View source for USS Intrepid (CV-11)

{{short description|Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy}}
{{Other ships|USS Intrepid}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:USS Intrepid (CVS-11) underway in the South China Sea on 17 October 1968 (NNMA.1996.488.244.058).jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Intrepid'' on 17 October 1968
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1974}}
| Ship name = ''Intrepid''
| Ship namesake = [[USS Intrepid (1904)]]
| Ship builder = [[Newport News Shipbuilding]]
| Ship laid down = 1 December 1941
| Ship launched = 26 April 1943
| Ship reclassified = *CVA-11, 1 October 1952
*CVS-11, 31 Mar 1962
| Ship commissioned = 16 August 1943
| Ship decommissioned = 15 March 1974
| Ship struck = 23 February 1982
| Ship status = [[Museum ship]] at the [[Intrepid Museum|''Intrepid'' Museum]] in [[New York City]]
| Ship motto = {{lang|la|In Mare In Caelo}} "On the sea, in the sky"
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{Sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}
| Ship displacement = *{{cvt|27100|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{cvt|36380|LT|t}} ([[Full-load displacement|full load]])
| Ship length = *{{convert|820|ft|m|1}} ([[Waterline length|wl]])
*{{convert|872|ft|m|1}} ([[o/a]])
| Ship beam = {{cvt|93|ft|m|1}}
| Ship draft = {{cvt|34|ft|2|in|m}}
| Ship propulsion = *4 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
*4 × [[screw propeller]]s
| Ship speed = {{convert|33|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range = {{cvt|14100|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|20|kn}}
| Ship complement = 2,600 officers and enlisted men
| Ship power = *8 × [[Babcock & Wilcox boiler]]s
*{{cvt|150000|shp|lk=in}}
| Ship armament = *12 × [[5-inch/38-caliber gun|{{cvt|5|in|0}}]] [[Dual-purpose gun|DP guns]]
*32 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|{{cvt|40|mm|1}}]] [[AA gun]]s
*46 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|{{cvt|20|mm|1}}]] AA guns
| Ship armor = *[[Belt armor|Waterline belt]]: {{cvt|2.5|-|4|in|0}}
*[[Deck (ship)|Deck]]: {{cvt|1.5|in}}
*[[Hangar]] deck: {{cvt|2.5|in}}
*[[Bulkhead (partition)|Bulkhead]]s: 4&nbsp;in (102&nbsp;mm)
| Ship aircraft = *36 × Grumman F4F Wildcat
*36 × Douglas SBD Dauntless
*18 × Grumman TBF Avenger
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Intrepid'' (CV/CVA/CVS-11)''', also known as '''The Fighting "I"''', is one of 24 {{Sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s built during [[World War II]] for the [[United States Navy]]. She is the fourth US Navy ship to bear [[USS Intrepid|the name]]. Commissioned in August 1943, ''Intrepid'' participated in several campaigns in the [[Pacific Ocean theater of World War II|Pacific Theater of Operations]], including the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]].

Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, she was modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA), and then eventually became an antisubmarine carrier (CVS). In her second career, she served mainly in the Atlantic, but also participated in the [[Vietnam War]]. She was the recovery ship for a [[Project Mercury|Mercury]] and a [[Project Gemini|Gemini]] space mission. Because of her prominent role in battle, she was nicknamed "the Fighting&nbsp;I", while her frequent bad luck and time spent in dry dock for repairs—she was torpedoed once and hit in separate attacks by four Japanese kamikaze aircraft—earned her the nicknames "Decrepit" and "the Dry&nbsp;I".

Decommissioned for the second time in 1974, she was put into service as a [[museum ship]] in 1982 as the foundation of the [[Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum|''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum Complex]] in [[New York City]].

==Service history==
The [[keel]] for ''Intrepid'' was [[keel laying|laid down]] on 1 December 1941 in Shipway 10 at the [[Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding|Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co.]], [[Newport News, Virginia]], days before the [[Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor]] and the United States' entrance into [[World War II]]. She was [[ship launching|launched]] on 26 April 1943, the fifth {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}} to be launched. She was sponsored by the wife of [[Vice Admiral]] [[John H. Hoover]]. On 16 August 1943, she was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] with Captain [[Thomas L. Sprague]] in command before heading to the [[Caribbean]] for [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]] and training. She thereafter returned to Norfolk, before departing once more on 3 December, bound for [[San Francisco]]. She proceeded on to [[Pearl Harbor]], Hawaii, arriving there on 10 January, where she began preparations to join the rest of the Pacific Fleet for offensive operations against the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]].{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}{{sfn|Gardiner & Chesneau|p=104}}

===World War II===
====Central Pacific operations====
[[File:USS Intrepid (CV-11) of Hunters Point 1944.jpeg|thumb|''Intrepid'' off Hunter's Point in June 1944, her deck loaded with aircraft to be transported to the Pacific Theater]]
''Intrepid'' joined the [[Fast Carrier Task Force]], then Task Force 58 (TF 58), for the next operation in the [[Leapfrogging (strategy)|island-hopping]] campaign across the [[Central Pacific Area|Central Pacific]]: the [[Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign]]. On 16 January 1944, ''Intrepid'', her [[sister ship]] {{USS|Essex|CV-9|2}}, and the [[light carrier]] {{USS|Cabot|CVL-28|2}} left [[Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard|Pearl Harbor]] to conduct a raid on islands in the [[Kwajalein]] Atoll from 29 January to 2 February. The three carriers' air group destroyed all 83 Japanese aircraft stationed on [[Roi-Namur]] in the first two days of the strikes, before [[USMC|Marines]] went ashore on neighboring islands on 31 January in the [[Battle of Kwajalein]]. That morning, aircraft from ''Intrepid'' attacked Japanese beach defenses on [[Ennuebing Island]] until ten minutes before the first Marines landed. The Marines quickly took the island and used it as a [[fire base]] to support the follow-on attack on Roi.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

After the fighting in the Kwajalein Atoll finished, on 3 February, ''Intrepid'' and the rest of TF 58 proceeded to launch [[Operation Hailstone]], a major raid on the main [[Naval Base Truk|Japanese naval base]] in the Central Pacific, [[Chuuk Lagoon|Truk Lagoon]]. From 17 to 19 February, the carriers pounded Japanese forces in the lagoon, sinking two [[destroyer]]s and some {{GRT|200000}} of merchant ships. The strikes demonstrated the vulnerability of Truk, which convinced the Japanese to avoid using it in the future. ''Intrepid'' did not emerge from the operation unscathed, however; on the night of 17&ndash;18 February, a [[Mitsubishi G4M|''Rikko'' type]] Torpedo Bomber from the [[Genzan Air Group|755th ''Kōkūtai'' (Genzan Air Group)]] flying from Tainan (given the designation "Raid Easy" by ''Intrepid's'' [[Combat information center|CIC]]<ref>{{Cite book|last=White|first=Bill|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/856063761|title=Intrepid : The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship|publisher=Broadway Books|others=Robert L. Gandt|year=2008|isbn=978-0-7679-2998-1|edition=|location=New York|pages=29|oclc=856063761}}</ref>) attacked  and torpedoed the carrier near her [[stern]]. The torpedo struck {{convert|15|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} below the waterline, jamming the ship's [[rudder]] to port and flooding several compartments. Sprague was able to counteract the jammed rudder for two days by running the port side screw at high speed while idling the starboard screw, until high winds overpowered the improvised steering. The crew then [[Jury rigging|jury-rigged]] a sail out of scrap canvas and hatch covers, which allowed the ship to return to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on 24 February. Temporary repairs were effected there, after which ''Intrepid'' steamed on 16 March, escorted by the destroyer [[USS Remey]], to [[Hunters Point Naval Shipyard]] in San Francisco for permanent repairs, arriving there six days later.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

The work was completed by 9 June, and ''Intrepid'' began two months of training around Pearl Harbor. Starting in early September, ''Intrepid'' joined operations in the western [[Caroline Islands]]; the Fast Carrier Task Force was now part of the [[United States Third Fleet|Third Fleet]] under Admiral [[William Halsey Jr.]], and had been renamed Task Force 38. On 6 and 7 September, she conducted air strikes on Japanese artillery batteries and airfields on the island of [[Peleliu]], in preparation for the [[Battle of Peleliu|invasion of Peleliu]]. On 9 and 10 September, she and the rest of the fleet moved on to attack airfields on the island of [[Mindanao]] in the Philippines, followed by further strikes on bases in the [[Visayan Sea]] between 12 and 14 September. On 17 September, ''Intrepid'' returned to Pelelieu to provide air support to the Marines that had landed on the island two days before.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

====Philippines campaign====
[[File:USS Intrepid (CV-11) during Battle of Leyte Gulf 1944.jpeg|thumb|left|''Intrepid'' launching an aircraft during the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]]]

''Intrepid'' and the other carriers then returned to the Philippines to prepare for the [[Philippines Campaign (1944–1945)|Philippines campaign]].{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}} At this time, ''Intrepid'' was assigned to Task Group 38.2.{{sfn|Willmott|p=318}} In addition to targets in the Philippines themselves, the carriers also struck Japanese airfields on the islands of [[Formosa]] and [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] to degrade Japanese air power in the region. On 20 October, at the start of the [[Battle of Leyte]], ''Intrepid'' launched strikes to support Allied forces as they went ashore on the island of [[Leyte]].{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}} By this time Halsey had reduced the carriers of TG 38.2, commanded by Rear Admiral [[Gerald F. Bogan]] aboard ''Intrepid'', to just ''Intrepid'', ''Cabot'', and the light carrier {{USS|Independence|CVL-22|2}}.{{sfn|Willmott|p=93}}

[[File:Crashed SB2C-3 Helldiver of VB-7 on USS Intrepid (CV-11) on 30 October 1944 (NH 95398).jpg|thumb|right|A Curtiss SB2C-3 Helldiver caught in ''Intrepid''{{'}}s aft radio mast after a night landing accident on 30 October 1944]]

Between 23 and 26 October, the Japanese Navy launched a major operation to disrupt the Allied landings in the Philippines, resulting in the [[Battle of Leyte Gulf]]. On the morning of 24 October, a reconnaissance aircraft from ''Intrepid'' spotted Vice Admiral [[Takeo Kurita]]'s flagship, {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Yamato||2}}. Two hours later, ''Intrepid'' and ''Cabot'' launched a strike on Kurita's Center Force, initiating the [[Battle of the Sibuyan Sea]]; this included eight [[Curtiss SB2C Helldiver]] [[dive bomber]]s from ''Intrepid'', which launched their attack at 10:27. One {{convert|500|lb|adj=on}} bomb struck the roof of Turret No. 1, failing to penetrate. Two minutes later, the [[Japanese battleship Musashi|battleship ''Musashi'']] was struck starboard amidships by a torpedo from a [[Grumman TBF Avenger]], also from ''Intrepid''. The Japanese shot down two Avengers. Another eight Helldivers from ''Intrepid'' attacked ''Musashi'' again at around noon, scoring two more hits, with two Helldivers shot down. Three minutes later, nine Avengers attacked from both sides of the ship, scoring three torpedo hits on the port side. Further strikes from ''Essex'' and {{USS|Lexington|CV-16|2}} inflicted several more bomb and torpedo hits at around 13:30. At 15:25, 37 aircraft from ''Intrepid'', the fleet carrier {{USS|Franklin|CV-13|2}}, and ''Cabot'' attacked ''Musashi'', hitting her with 13 bombs and 11 torpedoes for the loss of three Avengers and three Helldivers.{{sfn|Hackett & Kingsepp}} In addition to the loss of ''Musashi'', many of Kurita's other ships, including battleships ''Yamato'', {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Nagato||2}} and {{Ship|Japanese battleship|Haruna||2}}, and [[heavy cruiser]] {{Ship|Japanese cruiser|Myōkō||2}} were damaged in the attacks, forcing him to break off the operation temporarily.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}{{sfn|Willmott|pp=113–116}}

After Kurita's force began to withdraw, Halsey ordered TF&nbsp;38 to steam north to intercept the aircraft carriers of the Northern Force, commanded by Vice Admiral [[Jisaburō Ozawa]].{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}} Bogan correctly perceived that Ozawa's force was intended to lure TF&nbsp;38 away from the landing area to allow Kurita to attack it, but Halsey overruled him and several other Task Group commanders who voiced similar concerns.{{sfn|Willmott|pp=130–131}} Early on 25 October, aircraft from ''Intrepid'' and the other carriers launched a strike on the Japanese carriers. Aircraft from ''Intrepid'' scored hits on the carrier {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuihō||2}} and possibly the carrier {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Zuikaku||2}}. Further strikes throughout the morning resulted in the sinking of four Japanese aircraft carriers and a destroyer in the [[Battle off Cape Engaño]].{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}{{sfn|Willmott|p=159}} Halsey's preoccupation with the Northern Force allowed Kurita the respite he needed to turn his force back to the east, push through the [[San Bernardino Strait]], where it engaged the light forces of [[escort carrier]]s, destroyers, and [[destroyer escort]]s that were directly covering the landing force in the [[Battle off Samar]]. Kurita nevertheless failed to break through the American formation, and ultimately broke off the attack.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

[[File:80-G-270840 USS INTREPID (CV-11).tif|thumb|right|Crew members clearing away wreckage in the hangar deck after ''Intrepid'' was hit by Kamikazes, 25 November 1944]]

On 27 October, TG 38.2 returned to operations over [[Luzon]]; these included a raid on [[Manila]] on 29 October. That day, a [[kamikaze]] suicide aircraft hit ''Intrepid'' on one of her port side gun positions; ten men were killed and another six were wounded, but damage was minimal.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}{{sfn|Willmott|p=230}} A Japanese air raid on 25 November struck the fleet shortly after noon. Two kamikazes crashed into ''Intrepid'', killing sixty-nine men and causing a serious fire.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.intrepidmuseum.org/intrepidsjourney|title=Intrepids Journey|publisher=intrepidmuseum.org|access-date=3 January 2022}}</ref> The ship remained on station, however, and the fires were extinguished within two hours. She was detached for repairs the following day, and reached San Francisco on 20 December.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

====Okinawa and Japan, March–December 1945====
In the middle of February 1945, back in fighting trim, the carrier steamed for [[Ulithi]], arriving on 13 March. She set off westward for strikes on Japan on 14 March and four days later launched strikes against airfields on [[Kyūshū]]. That morning a twin-engined Japanese [[Mitsubishi G4M|G4M "Betty"]] kamikaze broke through a curtain of defensive fire, turned toward ''Intrepid'', and exploded 50&nbsp;ft (15&nbsp;m) off ''Intrepid''{{'}}s forward boat crane. A shower of flaming gasoline and aircraft parts started fires on the hangar deck, but damage control teams quickly put them out. ''Intrepid''{{'}}s aircraft joined [[Attack on Kure (March 1945)|attacks on remnants of the Japanese fleet]] anchored at [[Kure, Hiroshima|Kure]] damaging 18 enemy naval vessels, including battleship ''Yamato'' and carrier {{Ship|Japanese aircraft carrier|Amagi||2}}. The carriers turned to Okinawa as [[L-Day]], the start of the most ambitious amphibious assault of the Pacific war, approached. Between 26 and 27 March, their aircraft attacked the [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryūkyūs]], softening up enemy defensive works. The invasion began on 1 April. ''Intrepid'' aircraft flew support missions against targets on Okinawa and made neutralizing raids against Japanese airfields in range of the island. On 16 April, during an air raid, a Japanese aircraft dived into ''Intrepid''{{'}}s flight deck; the engine and part of the fuselage penetrated the deck, killing eight men and wounding 21. In less than an hour the flaming gasoline had been extinguished; three hours after the crash, aircraft were again landing on the carrier.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

On 17 April, ''Intrepid'' retired homeward via Ulithi. She made a stop at Pearl Harbor on 11 May, arriving at San Francisco for repairs on 19 May. On 29 June, the carrier left San Francisco. On 6 August, her aircraft launched strikes against Japanese on bypassed [[Wake Island]]. ''Intrepid'' arrived at [[Eniwetok]] on the next day. On 15 August, when the Japanese surrendered, she received word to "cease offensive operations." ''Intrepid'' got under way on 21 August to support the occupation of Japan. On 2 December, she left [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]] and arrived at [[San Pedro, California]], on 15 December.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

===Post-war===
[[File:USS Intrepid SCB modernizationsEdited.jpg|thumb|upright|Composite views of USS ''Intrepid'' after [[SCB-27]]C (left) and [[SCB-125]] (right).]]

====Decommissioning and conversion to attack carrier====

On 4 February 1946, ''Intrepid'' moved to [[San Francisco Bay]]. The carrier was reduced in status to "commission in reserve" on 15 August, and she was decommissioned on 22 March 1947. After her decommissioning, ''Intrepid'' became part of the [[Pacific Reserve Fleet]]. On 9 February 1952, she was recommissioned and on 12 March began the voyage to [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], where the carrier received [[SCB-27|SCB-27C]] modernization to operate jet aircraft as an attack aircraft carrier. On 9 April, ''Intrepid'' was temporarily decommissioned for the modernization at the [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]]. On 1 October, she was reclassified as attack carrier CVA-11 and recommissioned in reserve on 18 June 1954. On 13 October, the carrier became the first to launch aircraft with American-built steam catapults. Two days later, ''Intrepid'' became part of the [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic Fleet]] in full commission.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

====1955–1961====

In 1955, ''Intrepid'' conducted her shakedown cruise out of [[Guantánamo Bay]]. On 28 May, she departed [[Naval Station Mayport|Mayport, Florida]], for the first of two deployments in the Mediterranean with the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]]. ''Intrepid'' returned to Norfolk from the second deployment on 5 September. On 29 September, she entered the [[New York Navy Yard]] for her [[SCB-125]] modernization, which added an enclosed bow and an angled flight deck. After the end of the modernization in April 1957, ''Intrepid'' conducted refresher training out of Guantánamo Bay. In September, she participated in [[Operation Strikeback]], the largest peacetime naval exercise up to that time in history, which simulated a Soviet attack on NATO. In December, operating from Norfolk, she conducted [[Operation Crosswind]], a study of the effects of wind on carrier launches. The study proved that carriers could safely conduct flight operations without turning into the wind and even launch aircraft while steaming downwind. Between 1958 and 1961, ''Intrepid'' alternated Mediterranean deployments with operations along the Atlantic coast of the United States and exercises in the Caribbean.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

====1962–1965====
[[File:USS Intrepid (CV-11) - Mar 65 a.jpg|thumb|left|The [[Gemini 3]] spacecraft alongside ''Intrepid'', 23 March 1965.]]

''Intrepid'' was reclassified to an [[anti-submarine warfare carrier]], '''CVS-11''', on 8 December 1961. On 10 March 1962, the carrier entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for overhaul and refit for her new anti-submarine warfare role. After the completion of the overhaul and refit, she departed on 2 April with [[List of United States Navy aircraft wings#Antisubmarine Carrier Air Groups (CVSG) 1 Apr 1960 to 30 Jul 1975|Carrier Antisubmarine Air Group 56]] embarked. After training exercises, ''Intrepid'' was selected as the principal ship in the recovery team for [[astronaut]] [[Scott Carpenter]] and his [[Project Mercury]] [[space capsule]], ''[[Aurora 7]]''. Shortly before noon on 24 May 1962, Carpenter [[Splashdown (spacecraft landing)|splashed down]] in ''Aurora 7'' northeast of Puerto Rico and several hundred miles from ''Intrepid''. Minutes after he was located by land-based search aircraft, two [[helicopter]]s from ''Intrepid'', carrying [[NASA]] officials, medical experts, Navy [[frogmen]], and photographers, were airborne and headed to the rescue. One of the helicopters picked him up over an hour later and flew him to the carrier, which safely returned him to the United States. ''Intrepid'' spent the summer of 1962 training midshipmen at sea, and received a thorough overhaul at Norfolk in the fall.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

On 23 January 1963, the carrier departed [[Hampton Roads]] for warfare exercises in the Caribbean. In late February, she interrupted these operations to join a sea hunt for the Venezuelan [[cargo ship|freighter]] ''Anzoátegui'', which had been [[Maritime hijacking|hijacked]] by a group of pro-[[Fidel Castro|Castro]] mutineers led by the [[second mate]]{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}. After the mutineers had surrendered at [[Rio de Janeiro]], the carrier returned to Norfolk on 23 March. ''Intrepid'' operated along the Atlantic Coast for the next year from [[Nova Scotia]] to the Caribbean perfecting her antisubmarine techniques. On 11 June 1964, she left Norfolk carrying midshipmen to the Mediterranean for a hunter-killer at sea training with the 6th Fleet. While in the Mediterranean, ''Intrepid'' aided in the surveillance of a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[task force|task group]]. En route home her crew learned that she had won the coveted [[Battle Effectiveness Award|Battle Efficiency]] "E" for antisubmarine warfare during the previous fiscal year. In the fall of 1964, the carrier operated along the East Coast. In early September, ''Intrepid'' entertained 22 NATO statesmen as part of their tour of U.S. military installations. Between 18 and 19 October 1964, ''Intrepid'' was at [[Yorktown, Virginia|Yorktown]] for ceremonies commemorating [[Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis|Lord Cornwallis's]] surrender 183&nbsp;years before. The French Ambassador attended the ceremony and presented the U.S. with 12&nbsp;cannon cast from molds found in the Bastille, replicas of those brought to American forces by Lafayette.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

On the night of 21 November, during a brief deployment off [[North Carolina]], airman Jenner Sanders, who had fallen overboard while driving an aircraft towing tractor, was rescued. In early 1965, ''Intrepid'' began preparations for a role in NASA's first manned [[Gemini program|Gemini]] flight, [[Gemini 3]]. On 23 March, [[Lieutenant commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[John Young (astronaut)|John Young]] and Major [[Gus Grissom]] in ''Molly Brown'' (the Gemini 3 spacecraft) splashed down some {{convert|50|nmi|km|-1|abbr=on}} from ''Intrepid'', after the first controlled re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere ended their three-orbit flight aboard Gemini 3. A Navy helicopter flew the astronauts to ''Intrepid'' for medical examination and debriefing. Later, ''Intrepid'' retrieved ''Molly Brown'' and returned the spacecraft and astronauts to [[Cape Canaveral Air Force Station|Cape Kennedy]].{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

====1965–1974====
[[File:USS Intrepid (CVS-11) underway in the South China Sea on 13 September 1966 (K-33170).jpg|thumb|''Intrepid'' operating as an auxiliary attack carrier off Vietnam, 1966.]]
After this mission ''Intrepid'' entered the Brooklyn Navy Yard in April for a major overhaul to bring her back to peak combat readiness. This was the final [[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization]] job performed by the [[New York Naval Shipyard]], [[Brooklyn]], New York, which was scheduled to close. In September 1965, ''Intrepid'', with her work approximately 75% completed, eased down the [[East River]] to moor at the [[MOTBY|Naval Supply Depot]] at [[Bayonne, New Jersey]], for the completion of her multimillion-dollar overhaul. After builder's sea trials and fitting out at Norfolk she sailed to Guantánamo Bay on a shakedown cruise.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

From April 1966 to February 1969, ''Intrepid'' made three Vietnam deployments, with [[Carrier Air Wing Ten|Carrier Air Wing 10]] embarked.<ref name=gonavy.jp>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gonavy.jp/CVW-AK1f.html|title = CVW-10(Ak)}}</ref> Mid-1966 found ''Intrepid'' with the Pacific Fleet off Vietnam. Nine [[A-4 Skyhawk]]s and six [[A-1 Skyraider]]s, loaded with bombs and rockets, were catapulted in seven minutes, with only a 28-second interval between launches. A few days later planes were launched at 26-second intervals. After seven months of service with the [[United States Seventh Fleet]] off Vietnam, ''Intrepid'' returned to Norfolk having earned her commanding officer, Captain John W. Fair, the [[Legion of Merit]] for combat operations in Southeast Asia.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

On 9 October 1966 [[Lieutenant, junior grade]] William T. Patton of [[Attack Squadron 176 (United States Navy)|VA-176]] from ''Intrepid'', flying a propeller driven A-1H [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider|Skyraider]], shot down one [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17]]. For the action, Lieutenant&nbsp;(jg) Patton was awarded the [[Silver Star]].

[[File:USS Intrepid CVS-11 bow shot 1970s.jpg|thumb|''Intrepid'' operating in the Mediterranean in the 1970s.|left]]In June 1967, ''Intrepid'' returned to the Western Pacific by way of the [[Suez Canal]] just before it closed due to the [[Six-Day War|Israeli–Arab crisis]]. There she began another tour with the Seventh Fleet.{{sfn|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}

In 1968, ''Intrepid'' won the [[Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award]] for the Atlantic Fleet. For Carrier Air Wing 10's final cruise aboard ''Intrepid'' from 4 June 1968 to 8 February 1969 off Southeast Asia, the wing consisted of [[VF-111 (1956–1995)|VF-111]] Detachment 11 (F-8C), [[VFA-106|VA-106]] with the A-4E, VA-66 Waldos (A-4C), [[VFP-63]] Detachment 11 (RF-8G), [[VA-36 (U.S. Navy)|VA-36]] 'Roadrunners' (A-4C), VAQ-33 Detachment 11 (EA-1F), [[VAW-121]] Detachment 11 (E-1B), and [[HC-2]] Detachment 11.<ref name=gonavy.jp />

In 1969, ''Intrepid'' was home ported at [[Naval Air Station Quonset Point]], [[Rhode Island]], relieving {{USS|Yorktown|CV-10|2}} as the [[flagship]] for Commander [[Carrier Division 16]]. In the fall, the ship was run aground by Captain Horus E. Moore, but was freed within two hours. From April to October 1971, ''Intrepid'' took part in NATO exercises, and made calls in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean ports of Lisbon, Plymouth, Kiel, Naples, Cannes, Barcelona, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Greenock, Rosyth, Portsmouth, and Bergen. During this cruise, submarine detection operations were conducted in the Baltic and at the edge of the Barents Sea above the Arctic Circle, under close scrutiny of Soviet air and naval forces. She subsequently returned to her homeport to be refitted.

Beginning in July 1972, ''Intrepid'' participated once again in NATO exercises, visiting Copenhagen, Rotterdam, Bergen, Brussels, Portsmouth and Gourock. ''Intrepid'' found herself in the Barents and made round the clock flight operations as she was above the Arctic Circle. She cut her North Atlantic cruise short, returning to Quonset Point for a mini-overhaul. She made her final cruise in the Mediterranean, stopping twice in Barcelona and Malaga Spain; Lisbon, Portugal; Nice, France; Naples, Italy; Palma, Majorca; and Piraeus, Greece once. Due to fuel limitations ''Intrepid'' spent as much time in port as she did underway.

On 15 March 1974, ''Intrepid'' was decommissioned for the final time.

==Preservation as museum ship==
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = USS ''Intrepid''
| nrhp_type = nhl
| image = File:Intrepid Museum (49052290092).jpg
| caption = ''Intrepid'' functioning as the ''Intrepid'' Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City
| location = Intrepid Square, New York City
| locmapin = USA New York City
| coordinates = {{coord|40.7648|-74.0010|type:landmark_region:US-NY|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| area = 
| built = 1941
| architect = Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock
| architecture = 
| designated_nrhp_type = 14 January 1986<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1942&ResourceType=Structure|title=Intrepid, USS (Aircraft Carrier)|access-date=2008-01-26|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070728063901/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1942&ResourceType=Structure|archive-date=28 July 2007}}</ref>
| added = 14 January 1986<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref>
| refnum = 86000082
| designated_other1 = New York State Register of Historic Places
| designated_other1_num_position = bottom
| designated_other1_number = 06101.006464
| designated_other1_abbr = NYSRHP
}}
{{Main|Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum}}
In 1976, ''Intrepid'' was moored at [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]] in [[Philadelphia]] and hosted exhibits as part of the [[United States Bicentennial]] celebrations.

[[File:USS Intrepid marker.jpg|thumb|right|200px|marker on board the ship]]
Plans originally called for ''Intrepid'' to be [[Shipbreaking|scrapped]] after decommissioning, but a campaign led by Michael D. Piccola, president of the nonprofit organization Odysseys in Flight saved the carrier and established her as a [[museum ship]].<ref>{{cite web|first=James F. |last=Lynch |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/07/10/archives/group-seeks-to-bring-old-carrier-to-new-york-for-naval-museum-3.html|title=Group Seeks to Bring Old Carrier To New York for Naval Museum|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=10 July 1987|access-date=16 August 2022}}</ref> In August 1982, the ship opened at Pier 86 on the [[Hudson River]] in New York City as the [[Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum|''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum]]. Four years later, ''Intrepid'' was officially designated as a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv2">{{Cite web |url= {{NHLS url|id=86000082}} |title=National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: USS Intrepid (CV-11) |date=May 1985 |author=Harry A. Butowsky |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=2009-06-22 }} and {{NHLS url|id=86000082|title=''Accompanying 8&nbsp;photos, exterior and interior, from 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1944.''|photos=y}}&nbsp;{{small|(1.27&nbsp;MB)}}</ref>

Over the years ''Intrepid'' hosted many events including wrestling, press conferences, and parties, and served as the FBI operations center after the [[September 11, 2001 attacks|11 September 2001 terrorist attacks]].<ref name="Intrepid as FBI EOC">{{cite news | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/06/AR2006110600971.html | title = Mud Stops USS Intrepid Move From N.Y. Pier |newspaper=The Washington Post | access-date = 2007-03-21 | first=Pat | last=Milton | date=7 November 2006}}</ref>

===2006–2008 renovation===
The ''Intrepid'' museum operated a fund for the restoration, raising over $60&nbsp;million to refit ''Intrepid'', to improve the ship's exhibits for visitors, and improve Pier&nbsp;86.

In early July 2006, it was announced that ''Intrepid'' would undergo renovations and repairs, along with Pier&nbsp;86 itself. The museum closed on 1 October 2006, in preparation for ''Intrepid''{{'}}s being towed to Bayonne, New Jersey, for repairs, and later [[Staten Island]], New York, for renovation and temporary docking.<ref name="intrepid closure1">{{cite web |url=http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/intrepidmuseum/press/item.php?id=43 |title=The ''Intrepid'' Will Be Temporarily Moved and Pier 86 Will be Reconstructed Under an Historic $55 Million-Plus Capital Expansion Plan |publisher=Intrepid Air, Sea and Space Museum |access-date=2007-03-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005111635/http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/intrepidmuseum/press/item.php?id=43 <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date=5 October 2006}}</ref><ref name="intrepid closure2">{{cite web |url=http://www.marinelink.com/Story/ShowStory.aspx?StoryID=203707 |title=Intrepid to Close for Repairs, Renovation |date=7 July 2006 |publisher=Marinelink.com |access-date=2007-03-21 }}</ref>

On 6 November 2006 the aircraft carrier could not be moved due to 24&nbsp;years worth of accumulated [[silt]]; a $3&nbsp;million program dredged away the mud and silt over three weeks. On 5 December 2006 ''Intrepid'' was removed from her pier and towed to Bayonne.<ref>{{cite news |first=Patrick |last=McGeehan |date=6 December 2006 |access-date=25 October 2024 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/06/nyregion/06intrepid.html |title=Briefly, Slowly, Intrepid Moves Again |work=The New York Times }}</ref>

At Staten Island, ''Intrepid'' received an $8&nbsp;million interior renovation. The [[forecastle]] (fo'c'sle, commonly known as the anchor chain room), general berthing quarters and the ship's machine shop were opened to the public for the first time. The hangar deck layout and design were improved. Around 1,200 tons of steel were removed and 339 [[epoxy]]-coated steel pilings {{convert|60|to|183|ft|m}} long were installed. {{convert|7,000|usgal|l}} of paint were used to re-paint the interior, hull, towers, and decks.{{Citation needed|reason=No source to support this or earlier claims in paragraph|date=May 2024}} Total cost of the renovation was $120&nbsp;million—$55&nbsp;million for the ship and $65&nbsp;million for Pier&nbsp;86.<ref name="washingtontimes10">{{cite news |last=Pyle |first=Richard |url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/sep/30/restored-intrepid-returns/ |title=Aircraft carrier survived wars, years of decay |agency=[[Associated Press]] |work=[[Washington Times]] |page=10 |date=30 September 2008 |access-date=25 October 2024 }}</ref>

The carrier was towed back into place on the Hudson River on 2 October 2008 and reopened to the public on 8 November.<ref name="washingtontimes10"/>

===Since 2008===
[[File:Space Shuttle Enterprise delivered to the Intrepid Museum.jpg|thumb|Space Shuttle Enterprise being lifted onto ''Intrepid'', June 2012]]
On 12 December 2011, ownership of the Space Shuttle ''[[Space Shuttle Enterprise|Enterprise]]'' was officially transferred to the ''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-121211a.html |title=Intrepid Museum Celebrates Ownership of Space Shuttle Enterprise |first=Robert Z |last=Pearlman |date=12 December 2011 |work=CollectSpace |access-date=30 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=NAS>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/placement/enterprise_transfer.html |title=NASA Transfers Enterprise Title to Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City |work=NASA.gov |date=11 December 2011 |access-date=30 January 2012 |archive-date=11 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120211074602/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/transition/placement/enterprise_transfer.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite press release |url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8987493.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126004339/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/11/prweb8987493.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 November 2011 |title=NASA Transfers Title to Space Shuttle Orbiter Enterprise to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City |publisher=PRWeb |date=22 November 2011 |access-date=27 March 2012}}</ref> On 27 April 2012 ''Enterprise'' was flown from Dulles International Airport for a fly-by over the Hudson River, New York's [[JFK International Airport]], the [[Statue of Liberty]], the [[George Washington Bridge|George Washington]] and [[Verrazano-Narrows Bridge|Verrazano-Narrows]] Bridges, and several other landmarks in the city in an approximately 45-minute "final tour", landing at JFK International Airport.<ref>{{cite web|last=Shamburger|first=Merideth|title=In Photos: Enterprise Takes Flight Over Hudson|date=27 April 2012|url=http://tarrytown.dailyvoice.com/news/photos-enterprise-takes-flight-over-hudson|publisher=The Tarrytown Daily Voice|access-date=26 July 2012}}</ref>
The shuttle was returned by barge to Hangar 1 on 12 May 2012<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-030112a.html |title=Space shuttle Enterprise lands in New York City on April 23 |work=CollectSPACE |first=Robert Z |last=Pearlman |date=1 March 2012 |access-date=22 March 2012}}</ref> and taken to the Intrepid Museum in Manhattan on 6 June.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/space_shuttle_enterprise_to_sp.html |title=Enterprise to spend day in Jersey City |work=NJ.com |agency=Associated Press |date=4 June 2012 |access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>

''Enterprise'' went on public display on 19 July 2012, at the ''Intrepid'' Museum's new Space Shuttle Pavilion.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.bradenton.com/2012/07/18/4119228/space-shuttle-enterprise-set-to.html |title=Space shuttle Enterprise set to open to public |work=Bradenton Herald |first=Alex |last=Katz |date=18 July 2012 |access-date=18 July 2012 }}{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

{{wide image|Intrepid Museum Panorama.jpg|800px|''Intrepid'' with {{USS|Growler|SSG-577|6}} in the lower left during [[Fleet Week]] 2010}}

==Awards==
''Intrepid'' earned five [[battle star]]s and the [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] during World War II, and a further three battle stars for Vietnam service.

* [[Navy Unit Commendation]] (2)
* [[Navy Expeditionary Medal]]
* [[China Service Medal]] (extended)
* [[American Campaign Medal]]
* [[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] (5 [[Service star|battle stars]])
* [[World War II Victory Medal]]
* [[Navy Occupation Service Medal]] (with Asia and Europe clasps)
* [[National Defense Service Medal]]
* [[Vietnam Service Medal]] (3 battle stars)
* [[Philippine Presidential Unit Citation]]
* [[Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation]] ([[Gallantry Cross Medal Color with Palm|Gallantry Cross Medal with Palm]])
* [[Philippine Liberation Medal]]
* [[Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal]]

==See also==
* [[Intrepid Four]]
* [[List of aircraft carriers]]
* [[List of museum ships]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/intrepid-iv.html}}

==References==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book
 | editor1-last = Gardiner
 | editor1-first = Robert
 | editor2-last = Chesneau
 | editor2-first = Roger
 | year = 1980
 | title = Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946
 | location = Annapolis
 | publisher = Naval Institute Press
 | isbn = 978-0-87021-913-9
 | ref = {{sfnRef|Gardiner & Chesneau}}
 }}
* {{cite web
 | last1 = Hackett
 | first1 = Bob
 | last2 = Kingsepp
 | first2 = Sander
 | url = http://www.combinedfleet.com/musashi.htm
 | title = IJN Battleship Musashi: Tabular Record of Movement
 | year = 2012
 | publisher = Combinedfleet.com
 | access-date = 20 June 2017
 | ref = {{sfnRef|Hackett & Kingsepp}}
 }}
* {{cite DANFS
 | title = Intrepid IV (CV-11)
 | url = https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/i/intrepid-iv.html
 | date = 22 July 2015
 | access-date = 20 June 2017
 | ref = {{sfnRef|DANFS Intrepid (CV-11)}}
 }}
* {{Cite book
 | last = Willmott
 | first = H. P.
 | year = 2005
 | title = The Battle of Leyte Gulf: The Last Fleet Action
 | publisher = Indiana University Press
 | isbn = 0-253-34528-6
 | ref = {{sfnRef|Willmott}}
 }}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Fletcher |first=Gregory G |title=Intrepid Aviators: The True Story of U.S.S. Intrepid's Torpedo Squadron 18 and Its Epic Clash With the Superbattleship Musashi |publisher=Penguin |year=2012 |isbn=9780451236968 |ref=none}}
* {{Cite news |last=McGeehan |first=Patrick |date=2 October 2008 |title=Floating Proudly, a Warship Returns to Its Mission |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/03/nyregion/03intrepid.html |ref=none}}
* {{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=John |title=The Aircraft Carrier Intrepid |date=1982 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |isbn=0-85177-251-X |series=Anatomy of the Ship |ref=none}}
*{{Cite journal |last=Thorne |first=Phil |date=March 2022 |title=Battle of the Sibuyan Sea |journal=Warship International |volume=LIX |issue=1 |pages=34–65 |issn=0043-0374 |ref=none}}

==External links==
{{Commons and category|USS Intrepid (CV-11)|USS ''Intrepid'' (CV-11)}}

* [http://www.wa3key.com/intrepid.html USS ''Intrepid'' Association] – former crew members' website
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/02/11.htm Photos of ''Intrepid''] – NavSource Online
* [http://www.intrepidmuseum.org/ ''Intrepid'' Sea, Air & Space Museum]

{{Essex class aircraft carrier}}
{{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}
{{Museums in Manhattan}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Intrepid (Cv-11)}}
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:Battle of Leyte Gulf]]
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Vietnam War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States]]
<!-- museum-related categories -->
[[Category:Military and war museums in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Museum ships in New York (state)]]
[[Category:Museums in Manhattan]]
[[Category:National Historic Landmarks in Manhattan]]
[[Category:New York State Register of Historic Places in New York County]]
[[Category:Ships built in Newport News, Virginia]]
[[Category:Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in Manhattan]]
[[Category:Space capsule recovery ships]]