INTREPID: Aug. 16, 2023 will mark the 80th anniversary of the commissioning of USS Intrepid (CVS-11), the World War II-era Essex class aircraft carrier that is now the centerpiece of the Intrepid Museum in New York City.
To mark the occasion, the Intrepid Museum is putting out a coast-to-coast “all call” for Intrepid former crew members, to be reunited in a special 80th Commissioning Anniversary Celebration on board their ship.
The Museum is also seeking and accepting donations of personal artifacts and memorabilia from former crew members and their families.
To learn more about this commemoration and for registration information, former crew members and their family members can visit intrepidmuseum.org/80 or email fcm@intrepidmuseum.org.
The homecoming will feature a special ceremony marking the 80th anniversary of Intrepid’s commissioning on Aug. 16, honoring former crew members from all eras of the carrier’s service, who will reunite and share stories of their tours of duty.
The Museum will host a special former crew member dinner event that evening and guided tours of the ship. Intrepid’s 80th Commissioning Anniversary Celebration is open to the public.
Now a national historic landmark, the aircraft carrier Intrepid (CVS-11) was one of the most successful and stalwart ships in U.S. history.
Nicknamed “The Fighting I” by its crew, Intrepid served in the Pacific during World War II, surviving five kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike. Intrepid later conducted submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic during the Cold War and served three tours of duty off Vietnam. It was also one of the primary recovery vessels for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini missions, and retrieved astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gus Grissom and John Young after their respective orbits and splashdowns in the Pacific.