done sir.
My Uncle was a gunners mate second class on the Saratoga. I use to see her from my ship the USS John Hancock DD 981 in Mayport, Florida all the time when we were in port. She was a sight to behold with a lot of history...I thank all those Officer's and men who projected America's naval power around the world i defence of freedom and democracy. God bless this great nation and her allies. 😀👍🇺🇸
This was incredibly difficult to watch. I was onboard when we crossed the Line of Death in '85. My berthing was 6feet below the #2catch cable where the planes landed. My job was fuels. V-4. That ship took me to many countries and molded me into who I became. I will miss her dearly.
Day after tomorrow, 26 years ago on 19 August, 1994, Sara was decommissioned. I was there to see and hear all the festivities that are associated with retiring a US Navy warship. The ceremony was fitting for a ship which had a very long, successful career as one of our nation’s most elite ships of the line. Saratoga will always be remembered for being available and ready when her nation needed her most. I served two tours onboard Sara. My first tour was from June 1975 to September 1979. My second tour was from December 1982 to December 1987. I made six Mediterranean cruises and one Indian Ocean cruise while onboard Sara. In 1994 & 1995 I, along with many others, desperately tried in vain to raise funds to Save Our Sara and have her turned into a museum located on the banks of the St. Johns River. Sadly, our efforts failed to secure enough funds to make Super Sara part of the Jacksonville skyline. I live 3.8 short miles from where Saratoga used to moor at Charlie One Pier. I can still remember that first day when I first walked up her gangway and the feeling of pride being able to call this ship, the USS Saratoga, My Ship. May God Bless you Sara, and all the men who live onboard you.
Amen sailor, and thank you for your service
Hi. I was aboard the Super Sara from 1982 to 1986. Machinist's Mate, P-6 Division. A fine lady, she was.
I served on the Sara during Desert Storm, followed by the 1992 Med Cruise. It makes me so sad to see her on the bottom of the ocean. She belongs up top, where she lived for so many proud years. Farewell to an old friend.
I never served on her but I served on several of her sister ships. The video is sad but the memories are fresh now. I thank them for that. I believe a touch and go by a real Navy aircraft would have been more appropriate though. God bless the crews that walked her decks and give eternal peace to those no longer with us.
Remember her tied up next to the Kitty Hawk and Constellation at North Island, San Diego in '63. The Kitty was in the middle and I stood on the flight deck and the steel seemed to extend to the horizon. Sad to see them gone, not forgotten.
I had a similar experience when I first saw the USS Constellation CV-64 at that same pier in '78. I came around the corner and saw her bow and it just seemed to go on forever. At that time it was The Constellation, the Kitty Hawk, and the Ranger I believe. I spent time on all three of those during my 12 years. It saddens me to see a grand old ship like that be towed off somewhere and scrapped. So many stories that will never be heard that happened on those steel decks.
@@brettt777 Wish she could have found a home as a museum ship, Clear skies and calm sea shipmate.
Wasn't the carrier I served on and I STILL can't help but get a little teary-eyed. Another amazing piece of engineering, with a long, storied career.
What a privilege to fly in such a "rc Runway" :D
i was assigned to VA-216 { A-4 squadron} & we did a med cruise aboard the uss saratoga back in 1967... a lot of great memories aboard that ship & we visited a lot of ports in the med, great times!
Sad, and yet happy to see these kind of videos. My ship, a cruiser, was decommed in the same massive group as this one (late '93 to 94). Unfortunately no one made a home video like this... When you serve aboard these things, it's hell for a 19 year old. I don't think I'd do it again. Yet seeing them all empty and rusted, is breathtaking.
Very sad to see such a mighty carrier in such a state being dragged to her final doom.
Gabriel Espinosa: Yes, dragged. I am further saddened that it was towed by a little commercial tug. I was on a fleet tug. A commissioned ship. It would have been more honorable to keep it in the family and do the final tow with an ATF or similar seagoing Navy tug. We would have had a respectful attitude, and not be overpaid for the work.
Well, outdated beauties gotta go, thats the sad truth of life, you cant stay on the war for half a century with the same sword, it will rust out.
No ship lives forever.
...well, except maybe USS constitution.
@@Sombody123 yeah, here in NYC, people barely go into the USS constitution, they go for Intrepid
@@Ava.G17x Thats because the Constitution is here in Bostons Charlsetown navy yard son and i see a lot of people visit her. Best you remain silent until you get a clue.
I went on a field trip to tour the Saratoga when I was a junior in high school (1993). And years before that (I think I was in 5th grade at the time), one of my uncles who lived up north saw the Sara and commented that an 18-wheeler on her deck would look like a damn toy.
Only 2 of us on board at the time LOL
Clint Walker
Hey, i was wondering what plane was the RC you flew?
Clint Walker that's a privilege sir.
+NightHawk 09 It was a little RC Vought F4U Corsair.
RiftZM
Thanks Rift, I was hoping to get one for my birthday
Missed the wires on landing dude. You don't get an OK from the LSO.
visited her in majorca in 1983/4 remember being amazed at her sheer size and the huge hangers we went on the bridge and down in her lower decks huge ship amazing experience something iv never forgotten
Im a 20 Year brit army vet , sad to see .. tears in my eyes.... cold war warrior ... like we didnt exsist
ragandoil thank you for your service was you ever on operation banner
+ragandoil
The cold war was fake.
The cold war wasn't fake there was just no real war, everyone was just in high tense of nuclear threats (mainly the US and Russia)
+The Lego Soldier
Look what America did to Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, etc, it's obvious that America could have swatted Cuba like a fly anytime they wanted to. America deployed a million troops and dropped 4 million tons of bombs on South East Asia. What did they do to Cuba? - NOTHING. The CIA staged the bay of pigs fiasco to embarrass Kennedy. There was no Cuban missile crisis, Khrushchoff toyed with Kennedy on the phone, the Bay of Pigs was deliberately botched by the CIA to embarrass Kennedy to punish him for thinking he really was ruler of America. The job of the visible government is to trick the public into thinking the invisible government does not exist. "Democracy" is a trick to make voters think they run their own country - why haven't you South Africans realized that yet?
America never had nothing to fear from the Soviets because there was never a time the Soviets could feed themselves. From 1923 to 1988 America kept Communism alive with multi-million ton annual grain and industrial shipments which Russia never paid for. The Soviets only source of foreign currency was selling things they received as free aid from America, so all Soviet aid to Cuba was paid for by US Taxpayers. The Americans and the Cubans were working together all along, that's why America always had a Military base in Cuba called Guantanamo Bay.
Communism in Cuba, Russia and China was a Wall Street creation. Read Antony C Sutton - 4 books: "Wall Street And The Bolshevik Revolution", "The Best Enemy Money Can Buy", "National Suicide: Military Aid to the Soviet Union", "Survival is Not Enough: Soviet Realities And America's Future." Look for UA-cam videos of the same names if you don't want to read. Sutton was Economics Professor at California State University and at Stanford University's Hoover Institute. Sutton was a historian and economist with a top level career and his primary sources have never been disputed or refuted by anyone.
The so-called Cold War was a scam to suck a Trillion dollars of US taxpayers money into the pockets of the US Military Corporations and build America into a Technocratic Global War Machine to crush any remaining pockets of résistance to the New World Order, which is Global Feudalism, which is Communism. The same US Technocratic war machine will eventually be used against the America people themselves. The Cold War was fake.
+Ashtown Productions
Eisenhower thought it would be a good idea to consolidate 30 individual US Intelligence organizations into one organization called the "Central Intelligence Agency. Eisenhower quickly realized his mistake when the CIA mutated into a dominant arm of shadow government. Kennedy had advanced plans to abolish the CIA so they needed to show him who was boss. The Bay of Pigs was a CIA project using militant Cuban exiles to invade Cuba. The operation was totally dependent on air support which was withheld so that the CIA could deliver Castro's Cuban enemies into Castro's hands. Castro returned the favor by emptying Cuban Prisons and Mental Asylums onto American ports with devastating social consequences which Miami has never recovered from. This is a UA-cam comment, please read the sources listed in my previous comment.
COOL! And that little plane landed almost exactly where my duty station was, as bow hotsuitman...right between the JBD's (Jet Blast Deflectors)!!!
USN 1981-1985 here. Went aboard the Saratoga once in '84 in the Med. Not one of the biggest carriers, but it was still immense, a memory I will never forget.
Thought I was going to be air sick from the video shot from the little Corsair.
Great video, thanks to all the crew members who served on the Saratoga.
Flying a rc Corsair on a carrier open ocean is about as badass as it gets in the rc world.
I was VF-74 Squadron when I was aboard her from 1984-87. Wow! I had no idea she got scraped in 2014. I feel so sad. Never forget her.😢
Was on CVN-71 heading up from the waters off Florida when we passed her being towed down. A sad sight. Fair winds a following seas.
Thank you for making this video. It means a lot for an old sailor like me and many others. Good job.
I served on her from 92 to 94. Discharged from active duty one day before her last deployment. Served in v3 division. Rip grand old lady
1970-1973 wow never thought I would miss her,to see her go away,pretty sad .saw the world with her, THANKS SARA.....
I like how most people including me were expecting a real aircraft and not an rc plane lol
As a child, I remember his elevator, when around 1967 Saratoga had come to Greece and we had visited it as a family. We were transported by landing boat from Piraeus to Saratoga. I was impressed by the planes with folded wings
I'm still impressed with planes with folding wings. It's amazing how far aviation has come in such a short time in the grand scheme of the world
@@jlo7770 I was also impressed as a child by the huge elevator the same one that brought the planes up to the deck was used for us to go up as guests. I still remember the toys the crew gave us.
I was with the USS Saratoga in 1971 - 72 assigned at Aviation Supply Division as an Aviation Storekeeper ☺
I was onboard from Jan '75 to Nov '75 working in the Carpentry Shop as an HT!
Paul A Sullivan: Greetings HT! I was a BM on an ATF. Good days those. I was proud to serve, though not everyone felt that way.
I miss my home!!! She was my home from 17 to 26!! I cry when I see this!!🇺🇸🇺🇸⚓️⚓️
IF I had still been actively flying Cessnas, and IF I had been in the right part of the world, I swear I'd have made a touch & go and then triumphantly mailed my license to the nearest FSDO...
There was a movie in the 70s that ended with someone landing a Cessna on a carrier.can't remember the title though or any of the plot
Brilliant! Would have been well worth the hassle.
Story is that when the Yorktown was being towed to Charleston, SC, someone did a touch n go on the deck of that carrier in a Cessna 150.
Man that would have been a great museum
Yes, if a Private Foundation can have the funds to Maintain it.
I remember passing the Sara coming out of Mayport on the Forrestal as she came in with an entire sponson missing. After that we spent as little time on the sponsons as possible. Especially after our NATO cruise in 50-60 ft seas coming over the bow just smashing ol girl and making her shudder like a tin can getting tossed in the trash. The FID was the best boat I was ever on. Kennedy, Kitty Hawk, Ike, and even a 7 day shot on the Lexington in the 80's. I made a painful journey to watch the mighty FID get cut up in Brownsville. Sad.
Thank you for your service, Sara. You are great American history.
This is awesome. Thank you so much. Means a lot seeing this. If you have more footage that day please post. Double thumbs up!
I hope it will have successors that bears the same name and legacy.
Respect
Sad to say I don't think so. They name them after
Presidents.
it was more fitting when they named aircraft carriers after great battles.
So sad to watch
My father served on this ship back in the 1960s.
It breaks my heart to see it go.
Still a majestic sight. Thank you so much for this video, Mr. Walker! It stirred a few emotions.
This is truly awesome! I served on a destroyer in Mayport and often tied up across the basin from Sara. The fact that they used a Corsair for the flight is even better!
Awesome. I think people would have paid good money, for a once in a lifetime opportunity to fly an RC model off an aircraft carrier, like that. 👍
My buddy and I walked off the Saratoga one morning in Mayport, and the New Jersey had come in overnight. They wouldn't let anyone on the battleship. The only duty that was more prestigious than a carrier was duty on one of the remaining battleships. I applied 4 times for duty on the Jersey. Was turned down 4 times.
We are gathered here today, to mourn the passing of the USS Saratoga. Who died of old age, and will be missed the dearest.
When your country has spare aircraft carriers to play with , gotta love it 🇺🇸 amazing ship and history
My dad was a gunners mate on the Saratoga
HMAS BRISBANE, built in Boston. Served with distinction through Vietnam and after with the RAN.
Is now an artificial reef in shallow waters of the Sunshine Coast Queensland Australia.
She finished her job, but is still with us in a way. A great shallow dive site, with a great deal of sea life calling her home.
Much better end I think, than being butchered for scrap.
My father was part of the original crew that picked her up in Boston covered in snow.
And was a radar plotter on her during Vietnam.
Aye, better for a vessel to sleep in the embrace of the ocean then to be cut apart for razor blades. Though trying to preserve her is a much preferable option then either.....
USS Saratoga (CVA 60)
14 Apr 1956 / 20 Aug 1994
Stricken from the Navy List 30 Sep 1994; berthed at the Naval Education and Training Center, Newport, R.I., 7 Aug. 1998.
really great video, I will always have a soft spot for Sara.
I remember seeing the Saratoga at Mayport, Florida in 1970...
The Forrestal is gone, The Saratoga is obviously next, The Independence will likely follow, The Ranger is still in good shape, they need to save it, so sad to see these hero ships in such a state, only to be disgarded.
kyokushinkuma I agree with you. However, I think the one that will be saved will be John F. Kennedy (ex CV-67). She would be a perfect fit at the old Boston Navy Yard.
Just how they tried to get rid of the USS Constitution
And Ranger is now gone
kyokushinkuma oh good news about the Ranger thanks . I was on it 65 and 66. I was in that big fire and always think about the guy that died. I believe in the black oil smoke that i heard him gasp. I couldn't find him in the smoke and heat.
kyokushinkuma kitty hawk is going also. Sad day.
Double Thumbs Up? Hell yeah. Many thanks for all of the individuals who are dedicating their time to tow the Saratoga to Brownsville Texas. Any chance of more videos being created, especially as the Saratoga is arriving in Brownsville? I'm sure there are thousands of viewers who would love to see this taking place, especially those like myself who will not be able to travel to Brownsville to see the Saratoga arriving.
Huh ? This ship was bought for one penny & scrapped. Turned into Gillette razors. I'd hardly say that anyone was "taking the time" outside of actual work of course.
@@doejon9424 My suggestion is for you to look at more of the details on other people's postings before you post your own replies, because it doesn't cost too much to pay attention. I received a notification that you posted a reply to the one I posted myself 7 years ago. I am well aware about this aircraft carrier being bought for one penny, along with numerous other aircraft carriers, the most recent being the USS Kitty Hawk CV-63, which were all towed to the Port of Brownsville Texas. If you by any chance happen to have some "free time" outside of your actual work, like you did for creating a reply to what I previously posted 7 years ago, then do some browsing here on UA-cam by typing the words "aircraft carrier" along with "Brownsville Texas" in the UA-cam search box. Once you have done this, then press enter or click on the magnifying glass icon, and the results that should appear are going to be multiple videos of various aircraft carriers being towed to Brownsville Texas, where several of the videos have other onlookers who were actually there visualizing what was being done during the towing process. I don't know exactly what the metal is used for once the ships have been dismantled and recycled at the multiple facilities in Brownsville Texas, but I have a strong hunch that some of the metal is reused for building other naval ships, such as the US Navy Ford Class Aircraft Carrier.
@@bwmoreau I was merely saying this people are *AT WORK* themselves, they are *NOT* "dedicating their time" to tow her Texas. Hell, they are even sending RC & Dones up, they are having such a ball. Their time is where they want it to be.. because they are Being Paid. On the clock. It's like thanking a local Post Office employee for "dedicating his time to sorting the mail in the area". Or the local construction worker for "dedicating their time to lay down asphalt". Completely unnecessary. It's called a job. I'm well aware of shitty kitty aka USS Kitty Hawk & John F. Kennedy prior. The newest operational US Naval Ship, currently, is the USS Savannah (LCS 28). Which is a brand new Littoral Combat ship. The only thing (that I'm 100% aware of) used on another ship from Saratoga was her anchors.. which are now on the USS Harry S. Truman. Massive 30 ton anchors that would be very hard to scrap. It's nice of them to make a video like this for people to see, but make no mistake.. it's their job. They are not "dedicating their time". It's just work.. which most people do daily. So maybe you should do some Google searches yourself there, big guy. Oh, and don't forget to thank everyone you see working.. for dedicating their time doing whatever they are doing. Haha
My personal belief is that if it's built for war it should die at war and one of my great uncle served on the sara he said it was the most beautiful ship he had the pleasure of serving on her but he past in 2004 he said he advocated to turn her into a museum
I feel sad whenever I watch these ships, once revered, being dragged away to their last journey... Reminds us of our lives itself...
As a kid in the '50s (IIRC), I remember watching the Saratoga coming into port at Mayport Naval Station Florida. Quite a sight. Also got to see the USS Boxer loaded to the gills with helicopters headed for Viet Nam, one day when my band played the Acey Deuecy Club overlooking the bay at Mayport.
Thank you to the USS Saratoga, her crew(s) and their families for helping to serve and protect the Freedoms and Liberties, that we enjoy today... Thank you.
SO awesome that they let you do this!
Thanks for the video Clint. And you fly that Corsair better than I fly mine. You've got a good start on that Centurion patch but you'd better hurry up the next 99 landings. :-)
The USS Saratoga CV-60 was my first ship, very sad.
Mine too 1st permanent duty station after training
85-88 two , 2 cruises , 17 hour days during combat missions , sleep between launch and recovery , couldn't even go to the mess deck to eat , they brought us boxed lunches , still so sad to see her end
Farewell USS Saratoga. You serve your country very well.
Reported aboard Dec. 1968. Was assigned to Fire Control Radar. Good memories. Sorry to see the old girl go.
My grandfather served on the Saratoga and the Currituck.
my father was a radioman on that carrier when it was CV60 up to and including when they changed the designation to CVA60.
I've stood on the deck of the USS Saratoga, but not this one. The Saratoga (CV-3) I'm talking about is at a depth of approx 190Ft on the bottom of the Bikini Lagoon, Marshall Islands. She was sunk during Operation Crossroads nuclear tests. The old girl refused to sink after the first nuke. Took a 2'nd nuke to put her under. Tells ya something about her construction. Dove her in 1991 while working at the Marshall's Ballistic Missile Test Range. Awesome dive.
How sad. My uncle was assigned to a cruiser in the last active war time Carrier Group of CV-3.
My husband did a tour aboard CV-60 in the 80's I think.
Ranger CV-61 NS North Island, San Diego, CA
Saratoga CV-60 NS Mayport (Jacksonville), FL
George Washington CVN-73 Plank Owner, Norfolk, VA. Now assigned to Yokohama, Japan
Coolest RC airport ever used!
That’s a wave off! I’m holding on too tight... I’ve lost the edge sir.
I remember when my old man commanded the base in Newport, and seeing the Saratoga and Forestal there. Even decommissioned, they were still imposing
She was build around 1920's as a Lexington battlecruiser and she was in Hawaii when the Japanese made theyre suprise attack against Pearl harbour and she was one of three US fleet aircraft carriers,along whit Enterprise and Ranger, to serve troughout World War II.
Wrong Saratoga. That was CV-3 and she was decommissioned after the war and sunk in an atom bomb test in 1946. This is the next version CV-60 which was launched in the 1950s.
Very cool. Loved the model plane.
Great footage.
Cool drone shots... just a shame she's not on her way to preservation as a museum ship. Forrestal, Saratoga, Independence, Ranger... a great class of ships, and groundbreaking in their day -- our first true supercarriers.
Admit it... When the model came in to land to far forward, who started shouting "wave off"???
same
Trek001 I think this particular pilot, was having a "Battle of Okinawa" flashback! But he was on "THE 'WRONG' SIDE!" I'm pretty sure, I distinctly heard him yell, "BAAANNZAAIII!" As he 'pointed' the plane towards the deck!
I was thinking, gonna miss the wires dude. Won't get an OK pass from the LSO.
hahaha! I did!
Sad to see such great ships broken up.
Awesome! Great job 👍
Sad to see these great historical names headed to scrap. Lexington, Yorktown, Saratoga, Wasp, and soon the Enterprise. We replace them with names like the Ford, Reagan, and Truman?
+tallguy3708 The Lexington is now a museum in Corpus Christi, TX.
+Neb Murray and the Yorktown is in Charleston SC. But you're missing the point.
we name alot of ships after famous Americans. Reagan and Truman. proud names for ships. and I'm sure some day they'll name one after the current dingus in the white house.
+alitlweird Another good reason not to name ships after "famous people". Personally I would never have named so much as a garbage scow after a 4F like Reagan. Naming the carriers after famous battles and historical ships keeps it from becoming political.
There is USS Wasp (LHD-1) and there will eventually be USS Enterprise (CVN-80).
Great video!
My good friend Rick served aboard the Saratoga, he died of brain cancer.
O god I’m sorry to hear that
Sorry hear man love you and he happy be wwr ship and ship did for her job got shit done
My first assignment out of boot camp as ship's company April 1963 - june 1966.
My father was on the Saratoga. I still have one of the firing rounds that were shot when Richard Nixon was on the ship. I recently polished and it looks brand new.
Damn...I've never been seasick before, but that video sure brought me close. :)
I miss going through the naval station and driving by it. It's only like 30 yards away from the road
I love it good job 👍
That was pretty cool.