USS Kearsarge (CV-33)
History of the USS Kearsarge Aircraft Carrier
The USS Kearsarge was ordered for the U.S. Navy during World War II. Her keel was laid down at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York on March 1, 1944. She was launched on May 5, 1945 and commissioned on March 2, 1946 under the command of Captain Francis J. McKenna.
USS Kearsarge trained and participated in fleet maneuvers until she was deployed to the Mediterranean with the Sixth Fleet on June 1, 1948. She operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean until heading to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington on February 23, 1950 for overhaul. She was decommissioned on June 16, 1950 while she underwent modernization.
Recommissioned on February 15, 1952, the USS Kearsarge headed to the Far East to support operations during the Korean War. As a member of Task Force 77, her air crews were involved in almost 6,000 sorties against the North Koreans. During her deployment, she was reclassified as CVA-33. She returned to her homeport in San Diego, California on March 17, 1953.
The USS Kearsarge rejoined the Pacific Fleet at Korea on July 1, 1953, where she remained until the truce was announced. She also watched the Formosa Straits to prevent a Communist attack on Taiwan before returning to San Diego, California on January 18, 1954. On her next deployment to the Far East in October, she helped evacuate Chinese Nationalists from the Tachen Islands.
USS Kearsarge underwent more refitting to be reclassified as an antisubmarine warfare support carrier, CVS-33, in the summer of 1958. When she was deployed to the Far East at the end of 1959, she provided disaster relief to victims of a violent typhoon in Japan. She participated in SEATO exercises before heading home, stopping to rescue four Russians from their landing barge T-36 along the way.
The USS Kearsarge spent a year in training operations before another deployment with the Seventh Fleet. She headed to Laos as Communists attempted to overthrow the government. When this deployment was over, she headed back to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Washington for more modernization.
On October 3, 1962, USS Kearsarge recovered astronaut Walter Schirra and his Project Mercury space capsule when after splashdown. She was involved in more training exercises before recovering astronaut Gordon Cooper and his space capsule on May 16, 1963.
After her space recovery missions, the USS Kearsarge was deployed to Southeast Asia several times, first in 1963 and again in 1964. When she returned to the Far East on August 8, 1966, she took her place at Yankee Station. She remained there until October 24, when she moved on to Kuala Lumpur before returning to Yankee Station the following month. The aircraft carrier headed home and arrived at San Diego, California on December 20.
USS Kearsarge was decommissioned on February 13, 1970. She was removed from the Naval Vessel Register in May 1973 and sold for scrap in February 1974. The aircraft carrier earned two battle stars for her service in the Korean War.
The use of asbestos was common in shipbuilding components for much of the 20th Century because of its resistance to heat, fire, water and corrosion. Because of their asbestos exposure onboard ship and in the shipyards, seaman, shipyard workers and longshoreman are at risk for developing asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma .
Sources include:
John Hedley-Whyte and Debra R Milamed, "Asbestos and Ship-Building: Fatal Consequences," Ulster Med. J. 77(3):191-200 (Sep 2008)
U.S. Navy, A Brief History of Aircraft Carriers – USS Kearsarge
