By Lisa Woodbury Rama, Naval Station Newport Public Affairs
NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- Thousands of spectators lined the
shores of Narragansett Bay Aug. 21 to view the final departure from Newport of
the ex-USS Saratoga (CV 60) as she left Pier 1, Naval Station (NAVSTA) Newport,
enroute to her final destination at a dismantling facility in Brownsville,
Texas.
The ship arrived in Newport Aug. 7, 1998 following 38 years
of commissioned service from 1956 to 1994.
She arrived to what was then the Naval Education and
Training Center Aug. 7, 1998 following four years in storage at the
Philadelphia shipyard.
The Saratoga, the second carrier of the Forrestal class,
completed 22 deployments during her career, including the service off the coast
of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and in the Persian Gulf in
support of Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.
She was decommissioned Aug. 20, 1994 in Mayport, Florida.
"It's sad that she could not be turned into a
museum," said Darryl Fern, 51, of Tatamy, Pennsylvania. Fern, a member of
the USS Saratoga Association, was videotaping from the shoreline as the
commercial tugs guided her into the main channel of the bay. He served as an
electrician's mate second class aboard the Saratoga, 1982-1984.
"Like all the other older carriers, it's time for her
to meet her demise," he said.
"She served proudly for a long time," said
Mitchell Abood, 48, of Belchertown, Massachusetts. He served as an avionics
technician third class with Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 125 aboard
Saratoga from 1985-1987.
"A ship like this shouldn't be taken apart piece by
piece," he said. Abood served during the carrier's Mediterranean
deployments in 1985 and 1987.
Joe Roberts, an explosives safety specialist at NAVSTA
Newport, served aboard the Saratoga during Operation Desert Storm/Desert
Shield. Roberts recalled his service saying, "there is a bit sadness that
the Saratoga will never be seen again."
Pier 1 berthed Navy ships until 1973, when the Shore
Establishment Realignment program relocated all Newport-based ships to southern
ports.
The pier was leased to the State of Rhode Island for a
period of time and remained vacant of ships between 1992 and 1998 until the
Saratoga arrived.
The Navy competitively awarded the contract May 8 to ESCO
Marine of Brownsville, Texas, for the towing, dismantling and recycling of
conventionally powered aircraft carriers stricken from the Naval Vessel
Register.
As part of the planning process for the relocation, teams
from Naval Sea Systems Command Inactive Ships and ESCO Marine arrived at NAVSTA
Newport to assess the condition of the vessel and prepare the work plan.
Mother Nature was determined to have her way with this
operation. It was verified that a pair of Peregrine falcons had yet again
decided to start a family in a nest adjacent to the elevators on the ship and,
after consultation with the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife, any movement
plans were put on hold until after Aug. 15 to be certain that any fledglings
would have ample time to learn to fly and move elsewhere.
On Aug. 13, after viewing long range forecasts and
performing final equipment checks, the date was set to relocate the ship Aug.
20.
Excess safety lines were severed Aug. 19 when the Newport
weather forecast called for clear skies with little wind.
NOAA meteorologists checked the forecast throughout the
Atlantic seaboard since the ship would depart Newport then head south to
Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico prior to her final destination. A low
pressure system off the coast of West Africa caused the original plan to be delayed
for safety.
On the original day of the movement, the teams met again at
4 p.m. for an extensive review of weather patterns. A decision was made to
re-evaluate the forecast at 2 a.m.
Checking that forecast proved the "go" for the
operation as the weather system that was a concern for the tug captain appeared
to be weakening.
At 5:30 a.m. this morning, the movement team arrived on
station with the tugs arriving at 5:55 a.m., a safety brief was completed and
the lines began to be pulled up alongside the ship to hold her on the pier as
the Anaconda Lines, bow and stern chains and other tethers were disconnected.
By 7:30 a.m. the last of the two tugs had arrived on site
from Providence, the pilots were on board the ship and the mooring lines at the
stern were released to clear the way for the last tug to make the stern
connection.
By 7:40 a.m. the last line was dropped and the connection
that this ship has held to Newport for more than 16 years was severed.
The tugs took control of the ship and eased her out to the
middle of Narragansett Bay's main shipping lane where the main tow ship, the
Signet Warhorse III, was positioned to begin towing.
Saratoga was underway to Texas at 9:31 a.m. The trip is
expected to take approximately 16 days with an anticipated arrival Sept. 6.
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