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USS ORISKANY

USS Oriskany was an Essex-class aircraft carrier. The ship was named for the Battle of Oriskany in the Revolutionary War. Commissioned in 1950, she was the final Essex-class ship completed.

USS Oriskany was originally designed as a "long-hulled" Essex-class ship. Her construction was suspended in 1946 after the end of World War II. She eventually was converted to an updated design called SCB-27. This updated version became the template for modernization of 14 other Essex-class aircraft carriers.


On 13 August 1956, USS Oriskany returned to San Francisco, and entered the shipyard to undergo the SCB-125A modernization program. She received a new angled flight deck, aft deck edge elevator, enlarged forward elevator, and enclosed hurricane bow. Powerful new steam catapults replaced the older hydraulic catapults. The wooden flight deck planking was also replaced with aluminum planking.




The SCB-27 modernization was very extensive, requiring some two years for each carrier. To handle the much heavier, faster aircraft of the early jet-era, the flight deck structure was significantly reinforced to support aircraft weighing up to 52,000 pounds. Stronger and larger elevators, much more powerful catapults, and new Mk 5 arresting gear were installed. The original four twin 5-inch/38 gun mounts were removed, clearing the flight deck of guns. The new 5-inch gun battery consisted of eight weapons, two on each quarter beside the flight deck. Twin 3-inch/50 gun mounts replaced the 40 mm guns, offering much greater effectiveness through the use of proximity fuzed ammunition. The reconstruction eliminated the difference between "short-hull" and "long-hull" ships; all now had similar clipper bows.

The island was completely redesigned, made taller, but shorter in overall length with the removal of its gun mounts. In addition, the boiler uptakes were rebuilt and angled aft to accommodate a single radar and communications mast atop the island. Internally, aviation fuel capacity was increased to 300,000 gallons (a 50% increase.) Fire fighting capabilities were enhanced through the addition of two emergency fire and splinter bulkheads to the hangar deck, a fog/foam firefighting system, improved water curtains and a cupronickel fire main. Also improved were electrical generating power, and weapons stowage and handling facilities. All this added considerable weight: displacement increased by some twenty percent. Thus, the armor belt was removed and blisters were fitted to the hull sides to compensate, widening waterline beam by 8 to 10 feet. The ships also sat lower in the water. Maximum speed was 31 knots.

On 5 April 2004, the Navy announced that it would transfer the former USS Oriskany to the State of Florida for use as an artificial reef. Oriskany was the first United States warship slated to become an artificial reef. Oriskany was towed to Pensacola in December 2004. After the EPA's approval, a team of Navy personnel accomplished the sinking of the ship on 17 May 2006. A Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team detonated C-4 explosive charges of approximately 500 lb. The ship sank stern first in 210 ft of water in the Gulf of Mexico.

As was intended, the ship came to rest lying upright. The flight deck was at a depth of 135 ft, and its island rose to 70 ft. Following Hurricane Gustav in 2008, the ship shifted 10 feet deeper leaving the flight deck at 145 feet. The island structure is accessible to recreational divers, but the flight deck requires additional training and equipment. It is now popularly known as the "Great Carrier Reef", a reference to Australia's Great Barrier Reef. The Times of London named the Oriskany wreck as one of the top ten wreck diving sites in the world.

A pilot on the USS Oriskany shot down four Soviet fighter jets in 1952, and became a legend no one would hear about for more than 50 years. Click here to read an exciting article about Williams flying the F9F Panther in action: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/20/asia/korean-war-fighter-pilot-soviet-shootdown-intl-hnk-ml/index.html

USS Oriskany was featured in the movies Men of the Fighting Lady and The Bridges at Toko-Ri, filmed just a few months after the end of the Korean War and released in May and December 1954.

This primarily wood model of the aircraft carrier depicts the USS Oriskany aircraft carrier during the Vietnam war. It is 53" long (1/200 scale).  Airplane included: A-7 Corsair, F-8RF-8G Crusader, E-1B Tracer, Grumman C-1 Trader, SH-2 Seasprite.

Learn more about the USS Oriskany here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Oriskany_(CV-34)