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The supercarrier USS ''Kitty Hawk'' (CV-63), formerly CVA-63, is the second naval ship named after Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the site of the Wright brothers' first powered airplane flight. ''Kitty Hawk'' was both the first and last active ship of her class, and the last oil-fired aircraft carrier in service with the United States Navy. ''Kitty Hawk'' was laid down by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, on 27 December 1956. The ship was launched on 21 May 1960, sponsored by Mrs. Camilla F. McElroy, wife of Defense Secretary Neil H. McElroy. ''Kitty Hawk'' was launched by flooding her drydock; a conventional slide down ways was ruled out because of her mass and the risk that she might hit the Philadelphia shore on the far side of the Delaware River. The ship was commissioned 21 April 1961, at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Captain William F. Bringle in command. With the decommissioning of on 30 September 1998, ''Kitty Hawk'' became the United States warship with the second-longest active status, after the sailing ship in Boston Harbor. (The passed her in 2012; these two aircraft carriers were the only ones to fly the First Navy Jack.)〔This tradition ended in 2002, when the Secretary of the Navy directed all Navy ships to fly this flag for the duration of the War on Terrorism〕 For 10 years, ''Kitty Hawk'' was the forward-deployed carrier at Yokosuka Naval Base in Yokosuka, Japan. In October 2008, she was replaced in this role by the . ''Kitty Hawk'' then returned to the United States and had her decommissioning ceremony on 31 January 2009. She was officially decommissioned on 12 May 2009 after almost 49 years of service.〔(Navy Decommissions USS Kitty Hawk )〕 ''Kitty Hawk'' was replaced by the . ==1961 to 1964== Following a shakedown in the Western Atlantic, ''Kitty Hawk'' departed Naval Station Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia on 11 August 1961. After a brief stop at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she embarked the Secretary of the Brazilian Navy for a demonstration of exercise at sea with five Brazilian destroyers, the attack carrier rounded Cape Horn on 1 October. She steamed into Valparaíso, Chile on 13 October and then sailed two days later for Peru, arriving in Callao on 20 October where she entertained the President of Peru. At San Diego, Admiral George W. Anderson, Chief of Naval Operations, landed on her deck 18 November to witness antisubmarine demonstrations by and , a Terrier missile demonstration by and air demonstrations by ''Kitty Hawk''. ''Kitty Hawk'' entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 23 November 1961 for alterations. Following operations out of San Diego, she sailed from San Francisco on 13 September 1962. ''Kitty Hawk'' joined the United States Seventh Fleet on 7 October 1962, relieving as the flagship. After participating in the Philippine Republic Aviation Week Air Show, ''Kitty Hawk'' steamed out of Manila Harbor on 30 November 1962, and welcomed Admiral Harry D. Felt, Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, for a demonstration of modern naval weapons on 3 December. The ship visited Hong Kong early in December and returned to Japan, arriving at Yokosuka on 2 January 1963. In conjunction with Commander, Carrier Division Seven, ''Kitty Hawk'' carried out several exercises in January and February 1963.〔(Aviation Historical Summary, USS Kitty Hawk, OPNAV Form 5750-2, 30 September 1962 – 30 March 1963 )〕 On 4 January 1963, Operation Checkertail saw ''Kitty Hawk'' and three other attack aircraft carriers launch practice airstrikes against the Okinawa Air Defense Command. From 27 January – 2 February 1963, 'Picture Window III' saw 'foreign aircraft' intercepted and visually identified in the Northern Japan area. Though the official ship's papers released in 2011 do not identify the nationality, it is likely that the 'foreign aircraft' in question were from the Soviet Far Eastern Military District or Soviet Naval Aviation. From 16–19 February 1963, Exercise 'Red Wheel,' was conducted around Southern Japan also under the direction of Commander, Carrier Division Seven. It aimed to improve the United States Seventh Fleet's ability to conduct conventional and nuclear warfare while maintaining defense against air and submarine attack. It also aimed to evaluate the capability of 'the HUK () Group' to protect two CVA Task Groups. During these exercises, the ship visited Kobe, Beppu and Iwakuni before returning to San Diego on 2 April 1963. On 6 June 1963, President John F. Kennedy, with top civilian and military leaders, boarded ''Kitty Hawk'' to witness a carrier task force weapons demonstration off the California coast. Addressing the men of the task group from ''Kitty Hawk'', President Kennedy told them that, as in the past, control of the seas still means security, peace and ultimate victory. He later wrote to President and Madame Chiang Kai-Shek who had witnessed a similar demonstration on board : "I hope you were impressed as I was, on my visit to ''Kitty Hawk'', with the great force for peace or war, which these mighty carriers and their accompanying escorts provide, helping to preserve the freedom of distant nations in all parts of the world." Film director John Frankenheimer filmed shots for the movie ''Seven Days in May'' on board the vessel in 1963. Following a series of strike exercises and tactics reaching along the California coast and off Hawaii, ''Kitty Hawk'' again sailed for the Far East. While approaching Japan, she learned an assassin had shot President Kennedy. Flags were at half mast as she entered Sasebo Harbor on 25 November 1963, the day of the President's funeral and, as senior ship present, she had the sad honor of firing memorial salutes. After cruising the South China Sea and ranging to the Philippines in readiness operations with the 7th Fleet, she returned to San Diego on 20 July 1964. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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