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Dang!!!!!!!!!!

Goose

Goose

Well-known Member
The aircraft carrier USS Saratoga has been sold to a scrapper for one penny.

I was in a Marine Corps jet fighter squadron for carrier quals aboard the "Sara" in the fall of 1956 while the "Sara" herself was still brand new and in shakedown.

The Sara will be the second aircraft carrier I served on to be scrapped and recycled. The other was the USS Lake Champlain.
a156488.jpg
 
Kinda like hearing the Fire Department is going to do a practice burn on a house you once owned and lived in.
 
Sorry to hear that, being close to Saratoga NY, I always wondered if that carrier was named after this place or has any significance with the battle of Saratoga during the revolutionary war. I've been on the USS Enterprise, incredible feat of engineering these carriers given the size of them, just in awe when I saw it for the first time.
 
You always wonder how a big chunk of steel like that can float.

This is the sixth U.S. Navy ship to have the name "Saratoga", but I'm not sure what the origin of the name is. I suspect it could have originated from the battle of Saratoga.
 
That probably was the highest bidder. With all the enviromental issues a scrapper would have to deal with I'm surprised the Navy didn't have to pay them more to take it.
 
Sad to see them go.
Both of the WWII ships I was on are long gone.
Several carriers of that era were named after famous battles.
Off the top of my head here - Saratoga, Lexington, Yorktown, Midway, Coral Sea, Tarawa, Antietam, etc, etc.
 
Did the west pac on her back in 72-73. Lot of good and bad memories of that year. But would not trade the experience for many $$$.
 
My sentiments exactly, lot of steel to float there LOL ! I am very familiar with the Brooklyn Navy Yard, a place where some of these kinds of behemoths were built in the past, its just amazing when you think about it. I did a lot of business with a crane outfit located in that yard, you just think back to some of this manufacturing, we sure could build things, that is for sure !
 
78,000 tons of steel. What the heck is up with that. The taxpayer gets NOTHING back for the MILLIONS it cost to build and operate ? Seriously wrong here.
 

I am always impressed with the amount of military experience on these sites . I have a friend whom will be 91 tomorrow and is having a party . I have spent hours hearing him talk about the 4 years he served in ww2 . I once suggested that he document all his experiences, because once he's gone so are the stories. Hats off to all of those whom have served !!

Larry
 
Sad to say, with the labor, supplies (cutting gas and the like), etc, etc involved to dismantle them, as well as the environmental concerns over lead paint, asbestos, petroleum residue in the tanks, lines, machinery gearboxes, etc, etc, the cost to scrap one out is tremendous. If a company had to pay to scrap one out there would be absolutely no, or very minimal, profit involved for them in the whole endeavor. That being the case why would any company take on such a huge task for next to nothing?
 
Spent two years on the America and went to the Persian Gulf on her for the Gulf War back in '90-'91. Thankfully she didn't see a fate as unceremonious as the scrapper. Instead she's now sitting on the bottom of the ocean, after being used for target practice for new weapon systems, in water too deep for anyone to even dive on.

I was fortunate enough to see the Sara back in '87 when we turned over in the Med with her battle group as well as the Wisconsin's battle group. Didn't get to see the Wisconsin fire her guns due to being stuck in a shaft alley for a maneuvering watch (a lot of ships in close quarters), but I did get to watch the A-6's, A-7's, and the F-14's off the Sara do a firepower demo for us. Between the missles from the A6, the rockets from the A7, and just the incredible speed of the F14 when it ran up beside us at mast level and then turned into a vertical climb, it was a truly impressive display.

Lots of good, and bad memories of those days, so it's always sad to see the ships of that 'generation' disappear. Thankfully those memories will remain until those of us with them 'go to scrap' too.......
 
I made three Westpac cruises on CVA-64 USS Constellation. Motto was :Connie in my Girl. Now :"COnnie is my soup can.
 
I also have the dubious distinction of being one of the first patients in the ship's hospital aboard the Sara.

I had a helluva cold and knew I was running a temp, but we were in the middle of flight ops so I was reluctant to take off. I went to sick bay intending to get some APC's and/or cough syrup and go back to work. They kept me for four days.
 
Probably cost us taxpayers millions to scrap it with all the EPA crap now. The one cent thing is just for signing a contract. 15-20 yrs from now a new billion dollar super fund will pass congress to pay the medical bills, housing and future anything for anyone who worked in the scrap yard or within a 20 mile radius due to lead and asbestos. Should sell it to an oil company to use as a floating hotel, storage, heliport, etc for deep water drilling far from land(my company is involved with designing such a thing now).
 
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