Let me tell you a little bit about the USS Yorktown (CV/CVA/CVS-10). This incredible aircraft carrier was one of 24 Essex-class carriers built during World War II for the US Navy. Originally, she was supposed to be named Bonhomme Richard, but she was renamed Yorktown while still under construction to honor the previous Yorktown-class carrier that was sunk at the Battle of Midway.
After being commissioned in April 1943, Yorktown participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning an impressive 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation. After the war, she was briefly decommissioned, modernized, and recommissioned in February 1953 as an attack carrier (CVA). Yorktown played a key role during the Korean War and was modernized again with a canted deck, eventually becoming an anti-submarine carrier (CVS). She served for many years in the Pacific, including duty in the Vietnam War, where she earned five battle stars.
Towards the end of her career, the USS Yorktown served as a recovery ship for the Apollo 8 space mission and was even used in the film Tora! Tora! Tora!, which recreated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. She also appeared in the science fiction film The Philadelphia Experiment.
After being decommissioned in 1970, the USS Yorktown found new life as a museum ship at Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where she was designated a National Historic Landmark.
It's pretty incredible to think about the history and significance of this ship. Did you know that her keel was laid down on 1 December 1941, just six days before the Attack on Pearl Harbor? She was renamed on 26 September 1942 to honor the loss of USS Yorktown (CV-5) during the Battle of Midway, and launched on 21 January 1943, sponsored by none other than Eleanor Roosevelt. Yorktown was commissioned on 15 April 1943, with Captain Joseph J. Clark in command.
To learn more about the USS Yorktown or to plan a tour visit https://www.patriotspoint.org/explore/uss-yorktown/.