The Dismantling of US Navy’s Aircraft Carrier That Was Sold For a Penny

0:00 The Dismantling of USS Kitty Hawk
1:30 Arrival at the shipbreaker in Texas
2:07 Removing the island
2:47 The aft berthing racks
3:14 What is the fantail of the ship for?
4:01 The post office on the Kitty Hawk
4:32 Removal of aircraft elevators
5:18 The HAZMAT locker
5:45 The anchor room of Kitty Hawk
6:62 What are chain lockers for?
7:24 Life rafts
7:41 Why did older aircraft carriers had escalators?
8:35 Cool design of fresh water tanks on the ship
9:05 Kitty Hawk's top secret mission with no air wing
9:50 Flight deck operations on USS Kitty Hawk
11:01 Propulsion system and boiler rooms on Kitty Hawk
12:23 What are ship sponsons used for?
12:47 How is garbage disposed on modern aircraft carriers?
13:33 The only American aircraft carrier to kill a submarine (K314)
14:17 The "Ghost Ship": Ships have lives
This is the dismantling of the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier in service with the US Navy, ISS Kitty Hawk (CV-63). But what gave life to Kitty Hawk in it's 40+ years of service, is #NotWhatYouThink #NWYT #longs
Music:
Dismantle - Peter Sandberg
Aural Imprints - Frank Jonsson
Into Hiding - Marten Moses
Twostop - By Lotus
B Positive - Jules Gaia
Close Encounter - Wendel Scherer
Upon Entering Another Realm - Brendon Moeller
Some Kinda Medication - Pip Mondy
Shadowed - John B. Lund
Human Missile - Craft Case
Silver Flicker - Colors of Illusion
Thyone - Ben Elson
Development - Blackout Memories
Secret Light - Max Anson
As History Unfolds - Christoffer Moe Ditlevsen
Footage:
Select images/videos from Getty Images
Shutterstock
MIchael Farrell
US Department of Defense
Note: "The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."

[@michaelfarrell3446]

Thank you for using my footage. I hope we can raise some money for St. Judes Children's Hospital.

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Thanks Mike! We hope so too!

[@Swigester]

thank you for documenting history!

[@tkgibson5143]

Fantastic videography, and a wonderful cause that you chose to support.

[@kitten_processing_inc4415]

Thanks for your work and for the great idea for making this a fundraiser.

[@littlekirby6]

Thank you Michael!!

[@VinBizz]

This ship was my first 1/350 model kit that I have built, and it makes me really sad to see it dismantled! Rest in Peace beautiful lady !

[@oreosoda]

whered you get the kit?

[@CallMeByMyMatingName]

What are your plans with the model, now that the real thing is being took't apart?

[@Commander9013]

I got the same scale but enterprise its sad to see her go as well

[@Commander9013]

​@@CallMeByMyMatingNameshelf queen probably

[@VinBizz]

@@oreosoda it was from Trumpeter at 1/350 scale

[@MrBubonicChronic]

Drove by her regularly for years on my way to job sites and although she may have been smaller than her younger siblings, I was always in awe of her imposing presence. She will certainly be missed and the drive into Bremerton will never be the same without her.

[@oreosoda]

cascadia!

[@djc821]

Same here. The drive from Port Orchard into Bremerton was weird without the Kitty Hawk.

[@MrChickennugget360]

notice the Olivar Hazard Perry class Frigate being scrapped next to her at 0:21? Is that the Sammy B? Also notice the Old Tico in the background at 5:02 its got the old arm launcher as opposed to the newer VLS. Probably USS Yorktown.

[@schrodingersmechanic7622]

Stationed in Bremerton from 03 to 07, we typically berthed right next to her except when we went to drydock.

[@ford4life069]

Thank you Michael from a cv63 vet's wife! Have enjoyed watching your vids and donating your footage to a project like this is awesome too. You sir, are a gem.

[@odkurzaczelectroluxultraon4999]

Best aircraft carrier video I've seen, this was by far the best opportunity to show the inside, which gives a chance to appreciate the size of the whole construction!

[@craigcooknf]

You were SO respectful of the ship and those who sailed her! I'm sure that was appreciated by many!

[@zspud21]

Im a former NIMITZ sailor. And i used to seek Kitty Hawk when we were in the Bremerton yards. Even with her paint faded and lights off, she was still a beautiful girl. Its hard to see her scrapped..

[@philchurch1115]

I live in Bremerton and saw her pull out of moring and it really got me seeing my youth fading away.

[@enricomandragona163]

I was TAD on Nimitz in 81 then flew out to the Forrestal CV-59! She too was scraped 10 yrs ago for a lousy penny!! Some return for taxpayers dollars!!

[@gtc1961]

I was in the Bremerton yards on Enterprise in the early 80's, at that time Oriskany was in the mothball fleet. Back in 2011 I visited Bremerton and my other ship, the Independence, was wasting away up there with Connie, Ranger and Kitty Hawk. The Hawk was, by far, in the best shape of the four. I really thought they'd bring it back to active duty.

[@enricomandragona163]

@@gtc1961 What a shame!! 15 yrs ago or so the Forrestal former crew members went to the Newport Road Island base on Veterans Day and the FID & Saratoga were anchor chained together between a peer ! Mortifying to see them like that!! They were both stripped of everything to keep the current fleet going! Unfortunately we weren't allowed one board!! I wanted to see my old rack on the O3 level under number 4 wire!! Eventually they were towed to Philly to be prepared for hazmat cleaning along with the Kennedy. ⚓🔱

[@gtc1961]

@@enricomandragona163 You must've been a squadron guy too. My rack was right under the #1 wire, It is sad to see them like that. I showed my three kids and told them that that ship (the Indy) had been all around the world.

[@koolkevin2357]

I spent 3 years of my younger life on the USS Kitty Hawk. Most of us will miss her. We made a great team for protecting the US Citizens across the world. "First in flight" was her given motto, we as her crew called her many things. Maybe others - that served on her decks and slept in her bunks, will share them here. I am proud to have served aboard her.

[@alanfan8941]

I was stationed aboard the ex-USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67). It was a modified Kitty Hawk carrier and the last conventionally powered carrier. It will soon take the Kitty Hawk’s place at the breakers. Ship breakers not only break up obsolete ships. They also break the hearts of the sailors who served aboard them.

[@robmcconnell4702]

Haze Grey and underway aboard the JFK.

[@makaha5750]

I suppose breaking-the-ship-up is better than the vessel being use as target practice and then sunk to the bottom of the ocean.

[@georgeyoung1810]

I was on Big John ‘84-‘89

[@edcliffyzukowski5473]

My first 10 traps (1996) and last 200 traps (2005-2007) were on Battle Cat. She'll always hold a special place in my heart. She should've been turned into a museum instead of razorblades. RIP Kitty Hawk. One note, the keel of Kitty Hawk was actually laid as Contellation. A fire onboard while under construction caused the Kitty Hawk to be delayed and ultimately be commissioned as USS Constellation while the Connie's keel was used for the USS Kitty Hawk. There are/were placards on both ships regarding this change.

[@georgeburns7251]

😀

[@curtotting4255]

so very true about the Constellation and Kitty Hawk...I served aboard the Kitty Hawk from 1970-1972...

[@walterquick8649]

China thru Mexico gets some of them, Sadly

[@tonymash]

What squadron? I was onboard the same 2 years, AIMD AT supporting the Prowler squadron

[@edcliffyzukowski5473]

@@tonymash I was a Golden Dragon

[@paokie2]

Great video. I spent over 4 years on her sister, USS Constellation CVA-64 during the Vietnam war. Since they were identical, I was able remember being in certain areas of the ship

[@mendodsoregonbackroads6632]

I got to go on a shakedown cruse on the Connie in between duty stations. The Kitty Hawk was docked up across the way over on Murray Ave at North Island.

[@glennrishton5679]

I was on the Chicago from 71 to 76, we used to tie up at North Island often with the Kitty Hawk and Constellation. After getting out worked on sea going tugs. One day got called to the wheelhouse on a tug as we headed to Puerto Rico. There was the Constellation under tow going to the ship breakers in Texas. Made me sad seeing a ship I remembered from years before going to be turned into razor blades.

[@paokie2]

@@glennrishton5679 sad ending for sure. But ships and sailors get old at some point. I didn't know she went to Brownsville until she was already there. Had I known, I would have driven down there from OK as it was less than a 10 hr. drive.

[@glennrishton5679]

@@paokie2 I wish you could have done just that, a farewell. I saw a picture of my old ship in a merchant marine trade magazine ad soliciting bids for it to be scrapped.

[@paokie2]

@@glennrishton5679 Funny but how many of us thought we'd miss the old girls many years after we walked down the brow for the last time.

[@jes2731]

I was on the Midway CV-41 back in the mid-80's and watching this I could picture it being her dismantled instead. I'm so glad that she (CV-41) was saved and preserved, and is docked in San Diego.

[@SSN515]

I was a hole snipe on Midway 87-until decom at North Island. Rode 3 Desron 15 Tincans out of Yoko before that. Looks like you retired to the PI?

[@jes2731]

VA-115 Eagles 86-89 and then 89-92 NAS Cubi Pt AIMD, and then out. Yep, just getting back to where I enjoyed life the most in my younger years. Now it's the quiet life.

[@SSN515]

@@jes2731 Cool. I'll check out your channel. You must have been at Cubi for Pinatubo? I remember we went down there from Yoko after Desert Storm and evacuated a lot of Navy, Army, AF, Retired, personnel and civilian dependents. Left the Air Wing behind and they set up hundreds of cots in hanger bay 1 and 2 for the males, and secured the starboard side coops and heads for the females and small kids. Stationed Mar Det on the 2nd deck as guards for the women. Pets were in cages on the sponsons. They set up meal stations in the hanger bay, too. I was in charge of shutting down the engineering plant for the last time at North Island, and that was kinda sad for most of us.

[@jes2731]

@@SSN515 Yep, the flight line at Cubi Pt is 37 miles as the crow flies to Pinatubo. It did a huge belch the week before it blew its top, and some pilot on deck measured the distance from his bird. One week later and we were waking up on the moon when it was all done with 18 inches of ash covering everything. Having a sweet TAD to US Military Customs my last year there, I was in the essential personnel group, so I wasn't shipped out like most others. It was an experience for sure.

[@johngross8300]

VIGI VF-151, Nov 85 - transition and return, ships company Midway (62F) Sept 86 - Mar 89. Two Bob Hope USO shows!

[@Butter_Warrior99]

Rest easy Kitty Hawk, you served your country well.

[@keepitreal5585]

I am so thankful for this video! I was deployed on The Kitty! So glad I was part of history! RIP USS Kitty Hawk! ❤

[@harrisonmantooth7363]

This was a fantastic video, thank you Michael Farrell for providing the awesome footage of Kitty Hawks dismantling. It is sad to see such an historic ship being put out of service. I had an uncle who served aboard the Carrier U.S.S. WASP CV-7 during WW2. He survived the sinking but suffered mentally up till his passing in 1977. RIP Uncle Arthur. May you find your much deserved rest within God's loving embrace.

[@muratcemceylan]

Thanks Michael :)

[@dakotaman408]

Those round circular voids are the chain lockers

[@heinrichmuller7974]

lol i was just about to comment this

[@hotroid111]

I actually found about this when I drove to south padre island. We passed by the shipyard and I exclaimed "Is that an aircraft carrier?? Why here specifically??" It was a great moment. Glad to see the explanation behind it.

[@gregoryfaith4303]

Her time was well celebrated as she traveled around the world. I got to go aboard her during my time in the US Navy. Such a fine ship. USN 76 - 82. (CGN-35)

[@NotWhatYouThink]

Please consider supporting our fundraiser as a thank you to Michael, who helped preserve this piece of history for everyone ❤

[@IQ1000PenyatirHandal]

Hai

[@Relocklabs]

thank you Michael

[@michaelwilson5866]

@@Relocklabsyou’re welcome

[@justandy333]

I gotta say that is quite an original way of doing a fundraiser. Those shots of Kitty Hawk are amazing! Getting to see parts of the ship we'd never otherwise get to see. Very interesting. Loving your work! It is very much appreciated!

[@MacroAggressor]

St. Jude's needs to stop pushing DEI initiatives.

[@THE-X-Force]

It's interesting how we become emotionally bonded to inanimate objects. Kind of a sweet quirk of humanity, in a way. ☮

[@martinsinnombre]

Hi there from Mar del Plata, Argentina. Why do I clarify that otherwise useless fact? Because the Kitty Hawk visited my city in November 11, 1991. It was a HUGE thing for us, and people (myself included) were amazed at the size of the thing. I could swear that the sunrise happened an hour later everyday with that ship on the horizon. I would definitely not want to face one of those in war. In any case, I still have a picture of it taken by a professional photographer who was invited to navigate around it, and because if was still during the film days, the grain of the negative gives the photograph a wonderful character. You can still see those beautiful F-14s on the deck in the picture, hanging on my bedroom. I was 17 at the time and a friend of mine, in his 30s, was in the air force and asked me if I was interested in joining him on a helicopter to go up the ship, around 2 km away from the shore. Unfortunately (yes, 33 years passed and I'm still annoyed about this) I had an exam at school and couldn't miss it, so I had to pass that incredible opportunity.

[@phiksit]

I had the opposite experience on USS Independence. We had a port call in Rio de Janeiro and I couldn't get off the ship 😕sigh. I would still be mad about that missed opportunity too.😡😭

[@SirReginaldBlomfield1234]

Our carriers visited in 1982 and made good use of their time around our Falkland Islands 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

[@rothwegk]

I was on the Kitty Hawk when we visited Mar Del Plata. The Kitty Hawk was on its way to San Diego, after 4 years in the Philly shipyards. Mar Del Plata was my favorite port of call. . The one thing that I remember was that they blocked off many streets in the downtown area, and it was reminiscent of a block party. It was a very festive atmosphere. There was a lot of excitement over the ship being there, and we were welcomed with excitement. I met a girl that we kept in touch for a while afterward her name was Leticia R. She referred to herself as "Lety." It's. funny, the maker of this video pointed out the post office.. Many letters to and from Lety, passed through that post office. All these years later, I still talk about Mar Del Plata, and when anyone asks me what my favorite port was, I don't even have to think about it.

[@fntsmk]

Kitty Hawk had NO escalators on her while I was ship's company from 1982 - 1985. I was assigned to the Ship's Master-At-Arms force for awhile and I've been on and in every inch of that ship many times over. I even went in all of the voids that went down 7 decks from the hangar deck level. And here's another piece of trivia that very few people know. The anchor chain tube which the port side chain was funneled into had written inside of it in very LARGE BLOCK LETTERS: USS CONSTELLATION CV-64. I saw it with my own eyes. In fact, I had to buy my MAA partner a Coke over a bet on it. While on patrol, he said: "You know we're actually on the Constellation, right?" I told him he was crazy, and he bet me a Coke that he could show me a place where "USS Constellation" was welded in large block letters on the ship. So I took the bait. He led me to the f'oc'sle, and got out his large 4D Cell Mag Light and shown it in the tube that the port anchor chain descended into, and sure enough, in LARGE BLOCK LETTERS inside the anchor chain tube it said: "USS CONSTELLATION CV-64." Here's another tidbit of trivia: I was on the cruise where we ran over that Russian sub (pretty much on purpose if you ask me...). I was talking with a shipmate I had gone through AFTA with. He was an AW and he had gone aircrew, and rode the enlisted seat in an S-3 Viking Squadron that was embarked on Kitty Hawk for that cruise. He told about them "sinking" the Russian submarine that had been shadowing us. In fact, he said they sunk it about "15 times" that day. I asked him if we could track all of Russia's subs, and he said: "Without a doubt." Then he went on to say, that conversely, if one of our subs "wanted to get lost," not even we could find it! Anyway, it was shortly after 2200 hours, I was in the head (03 level port side forward) brushing my teeth getting ready to hit the rack, when the bow of the ship went up, up, up, up, up, up, up... more than it ever had before in the two years I had been aboard. Then the bow went down, down, down, down, down, down... and then back up, up, up, up, up, up... A shipmate exclaimed: "What in the hell was that!" I said: "We either hit the world's largest whale, or we just ran over that Russian submarine that's been following us." A minute later, we were at General Quarters.

[@ddegn]

Wow, great stories! Thanks for sharing them.

[@firebirdgaming3595]

My grandfather was the ships chief surgeon 1972-1976, and he actually knows why the kitty hawk has those Constellation marked parts, and it could’ve been for 1 of 2 reasons: Right at the end of my grandfathers first time on the ship (1973) some idiot seaman who wasn’t being properly supervised installed a JP5 fuel gasket on backwards, causing it to fail and igniting a huge fire in the no. 1 engine room. The two port side engine rooms had to be shut down and the no. 1 shaft was warped beyond repair. Because of navy politics, specifically a well connected CMC, they convinced someone in the supply depot in Brooklyn to put the prop shaft and gearbox intended for the Connie’s refit in Norfolk onto a C-5 and get it flown all the way out to California to get thrown on the Kitty Hawk instead. Thus, the ol’ Chicken Hawk had one of the Connie’s prop sets and gearboxes and a bunch of equipment and ducting from her as well that was labeled as such. Because he was the ships surgeon at the time, he was among the first people who went down to the underbelly of the ship to aid any survivors who were found by the search parties. While he was down there with another engineering officer, they both observed some voids that had either been exposed by the fire, or cut open by rescue crews to access other spaces, that were very clearly labeled “USS Constellation.” According to the engineering officer, during its construction, a wielding fire caused a huge number of bow compartments on the 3, 4, and 5 decks to be gutted. The navy, apparently in a hurry to get Kitty Hawk down the slips as the lead ship of the class, either stripped a bunch of fittings intended for Constellation (the version I consider more likely) and had them installed on Kitty Hawk, or more drastically as my grandfather retold it, had the hulls swap names entirely in order to keep schedule. I’m not sure what’s more true, especially given those void spaces would’ve been wielded up long before any fitting out would’ve been done. The old man’s more than 80 years old now and he’s lived five times the life that I have. He’s the only one (out of 7) flight surgeons I’ve met that has a bronze star and a Vietnam combat action medal (apparently for actions flying as a WSO for VF-114 and VF-213), the only pilot I know of who gave a talk at TOPGUN without actually being a graduate (or an intel spook) and among the few people who has fired on another aircraft and ejected from his own. He’s not going anywhere anytime soon but I’ll miss him when he’s gone. If I graduate to being half the officer he was I think I’ll have a career to remember.

[@charlesalvin4318]

I rode her from 97 till 2002 (I was a C-2 Aircrewman so we shore based off of her but rode her from Japan to where ever she was going. The escalator was there, on the forward starboard side. Went from the Starboard forward "speed" galley to the 03 level. Only worked/ran 1 time while I was aboard, but sometimes they would open it up to use as a non moving stairway. Sometimes if more than 10 people were on it, it would run backwatds/down. Really sucked when you were 3/4s the way up and it started moving down.

[@DonAbrams-hq7ln]

That error when she was laid should have been cut out and displayed at Annapolis. Being an AirDale, we would never guessed that we were actually on the Connie!!!!

[@tjwhite2049]

The story I heard was that there was a fire early on in hull that was to be the Kitty Hawk. The Constellation was under construction, but about 6 months behind the hull that was to be named Kitty Hawk, CV-63. After the fire, that hull's construction was delayed so much that it would launch after the other hull, so they switched names on the hull's so the Kitty Hawk was launched first, apparently with the pieces of what was then supposed to to be the Connie. MM3 White, 2MMR, '89-'92

[@willh5847]

Sad that she couldn't have been converted into a museum ship. Now there's virtually no chance of ever having a super carrier as one. Crazy to think how many service men and women called her home.

[@oldguy1528]

I agree !!!

[@seangelarden9543]

Should have saved my ship, the Forrestal was the first carrier built as an angle deck from the keel up

[@RockerWasRight]

@@seangelarden9543Actually no but close, both Zippo and my Sara were originally designed as straight decks, changed during construction which was a good thing.

[@seangelarden9543]

@@RockerWasRight f you those were my shipmates that died in that fire

[@haramanggapuja]

Agreed. They did the same destruction of the Saratoga. Broke my heart to see her sold for scrap after so many folks contributed to the attempts to save & museum her. I’ll never understand why. For a f@(king penny.

[@619sdbdub]

I worked on the bridge during my two years onboard her in the early 90's. Great overview of her life and dismantling. The escalator never worked while I was aboard. To refuel ship and the tanks for the associated aircraft, the process took about 3 to 4 hours.

[@rothwegk]

We're you on the Hawk during SLEP? I definitely remember using the inoperative escalator to go from the 2nd deck to the 03 level. Once we got out of the shipyards, it was off limits to enlisted. I don't remember ever seeing it work. OI Division here 89-93,

[@619sdbdub]

@@rothwegk I reported mid-summer 1992. Most of the guys in NAV had been on since Philly. It was my shortest tour, only a year. I was itchin for shore duty. If I remember correctly OI berthing was just aft of NAV/SIGS on the bow of the ship. Except for being on watch, myself and another person spent our time in Secondary Conn watching Site TV and doing chart inventory. I was listed as "Nool" on the 92-93 cruise book but that was a typo.

[@Ppittman6564]

First carrier, I ever seen in dry dock. It was a very impressive sight in 1982. The USS Missouri was parked in the mothball fleet at the time. This was in Bremerton, Washington.

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

Outstanding job, sir! Just outstanding. Very interesting. I was on her sister ship, the U.S.S. "Independance" (CV-62) a long time ago. It's sad to see "Kitty Hawk" taken apart.

[@chrisgobert1266]

CV 62 was a Forrestal class carrier

[@kennethhamilton5633]

Rode on 3 of the battle scarred old girls Indy, Forrestall and the Shitty Kitty. Spent my entire Naval career either ships company or sea going squadrons, East and West coast

[@kennethhamilton5633]

@@chrisgobert1266if I'm not mistaken Indy was it's own class,Indy was first.

[@2020HotShotTruckingLLC]

@@kennethhamilton5633 Indy was the fourth and last of the 4 Forrestal Class carriers. Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger and Independence. My dad served on Indy from launch in 1958 and mustered out as Indy was heading to the Cuban missile blockade in 1962.

[@2020HotShotTruckingLLC]

The Kitty Hawk was the first of three carriers in the Kitty Hawk class. Indy was the fourth and last of the 4 Forrestal Class carriers that preceded the Kitty Hawk. Forrestal, Saratoga, Ranger and Independence. My dad served on Indy from launch in 1958 and mustered out as Indy was heading to the Cuban missile blockade in 1962. He was in W division, which no longer exists. I searched for other sailors who sailed at the same time, and finally found one who was in the same division at the same time, but it turns out that they had two separate groups, one in the bow (my Dad's) and one in the stern (the sailor who I talked to). I guess they didn't want all their "eggs" in one basket. My dad talked about his berth was under the receiving end of one of the bow catapults. I always wanted to tour Indy with my Dad, but we lived on the east coast and Indy had moved to the west coast. Taking a day cruise when I was 1 or 2 just isn't the same. All I remember was the ship was like a tall building towering over the dock in Norfolk.

[@CaptainFury767]

My first night trap was on the Hawk. Bravo Zulu, old girl. You did good.

[@whidbeyhiker4364]

I'm very impressed by the wide variety of research you did for this. The shot of the bunks under the aft flight deck area brought back memories, imagine trying to get three or four hours of sleep for your next watch with planes landing on your head...

[@tonymash]

try the forward berthing under the catapults!

[@patmcbride9853]

Racks right under the flight deck. The sailors bunking there could sleep through anything after their deployment.

[@DonAbrams-hq7ln]

Yep, slept soundly with tie down chains as a pillow, LOVE PORT AND STARBOARD DUTY.

[@toastnjam7384]

That berthing compartment was also between the arresting gears which made a very loud screeching noise. My berthing compartment was under the flight deck between the forward catapults, and they also were very loud. The first time I heard it I thought there's no way I'm going to sleep through that. After a couple of days, I slept like a baby. The only noise I didn't like was the occasional dropping of a bomb during loading which was a reminder that there's only a couple of inches between us and disaster. Served on the Kitty Hawk 1970-73.

[@Retr0racin]

I was on Ranger 1980-81 and my berthing was right under the 3 wire the one they shoot for, I can still hear what it sounds like 40+ years later. first you hear the sound of the engine only for about 2 secs. then BAM Weeeeeeeeeeee and the engine again because they give it full throttle when they hit the deck, you hear them throttle back to idle and then the wire rolling across the deck as it goes back into position then you can hear it go on top of the leaf bar things that hold it a few inchs above the deck the wire goes back and forth on that until it stops and tightens up. then about 45 secs later it all happens again until all the planes have landed. it`s tuff the first few days but after you work a 12 hour shift 7 days a week for weeks on end you sleep right though it. my second trip was on the Enterprise and my Berthing was forward below the mess deck right at the water line. the cat shots when they took off was pretty loud and had it`s own sounds too. thing about a ship is the sound resenates, you could hear some guy beating on something with a hammer on the other end of the ship sometimes and a bunch of other sounds all the time.

[@patmcbride9853]

@@Retr0racinReminds me of that scene in "Once Upon a Time in the West" where the old man in a shack is telling the story of how he held out and didn't sell to the railroad. While he's talking, the whole shack starts shaking, loud train sounds and whistles make it hard to hear him, steam comes in through cracks in the walls...

[@RockerWasRight]

Yup, after a few weeks one became immune to the incredible noise.

[@lidarman2]

I happen to know Tim Gallaudet. He used to be Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere here at NOAA after his Navy service. This was a cool dismantle tour and fun since I just got back from Charleston where I toured the Yorktown and walked its escalator.

[@ivantorres1536]

This was my home from December 1999- September 2002 Aviation Fuels V4 Division - aka Grapes...fond memories

[@mikesmith1115]

I was a grape as well. 65-69 Bonn Homme Richard (Bonnie Dick) and Hancock.

[@ivantorres1536]

@@mikesmith1115 those that know know.... 🍻 🍻🚢⚓️

[@michaelleitner1245]

I didn't know that purple shirts were called Grapes. Makes sense. I won't speculate as to a nickname for the brown shirts. 😂

[@ivantorres1536]

@michaelleitner1245 Yeah, that was our nickname because of our color gear .

[@ivantorres1536]

@michaelleitner1245 Yeah we called them Shitheads lol

[@fragasm726]

I was onboard from 05-09 and was part of the decommissioning crew !

[@tombruner9634]

My fifth and final ship, actually a submarine, was USS Louisville SSN 724,. We joined the Kitty Hawk CVBG for our WESPAC back in, probably, '92 or '93 (I've done a lot of deployments and they all sort of blend together so I'd have to look up the actual year, but it was shortly after Desert Storm). I had occasion to visit Kitty Hawk when we were mutually in Singapore for a liberty port in hopes of getting a filling replaced having lost it after we left San Diego (submarines do not have dentists) and the Brits did not want to help me out when we visited Hong Kong, then a British colony. No luck as it turned out and I had to wait until we got to Abu Dhabi. But the crew was very accommodating and friendly, very kind to help a submariner find his way around that mammoth chunk of steel. They could tell by my dolphins that I would probably get lost quickly without guidance. I ended up losing the tooth.

[@devikwolf]

Thank you for this video, thank you to Michael for the footage, and THANK YOU to St Jude's for the work they do

[@kallumlgltd]

That's a cute name for such a golliath piece of kit!

[@jessejamesmanfred6319]

named after the birthplace of human aviation

[@RAS_Squints]

We used to call her the "Sh*tty Kitty" in the fleet back in 2003

[@stefthorman8548]

lol, i though you said "golliath piece of shit" and was i about to say something

[@leftyo9589]

same in the 90's, i sailed many miles along side her.@@RAS_Squints

[@krashd]

@@jessejamesmanfred6319 No, named after the birthplace of human powered flight, as planes were not the first things to take humans into the air. Also even the birthplace of powered flight is a contentious topic as two other nations regard themselves as being the home of the aeroplane, though the consensus is that the Wright brothers did get there first.

[@dominquedoty458]

It is rather said to see the aircraft carrier be completely dismantled... I always thought the aircraft carrier would become a museum ship. Thinking it could gain some revenue from the great tours of an old ship. But alas! I guess it was cheaper to dismantle the ship... Still, thanks a bunch for making this video! It will stay in place for history.

[@phiksit]

I think the cost of keeping up the ship's integrity (dealing with corrosion, painted, water tight, etc on something that big) is the biggest problem when you only have a public non-government funded "museum" budget. Yeah, it is sad 😕

[@michaelgrey7854]

The two voids in the bow are chain lockers for the Anchor chain.

[@grumpySafa]

Very informative, thank you Michael for the footage and thank you NWYT for posting this.

[@NickGonsalves]

Person on the fantail was on watch as aft lookout...and also kind of hanging out.

[@mikesmith1115]

Smoked my first joint there on the Bonn Homme Richard CVA 19 in 1966

[@panzerfast5000]

Imagine trying to sleep while a plane lands 5ft above your bed just on the other side of your "ceiling"

[@phiksit]

Not so hard after 18 hour shift... plus your brain kind of shuts down your hearing when you sleep.

[@USSBB62]

Those to circular voids are "Chain Lockers"

[@pdoherty]

Thanks for this and good job! Served aboard her in 73. A good ship she was. Also did time aboard Midway, Constellation, Coral Sea, and Lexington. 1971-1975 RIP Hawk

[@rickrudd]

My Father-In-Law was on the Kitty Hawk as a Navy electrician from its pre-deployment "outfitting" cruises until 1965.

[@ELCobb83]

I was on the Hawk aka "Shitty Kitty" from 2006 to 2009. I was there for the last ride From Yoko Japan to Bremerton Washington for decommissioning. She was a great ship! It's sad to see her go like this, but nothing lasts forever.

[@noneck3099]

Went all over that ship in the 80's as a young kid when it visited Fremantle Western Australia....had a Kitty Hawk hat i wore to death as well.

[@imagereader_9]

One the great things about this video is it enlightens (or reminds some who already know) some of us as to just how structurally complex these ships are when the smooth, flat deck is stripped away. The absolute maze of compartments that are hidden from outside.

[@phiksit]

The "little flat spot" at 0:40 is probably half a football field in size😊

[@IonOtter]

I was on the USS Reuben James, FFG-57, and I participated in 3 berthing rehabilitation evolutions. So while those berthing compartments on the Kitty Hawk aren't known to me specifically, the design *is* known. And let me tell you, those racks..."collect things." Some of the things they collect are absolutely disgusting, but it's something you just have to deal with. Other times, you find things like jewelry, photos and diaries or journals. But the most common thing to find is money, and *lots* of it! By the time we'd ripped out the last rack, we'd found nearly $280 in dimes, nickles, quarters and pennies, along with a whole bunch of foreign currencies!

[@phiksit]

HA... amazing story :)

[@em1osmurf]

for anyone that sailed aboard any ship that's been struck, this a heartbreaker. i served aboard JFK CV-67 nearly 40 years ago for 5 years. she was in limbo, then scheduled for scrapping. every ship i sailed on in 21 years is gone. thanks for this.

[@misiekkania]

Thank you Micheal I am Michał ( Micheal in English )from Poland and I really appreciate work you have done. So everybody could see this document :) Kind Regards. :)

[@AllmightyB]

My unit did training on this ship when it was decommissioned sitting in Bremerton (we were up the road in Silverdale). That was my only time in 7 years being on a carrier while active in the Navy 😂 but it was a cool experience and I was sad to hear the news of it getting scrapped. Great video as usual!

[@saiyamang5397]

I used to jokingly say I wish I could be there when they decommissioned the old girl so I could to press the self destruct button during my last year on the Hawk but now I only have fond memories of my time onboard and watching this is a sad sight.

[@warshipsdd-2142]

Remember standing on her flight deck in-port at North Island in the Summer of 1963--wish I could get back in line for morning chow in the mess deck just off the hangar bay.

[@jamesjosephmcgarvey4562]

I came on board just after the fire in the #1 engine room in 1973. Was assigned AMH Hydraulics shop. Good hands all. I relish my time onboard Her, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Semper Kitty Hawk. Thanks Michael... by the bye I spent 3 days bread and water, in the Brig. I couldn't find that tiny little hole on the video. 🍀

[@Classickoolcars]

What for??👍👌

[@jamesjosephmcgarvey4562]

​@@Classickoolcars slugging the Navy Senior Chief Shore Patrol while in Singapore. 29 days later, back in Subic a couple of Blac

[@Classickoolcars]

@@jamesjosephmcgarvey4562 Oops. 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤣🤣

[@rayksaint]

Proud to have served on the USS Kitty Hawk.

[@mcbrite]

God damnit... I clicked the vid to quickly see a picture of the CV being dismantled and Of course I was gonna get stuck and have to watch the WHOLE video... Fair Play, sir... 😀

[@thequagmire8421]

Thanks Michael. Much love.🇳🇬

[@charlescdt6509]

Its sad. She should be right next to USS North Carolina since she was the last conventional powered CV and is named for Kitty Hawk NC where the Wright Bros did the first powered flight.

[@christopherreese5775]

My last deployment we sailed with the Kitty Hawk. Thank you to all that served aboard her. May her spirit live in your hearts.

[@keithnoneya]

So saaaaddddd to see her like this. She was a fine vessel. I still have an original KH hat that I regularly wear from when Ii was on her in the 90's. Thanks for sharing. Best Wishes & Blessings. Keith Noneya

[@jimmingus8105]

seeing these iconic ships reduced to scrap is enuf to make an old sailor cry... so sad !

[@guitarmuser6150]

Interesting how we started with steam engines, then went to gas/diesel etc, then to nuclear power, which is a glorified steam engine. lol. Phrases like, "it all comes around" and "there's nothing new under the sun" come to mind. Interesting vid. I'm not even into military stuff, but I have to admit, this pulled on even my heart strings just a little.

[@michaeloconnell1182]

The two circular voids in the bow are the anchor chain locker.

[@vesterb2373]

First aircraft carrier I saw when I arrived at NAS North Island in 1986. Then I went to Diego garcia, returned and served 2 years on USS Carl Vinson CVN 70. God speed kitty hawk. 😢

[@johnathansaegal3156]

Thank you for a respectable overview of the final end of a great ship of the US Navy.

[@pistol2169]

Served onboard of her from 1999 to 2002 when she was homeported in Yokosuka Japan. That was my time during that part of the video when the airwing left and we served as a launch platform for spec ops on Afgahanistan. 8 aircraft onboard put in work and lots of 72hr days warheads on foreheads.

[@emmettlee3]

yeah i remember the spec ops mission, is it true that they kept a squadron of hornets for self defense?

[@henriyoung3895]

OUTSTANDING video. Thank you both.

[@MaelstromMephistoPEM]

Got a scale model of this for my 9th birthday. Never finished it, but attempting to make it created some of my all time fav memories.

[@KarmaSparks]

I worked at the USS Yorktown museum ship. It feels weird that non of the carriers we have now will be preserved after their service due to so many issues.

[@mr.iforgot3062]

I enjoy your documentaries.

[@dhass1776]

I remember going on the Kitty Hawk as a kid, it was such an awesome experience.

[@PT-pn5ge]

I served on CVN-69 and its crazy to see how much more modern a Kitty Hawk class seems as opposed to an older Nimitz class...

[@JasonMcCord-qk3yb]

Wow! What great footage! Thank you, Michael, for making it available for this video! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@jimhudson4744]

Had an uncle stationed on the sister ship the Constellation (CV-64) as a naval aviator, but; since he was Navy I guess that should have been spelled Navel. I've flown off the Kitty several times while in the USMC myself during special ops. Both ships will be missed, but; never forgotten. Semper Fi.

[@phiksit]

Navel 🍊😁

[@user-gu8nm9gi1l]

Thanks for posting and sharing this.

[@rgarrison1819]

I was in Transit,trying to get to my boat,and was on her for a Month in the Fall of 1985 in The Indian Ocean!, She was famous for Ramming a Soviet Submarine!, I Remember watching Flight Ops at Night up on Voulchers Row!!!, it was Really something to see, Tomcat blasting off at night with Afterburners Blasting away!!!

[@Taligari]

My father spent years on Kitty Hawk. 3 tours to Vietnam. I remember as a young boy exploring her cavernous insides. Sad to see her chopped up.

[@magneticmoneymore]

She was my inaugural trip to the flight deck as a plane captain with VF-213

[@daexion]

The Kittyhawk was originally supposed to be CV-64 and named the USS Constellation, but there was a fire on her sister ship which delayed construction and caused the two ships to switch names and designations.

[@tjwhite2049]

Yep, that's the same story I heard.

[@DardanellesBy108]

I chuckled when you said former sailors would be sad about it being cut up. My dad served on her sister USS Independence CV-62 and he is most definitely NOT sad about her being cut up, LOL! I’m bummed since I’m a maritime history “nerd” but dad most certainly isn’t. I wish we could have saved at least one of the non-nuke super carriers. (My dad did the 1968 Med Cruise on CV-62. He was a PN. He said either his office or his berthing was right under the catapults, I forget. It effected his hearing. He also told me several times over the years about his port stops during his cruise. He still has lots of souvenirs from that cruise). Thanks for another great video!!!

[@phiksit]

I think it's safe to say most of us didn't really "enjoy" what we were doing at the time... long hours, crappy pay, shitty sometimes dangerous work, lousy cramped living conditions... but looking back one can't help but get nostalgic ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[@DardanellesBy108]

@@phiksit I can definitely relate. I worked on P-3’s in the Navy. I hated them back then but they do hold a sentimental spot in my heart now.

[@rexmyers991]

Thank you , Michael for your work and generosity.

[@thewatcher5271]

Great Video! What A Great Shot Of The Vigilante Taking Off At 10:56 Thank You For Sharing!

[@Mudman473]

My dad served on the USS kitty hawk and he flew with VS-21 and thanks for making this video edit: my dad said that the escalators were broken most of the time and people would mess around the Hazmat locker

[@phiksit]

Amazing work and history lesson! To bad the History Channel doesn't care about HISTORY anymore. A historical tribute detailing a carrier's construction, service and dismantling is a great way to honor sailors and the ships we served on. The last surviving super carrier, USS JFK CV67 is headed to dismantlers... here's your LAST CHANCE... if anyone is listening! Once again AMAZING story telling... Thank you! -Machinist Mate, USS Independence CV-62, 88'-92'.

[@tolson57]

I served on the Kitty Hawk for 4 years in the 80s and 90s. I made 3 cruises on her to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean as well as an Around the World cruise. I was on my way to the Philippines to meet the Kitty Hawk the night she hit the sub and a strange turn of events I looked out the window of the 747 I was on between Anchorage and Clark AFB and saw the Kitty Hawk the morning after. Considering the millions of miles of ocean we flew across on that trip, the fact that we flew over the Kitty Hawk was against all odds.

[@xxcommentator]

When I was a kid back then my dad brought me to Subic when it was still an american base and I saw how huge and beautiful she was, it is truly a marvel to see.

[@DonAbrams-hq7ln]

Before l got out in 74 l watched her pierside when l was AMD at Cubi. Many times l dove near her, once l saw a baby blue whale in her vicinity. She was a grand sight to see just coming back from the line. I loxed many of her birds mainly A6A EA6B and F4Bs.

[@glennrishton5679]

@@DonAbrams-hq7ln Any adventures in Olongapo?

[@wilsonle61]

My ship was broken up there in Brownsville. I asked for some disassembly photos on my ship's web page and the comments section flipped out. They accused me of being a ghoul who would photograph his mother's autopsy. I pointed out I am a historian (by degree) and documenting the ship's complete life cycle is priceless. I never visited the ship's web page again. Perosna non-grata!

[@phiksit]

wow... that sucks. I wish History Channel (or SOMEONE) would partner with the dismantler and do a documentary and walk-throughs on each class of ship they receive. So sad nothing is really being documented besides this RARE one 😕

[@jc6565]

My late uncle served on the USS Kitty Hawk, he was there for 1 of the apollo capsule recovery missions

[@Sylencer1982]

I was stationed on that ship. :) I didn't decom her, but I was one of the last to ride.

[@freethought2296]

The USS Kitty Hawk CVA-63 was not the last carrier that burned bunker oil as I was on her sister ship, CVA-64, USS Constellation, and it was the last oil burner carrier. As they were identical ships, it did bring back some fond memories. I served from 1963 to 1967, so it will be 57 years ago the April when I left the "Connie."

[@at1cvb417]

Well Constellation decommend first in 2003, Kitty Hawk in 2009 so yes she was the last of the Oil burners as the only other one close would be CV-66 and CV-67, America and John F. Kennedy , America decommed in 1996, Kennedy in 2007 these two where the last Oil burning CV's built.

[@wbaiv]

My father served aboard Kitty Hawk from when she departed the builders, visited Rio de Janeiro, went around Cape Horn, touched base at San Diego and deployed to West Pac. Amateur radio enthusiasts stepped up and I got to speak with him for a minute, over, during the months they were in Japan. I had an orange aardvark VF-114 sticker on my window in the house we rented 1961-63.

[@chrisclark5204]

My brother served on the Kittyhawk in the early/mid 70s out of the Philippines, he was a SKO at the time. He took me aboard when in San Diego once, I was 12 years old at the time.

[@calartian85]

I was a Tiger on a WestPac cruise in the late 90s aboard CV63. My dad was one of the oldest crew which made me one of the youngest Tigers. Fully embarked air wing flying every day all the way from Honolulu home to San Diego. Amazing. Incredible and fascinating. Fast forward 20 plus years and I watched the Kitty Hawk towed out from Bremerton and past my home in the Puget Sound on her way to Texas. I wish dad were alive today. He would have appreciated this video very much.

[@garymiller5937]

This is a fabulously interesting video. It told me many things I never knew. My heartfelt thank you to Michael and your channel!!! 😊😊😊😊😊❤❤❤❤❤

[@michellesmith9855]

My husband's grandpa was stationed on the Kitty Hawk for a very long time. This is an amazing yet so sad video.

[@Harudian]

History That Deserves to Be Remembered.. -The History Guy

[@MrBlackdragon1230]

When I was in grade school back in the 80's one of my best friends dads was an officer on the Kittyhawk. I heard so much about it from my friend and his dad. Very sad to see that connection to my childhood friend being scraped.

[@NavygalJ83]

Wow I was stationed on board from 97-2000 😢 good memories

[@ivantorres1536]

Wow I just posted that I was there from December 99 till September 2002

[@danielpullum1907]

Thank You. I hadn't thought about the salvage operation necessary to scrap a ship. BIG JOB!!!!!

[@TheLiamster]

As one of the last conventionally powered aircraft carriers in the US Navy, it should should have been preserved and turned into a museum

[@cruisinguy6024]

A lot of people wanted to but the costs are astronomical for a ship of this size