USS Oriskany (CV-34)
History of the USS Oriskany Aircraft Carrier
The USS Oriskany (CV-34), nicknamed “Mighty O” and “The O-Boat,” was ordered for the U.S. Navy on August 7, 1942. Her keel was laid down at Brooklyn Navy Yard in New York on May 1, 1944. She was launched on August 12, 1947, underwent redesign as a prototype for the SCB-27 modernization program and was commissioned on September 25, 1950 under the command of Captain Percy H. Lyon.
USS Oriskany spent her first few months in training and carrier qualifications before sailing to the Mediterranean with the Sixth Fleet on May 15, 1951. After visiting Italy, France, Greece, Turkey and Tripoli, she returned to the United States for overhaul, which was completed on May 15, 1952. She joined the Pacific Fleet on July 21.
Once carrier qualifications for Air Group 102 were completed, the USS Oriskany headed to Korea with Fast Carrier Task Force 77, arriving on October 31. Her aircraft launched air strikes against North Korean targets, scoring two MiG kills on November 18. Air strikes continued through February 1953, when she headed to Yokosuka for a quick overhaul. She headed back to combat on March 1 before sailing for San Diego, California via Yokosuka on April 22.
The USS Oriskany rejoined the Seventh Fleet at Yokosuka on October 15. She cruised the Sea of Japan, the Philippines and the East China Sea before providing air support for Marine exercises at Iwo Jima. The aircraft carrier headed back to San Francisco Naval Shipyard in California from April to October 1954 for overhaul. She operated with the Fast Carrier Task Force out of Yokosuka before sailing off California for carrier qualifications and another Western Pacific deployment.
USS Oriskany was decommissioned from January 2, 1957 until March 7, 1959 for modernization that included an angled flight deck and steam catapults. After operating along the West Coast, she headed out for another deployment to the West Pacific. She underwent overhaul at California’s San Francisco Naval Shipyard from March to August 1961, when she became the first aircraft carrier to receive the Naval Tactical Data System (NTDS).
The USS Oriskany spent the next few years in training, testing and overhaul before she was deployed to the Western Pacific. She joined combat operations for the Vietnam War in April 1965. Her aircraft flew over 12,000 combat sorties during this deployment, earning the Navy Unit Commendation. During her deployments to the Vietnam War zone, she spent time on both Dixie Station and Yankee Station.
A fire broke out on the starboard side of USS Oriskany’s forward hangar bay on October 27, 1966. Many of the 44 men who were killed were combat pilots who had returned from air raids several hours earlier. The fire was caused by a flare that was accidentally ignited, leading to a safer flare design that would prevent future incidents involving accidental ignition. She headed to Subic Bay to transfer victims of the fire before sailing to San Francisco Naval Shipyard in California for repairs.
USS Oriskany returned to combat in July 1967 as the flagship of Carrier Division 9. During this deployment, she provided medical assistance when a fire broke out on the USS Forrestal. Lieutenant-Commander John McCain was shot down in his A-4 Skyhawk when he flew from the aircraft carrier on October 26, 1967; he would become a Prisoner of War (POW) until January 1973.
The USS Oriskany headed back to San Francisco, California for overhaul in early 1968. After carrier qualifications, she headed back to the Far East in April 1969. She was decommissioned on September 30, 1976 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register on July 25, 1989. The aircraft carrier was originally sold for scrap on September 9, 1995, but the Navy regained possession of the ship when the contractor defaulted. The rusted ship was used in the film What Dreams May Come to represent part of Hell. She was finally sunk as an artificial reef in the Gulf of Mexico on May 17, 2006.
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 Oriskany
