Search Underway to Find Former USS Intrepid Crew Members from the West Coast for Special Homecoming Weekend
NEW YORK – August 16, 2013 will mark the 70th Anniversary of the Commissioning of the U.S.S. Intrepid (CVS-11), the World War II-era Essex class aircraft carrier that is now home to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. To mark the occasion, Intrepid is putting out a coast-to-coast “all call” for former USS Intrepid crew members, including those who live in our area, to be reunited in a special Homecoming Weekend from August 16 to 18.To learn more about this weekend and for registration information, former crew members and their family members can visithttp://www.intrepidmuseum.org/fcm70.aspx.The homecoming weekend will feature a special ceremony marking the 70th Anniversary of Intrepid’s Commissioning, on August 16 at 11:00 a.m. at which former crew members will reunite and share stories of their tours of duty. Throughout the weekend, the museum will offer guided tours of the ship and behind-the-scenes curator-led tours of their museum collection storage facility. For some former crew members, this will be the first time they have been aboard their beloved ship since the completion of their service.The Intrepid’s homecoming weekend is open to the public, and will feature programs and events specifically tailored for former crew members and their families. Entrance to the museum will be free of charge for former crew members and their family members.Now a museum ship and national historic landmark, the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CVS-11), was one of the most successful and stalwart ships in US history, serving in the Pacific during World War II, when it was hit by five Kamikaze attacks but refused to sink, and nicknamed “the Ghost Ship” by the Japanese. Intrepid later served three tours of duty off Vietnam and in submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic during the Cold War. She was also one of the primary recovery vessels for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini Space Missions, and retrieved astronauts Scott Carpenter and Gus Grissom after their respective Earth orbits and splashdowns in the Pacific.About the MuseumNow home of the Space Shuttle Enterprise, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum complex includes the 900-foot-long aircraft carrier Intrepid; the guided missile submarine Growler; and an extensive collection of 27 aircraft including the A-12 Blackbird, the fastest plane in the world, and the British Airways Concorde, the fastest commercial aircraft in the world. Guests can experience areas of the ship including the Flight Deck, Hangar Deck, fo’c’sle (commonly known as the anchor chain room), new multimedia presentations and exhibit collections, interactive educational stations and a state-of-the-art public pier. Guests to theIntrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum also can experience the 12,240 square-foot interactive Exploreum – which contains a variety of hands-on exhibits – that teaches guests about the different properties of the sea, air, space and living at sea as each relates to the ship Intrepid. In the Exploreum, guests can experience a flight simulator, transmit messages using Morse code, sit on the bunk of a crewmember, learn how the Intrepid turned salt water into fresh water and perform various tasks while wearing space gloves.
