View source for USS Kearsarge (CV-33)

{{short description|Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US Navy}}
{{Other ships|USS Kearsarge}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = File:USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) underway at sea in 1966.jpg
| Ship caption = USS ''Kearsarge'' at sea in 1966
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1970}}
| Ship name = ''Kearsarge''
| Ship namesake = [[USS Kearsarge (1861)|USS ''Kearsarge'' (1861)]]
| Ship builder = [[New York Naval Shipyard]]
| Ship laid down = 1 March 1944
| Ship launched = 5 May 1945
| Ship commissioned = 2 March 1946
| Ship decommissioned = 16 June 1950
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = yes
| Ship recommissioned = 15 February 1952
| Ship decommissioned = 13 February 1970
| Ship reclassified = *CVA-33, 1 October 1952
*CVS-33, 1 October 1958
| Ship struck = May 1973
| Ship fate = [[Ship breaking|Scrapped]], February 1974
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}
| Ship displacement = {{cvt|27,100|LT|lk=on}} standard
| Ship length = {{convert|888|ft|m}} overall
| Ship beam = {{convert|93|ft|m}}
| Ship draft = {{convert|28|ft|7|in|m}}
| Ship power = *8 × boilers
*{{convert|150000|shp|MW|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion = *4 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
*4 × shafts
| Ship speed = {{convert|33|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship complement = 3448 officers and enlisted
| Ship armament = *12 × [[5 inch (127 mm)/38 caliber gun]]s
*32 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|Bofors 40 mm gun]]s
*46 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon]]s
| Ship armor = *[[Belt armor|Belt]]: {{cvt|4|in|0}}
*Hangar deck: {{cvt|2.5|in|0}}
*Deck: {{cvt|1.5|in|0}}
*[[Conning tower]]: 1.5 inch
| Ship aircraft = 90–100 aircraft
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Kearsarge'' (CV/CVA/CVS-33)''' was one of 24 {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier}}s completed during or shortly after [[World War II]] for the [[United States Navy]]. The ship was the third US Navy ship to bear the name, and was named for a [[American Civil War|Civil War]]-era steam sloop. ''Kearsarge'' was commissioned in March 1946. Modernized in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA), she served in the [[Korean War]], for which she earned two [[battle star]]s. In the late 1950s she was further modified to become an anti-submarine carrier (CVS). ''Kearsarge'' was the recovery ship for the last two crewed [[Project Mercury]] space missions in 1962–1963. She completed her career serving in the [[Vietnam War]], earning five battle stars.

She was decommissioned in 1970, and sold for scrap in 1974.

==Construction and commissioning==
''Kearsarge'' was one of the [[Ticonderoga-class aircraft carrier|"long-hull"]] {{sclass|Essex|aircraft carrier|0}} ships. She was laid down on 1 March 1944 at the [[New York Navy Yard]], and was launched on 5 May 1945, sponsored by Mrs. Gwyneth Fitch (née Conger), wife of Admiral [[Aubrey W. Fitch]], Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air). ''Kearsarge'' commissioned on 2 March 1946, with [[Captain (naval)|Captain]] Francis J. McKenna in command.

KEARSARGE Original Hull Number (CV-12 Renamed to HORNET):
The [[Chief of Naval Operations]] had ordered three ''Essex''-class carriers on 10 May 1940 in anticipation of [[United States Congress|Congress]] passing the [[Two-Ocean Navy Act]], although the ship that later became ''Hornet'' originally had the name ''Kearsarge'' with the [[hull number]] of CV-12. The contract to build her was awarded to [[Northrop Grumman Newport News|Newport News Shipbuilding]] on 9 September 1940, and her [[keel]] was [[laid down]] on 3 August 1942. The seventh {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|3}} was sunk in the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands|Battle of Santa Cruz]] on 26 October 1942, and the CV-12 hull was renamed ''Hornet'' shortly afterwards.

==Service history==
[[File:USS Kearsarge (CV-33) at anchor on 13 April 1946 (11211-4-46).jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Kearsarge'' on 13 April 1946]]''Kearsarge'' arrived at her home port of [[Norfolk, Virginia]], on 21 April 1946, and for the next year engaged in training operations along the East Coast and [[Caribbean]]. She cleared Norfolk on 7 June 1947 on a [[midshipman|midshipmen]] training cruise to the United Kingdom.

Upon her return to the United States in August, the carrier engaged in maneuvers for 10&nbsp;months before departing [[Hampton Roads]] on 1 June 1948 for duty with the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]]. Tragedy marked her steaming. Eighteen Navy personnel and ten Marines were unaccounted for after a 50-foot open launch returning some 90 men to the carrier from liberty swamped in the choppy water of Hampton Roads on 31 May. Sixty-eight were recovered.<ref>Associated Press, "Night Tragedy Takes 28 Lives", ''San Bernardino Daily Sun'', Wednesday 2 June 1948, Volume LIV, Number 237, page 1.</ref>

During her tour in the [[Mediterranean]], units of the 6th Fleet were placed on alert to insure peace in the Middle East. ''Kearsarge'' returned to [[Quonset Point, Rhode Island]], on 2 October, and operated along the Atlantic Coast and the Caribbean until 27 January 1950, when she sailed for the West Coast. The carrier arrived [[Puget Sound Navy Yard]] on 23 February, and decommissioned there on 16 June 1950 for the [[SCB-27]]A modernization overhaul that would enable her to handle new [[jet aircraft]].

===Korean War===
''Kearsarge'' recommissioned on 15 February 1952 with Captain Louis B. French in command.  Following shakedown, the carrier cleared [[San Diego]] on 11 August for intensive flight training in the [[Hawaiian Islands]]. Her readiness complete, she sailed for the Far East to engage in combat missions in the [[Korean War]]. Arriving at [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]] on 8 September, ''Kearsarge'' joined the fast carrier [[Task Force 77 (U.S. Navy)|Task Force 77]] (TF 77) off the east coast of Korea six days later. For the next five months, the carrier's planes flew nearly 6,000 sorties against Communist forces in [[North Korea]], unleashing considerable damage on enemy positions. She completed her tour in late February 1953, returning to her home port of San Diego on 17 March. While serving in Korea her classification was changed to '''CVA-33'''.

After returning to San Diego, ''Kearsarge'' was used in the filming of the 1954 movie ''[[The Caine Mutiny (1954 film)|The Caine Mutiny]]'' to depict the abortive visit to Admiral [[William F. Halsey Jr.]] aboard his unnamed [[flagship]].

===Far East===
[[File:USS Kearsarge (CVA-33) underway at sea, circa in 1953.jpg|thumb|''Kearsarge'' after her SCB-27A modernization in 1953]]

''Kearsarge'' sailed again for the Far East on 1 July 1953 and operated with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] fast carrier force during the uneasy truce in Korea. The "Mighty Kay" (after three collisions with other ships in a short period of time, including the ocean liner {{SS|Oriana|1959|6}}, ''Kearsarge'' was also nicknamed by some "Rammin Rankin's Krashbarge" and "The Mighty Kay-RUNCH") also kept watch over the [[Formosa Straits]] to prevent the [[Communist Party of China|Communists]] from attacking the [[Chinese Nationalists]] on [[Taiwan]]. ''Kearsarge'' returned to San Diego on 18 January 1954 to resume training operations off California. Clearing San Diego on 7 October, she steamed toward her third deployment to the Far East. While operating with the 7th Fleet, the carrier stood by to assist the Nationalist Chinese in the evacuation of the [[Tachen Islands]]. From 6–13 February 1955, ''Kearsarge'' supported units of the fleet in the successful evacuation of 18,000 civilians and 20,000 military personnel from the islands. Her cruise ended at San Diego on 12 May and for the next three years operated on the annual deployment schedule to the Far East and training operations off California.

In 1956–57, ''Kearsarge'' received the [[SCB-125]] modernization, mainly incorporating a hurricane bow and an angled deck.

During the summer of 1958, ''Kearsarge'' was fitted out as a(n) (antisubmarine warfare) support carrier and reclassified '''CVS-33'''. Following intensive training in her new role, the carrier sailed on 5 September 1959 for 7th Fleet operations in the Far East. Early in her tour, Japan was hit with a violent typhoon, and ''Kearsarge'' played an important role in providing relief to the victims. Her planes landed parties of medical and supply units, while her crew and air group donated clothing and money to the distressed people. After participating in [[SEATO]] exercises and 7th Fleet operations, she cleared Yokosuka on 3 March 1960 for her homeward voyage. Three days later in stormy waters 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) off [[Wake Island]], [[Self-propelled barge T-36|four Russians were rescued after drifting 49 days in disabled landing craft]]. They were flown back to their country after ''Kearsarge'' arrived in [[Alameda, California]], on 15 March; and the carrier received thanks from the [[Soviet Union]] for this gesture.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/uss-kearsage-rescues-soviet-soldiers-1960.html|title=USS Kearsage Rescues Soviet Soldiers, 1960 |publisher=History.navy.mil |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
|title=Russians Thank U.S. Sailors
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/03/15/archives/russians-thank-us-sailors.html
|date=1960-03-15
|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]
|location=New York
|pages=12
|issn=0362-4331
}}</ref>
<ref>https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49844190/uss-kearsarge-rescues-four-russian/ The Honolulu Advertiser</ref><ref>https://www.newspapers.com/clip/49845103/kearsarge-rescues-russians/ Honolulu Star-Bulletin</ref>

A year of training operations preceded her next deployment from San Diego which began on 3 March 1961. The antisubmarine carrier steamed to Southeast Asian waters as the Communists intensified their effort to overthrow the government in [[Laos]]. The demonstrations of the 7th Fleet were observed by the enemy and the crisis abated. After six months in the Far East, ''Kearsarge'' arrived [[Puget Sound]] on 1 November for the second phase of her modernizations.

===Project Mercury===

Upon completion of repairs and training, ''Kearsarge'' departed [[Long Beach, California]], on 1 August 1962 to station herself in the [[Western Range (USAF)|Western Range]] as a recovery ship in the [[Project Mercury]] orbital [[space flight]] of [[astronaut]] [[Walter Schirra]] after [[Splashdown (spacecraft landing)|splashdown]]. On 3 October, after a flawless flight, the carrier played her role in the [[Space Age]] by retrieving Schirra and his [[space capsule]], [[Mercury-Atlas 8|''Sigma&nbsp;7'']], and returning him to Honolulu for flight back to the mainland.

''Kearsarge'' resumed training exercises, continuing these for six months before arriving [[Pearl Harbor]] on 29 April 1963 to once again take part in the space program. The carrier repeated her earlier splashdown recovery by plucking astronaut [[Gordon Cooper]] on 16 May 1963 after he orbited the Earth 22&nbsp;times in his capsule [[Mercury-Atlas 9|''Faith&nbsp;7'']].

===Vietnam===
[[File:A-4G VF-085 on USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) 1969.jpg|thumb|left|[[McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk|A-4G Skyhawk]] of the [[Royal Australian Navy]] aboard ''Kearsarge'' in 1969]]

She returned the space hero to Pearl Harbor, then departed on 4 June on her eighth cruise to the Far East. Operations with the 7th Fleet included keeping watch on the unsettled problems in Southeast Asia. ''Kearsarge'' returned to Long Beach on 3 December for training exercises off California.

On 19 June 1964, the antisubmarine carrier was deployed on her ninth Far Eastern cruise. Arriving Yokosuka on 30 July, ''Kearsarge'' was dispatched to the [[South China Sea]], following the [[Gulf of Tonkin Incident]], the North Vietnamese patrol boat attack on U.S. destroyers in the [[Gulf of Tonkin]] in early August 1964. While U.S. Navy planes destroyed North Vietnam oil and supply depots, ''Kearsarge'' provided antisubmarine protection for the 7th Fleet. ''Kearsarge'' returned to Long Beach on 16 December.

After overhaul during the first half of 1965, ''Kearsarge'' operated off the West Coast and appeared in a 1965 episode of ''[[Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre]]'' entitled "The Admiral," with a number of [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider]]s painted in Korean War-period colors on her deck for the production. She departed for the Far East on 9 June 1966. Steaming via Hawaii and Japan, she reached "[[Yankee Station]]" on 8 August and operated off Vietnam through 24 October. The next day she headed for the [[Kuala Lumpur]] area and anchored in the [[Strait of Malacca]] on the 30th. She returned via [[U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay|Subic Bay]] to "Yankee Station" on 5 November and operated there through the 23rd. The next day, the carrier started home via Hong Kong and Japan, arriving in San Diego on 20 December. She operated on the West Coast until departing San Diego on 18 August and reached Pearl Harbor 10&nbsp;days later to prepare for future action.

The carrier entering Pearl Harbor towards the end of the film, [[Tora! Tora! Tora!]], was in fact the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Kearsarge, returning to port.

Made redundant by the general fleet drawdown of the late 1960s and early 1970s, ''Kearsarge'' was decommissioned on 13 February 1970. Following three years in the Reserve Fleet, she was stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] in May 1973 and sold for scrap in February 1974.

==Awards==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|colspan=3|{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=service-star|ribbon=Navy_Meritorious_Unit_Commendation_ribbon.svg|width=110}}{{Ribbon devices|number=|type=service-star|ribbon=China_Service_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army_of_Occupation_ribbon.svg|width=110}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon, 2nd award.svg|width=110}}{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean_Service_Medal_-_Ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Armed_Forces_Expeditionary_Medal_ribbon.svg|width=110}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam_Service_Medal_ribbon, 5th award.svg|width=110}}{{Ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Vietnam_gallantry_cross_unit_award-3d.svg|width=110}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|width=110}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=oak|ribbon=Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|width=110}}{{ribbon devices|number=0|ribbon=Republic of Korea War Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=110}}
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|[[Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation]] 
|[[China Service Medal]]<br>(extended)
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|-
|[[Navy Occupation Service Medal]]<br>(with Europe clasp)
|[[National Defense Service Medal]]<br>(second)
|[[Korean Service Medal]]<br>(2 [[battle star]]s)
|-
|[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]]<br>(third)
|[[Vietnam Service Medal]]<br>(5 battle stars)
|[[Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)|Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation]]
|-
|[[United Nations Korean Medal]]
|[[Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal]] 
|[[Korean War Service Medal|Republic of Korea War Service Medal]]<br>(retroactive)
|-
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery mode="nolines">
File:HO3S-1 flies over USS Kearsarge (CV-33) 1948.jpg|[[HO3S|HO3S-1]] flying over ''Kearsarge'' in 1948
File:USS Kearsarge (CVA-33) at sea c1957.jpg|''Kearsage'' in 1957
File:SH-3A Sea Kings of HS-6 flying over USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) c1963.jpg|''Kearsarge'' as an anti-submarine carrier with [[Sikorsky SH-3 Sea King|SH-3A Sea Kings]] in the 1963
File:USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) crew spells out 'Mercury 9' on the flight deck on 15 May 1963.jpg|''Kearsarge'' after recovery of [[Faith 7]] on 15 May 1963
File:MQM-36 Shelduck drones on USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) in 1966.jpg|[[MQM-36 Shelduck|MQM-36 Shelduck drones]] on ''Kearsarge'' in 1966
File:Astronaut L. Gordon Cooper Jr. stands supported by strong hands after climbing out of his spacecraft Faith 7.jpg|[[Astronaut]] [[L. Gordon Cooper, Jr.|L. Gordon Cooper Jr.]] aboard ''Kearsarge'' on 16 May 1963
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of aircraft carriers]]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/k/kearsarge-iii.html}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Kearsarge (CV-33)}}
* Disaster at Nagoya (HS-6 and Kearsarge) http://www.2-sir.com/TwinFalls/Ise-Wan.html
* [https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/k/kearsarge-iii.html Navy photographs of ''Kearsarge'' (CV-33)]
* [https://www.angelfire.com/wi2/cvs33/cv.html History of the CV-33 ''Kearsarge'' mentioning the Krashbarge nickname]
* [http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/oriana.htm New Zealand maritime records mentioning the collision with ''Oriana''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212205246/http://www.nzmaritime.co.nz/oriana.htm |date=12 December 2007 }}

{{Essex class aircraft carrier}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearsarge (CV-33)}}
[[Category:Essex-class aircraft carriers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Brooklyn]]
[[Category:1945 ships]]
[[Category:World War II aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War aircraft carriers of the United States]]
[[Category:Space capsule recovery ships]]