USS
Kitty Hawk (CV-63)
The history of
USS Kitty Hawk closely parallels the course of
naval aviation over the past 37 years. Built in Camden, NJ, Kitty Hawk was heralded
as the first in a new class of "super carrier" at her commissioning at the
Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on April 29, 1961.
The 86,000-ton ship departed her homeport of San Diego on her first Western Pacific
(WESTPAC) deployment in 1962. Since that time, Kitty Hawk and a variety of Carrier Air
Wings have completed 18 deployments in support of operations including Vietnam, the
Iranian hostage crisis, Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and air strikes against Iraq. As
leader of the joint, coalition offensive strike launched in response to increasing Iraqi
violations of United Nations sanctions.
Kitty Hawk underwent three overhauls in the Bremerton, Wash., Naval Shipyard in 1977,
1982 and 1998. The ship's most significant maintenance period, however, was a Service Life
Extension Program (SLEP) in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard beginning in 1987. That
rigorous four-year overhaul added an estimated 20 years to the planned 30-year life of the
ship. Kitty Hawk displayed the long reach of carrier aviation by completing a world cruise
on the way to Philadelphia and returned by rounding the southernmost tip of South America.
The Hawk set sail on its 17th deployment on June 24, 1994. During the six-month cruise,
Kitty Hawk, and Carrier Air Wing Fifteen, under the direction of the Commander, Cruiser
Destroyer Group FIVE, provided a stabilizing influence in the Western Pacific during a
time of great tension in the Far East.
Soon after Kitty Hawk's return from deployment, the ship was awarded the Battle Efficiency
Award, or Battle "E," given yearly to the best carrier in the Pacific Fleet.
In October, Kitty Hawk welcomed aboard the proud members and imposing airpower of Carrier
Air Wing Eleven, fresh off a deployment to the Persian Gulf aboard the
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).
Kitty Hawk and Carrier Air Wing Eleven, refined their teamwork during workups, enjoying
a very successful participation in Exercise Rim of the Pacific '96, a multi-national
exercise taking place around the Hawaiian Islands involving the maritime forces of Canada,
Japan, South Korea, Chile and Australia, in preparation for deployment in October 1996.
Kitty Hawk began its 18th deployment Oct. 11, 1997. En route to the Arabian Gulf, the
Kitty Hawk/CVW-11 team made port calls in Hong Kong and Singapore. Christmas was
celebrated import Bahrain, and two Gulf port calls were made to Jebel Ali, U.A.E.
Returning from a successful tour at the "tip of the spear," the
crew enjoyed liberty in Freemantle, Australia and Hobart, Tasmania. After a brief ft
in Hawaii, Kitty Hawk returned to San Diego April 11, 1997.
Throughout her illustrious career, Kitty Hawk has demonstrated the range, sustainability,
flexibility and capability that are the hallmark of carrier aviation. With her excellent
material condition and top-notch crew, Kitty Hawk will serve the United States with
distinction well into the next century.
General characteristics |
| Builder |
New York Shipbuilding |
| Number of steam boilers |
Eight |
| Number of steam turbine engines |
Four, General Electric |
| Thrust |
276,170 HP |
205,940 kW |
| Number of propellers |
Four |
| Diameter of propeller |
21 ft |
6.4 m |
| Fuel capacity |
4,000,000 gallons |
15,142 000 lt |
| Length |
1,065 ft |
324.6 m |
| Width of flight deck |
273 ft |
83.2 m |
| Height above waterline |
201 ft |
61.3 m |
| Draft |
36 ft |
11 m |
| Average Displacement |
86,000 US tons |
78,018 t |
| Crew |
ship |
2,800 |
| airwing |
2,700 |
| Speed |
±30 knots |
55.6 km/h |
| Commissioned |
April 29, 1961 |
| Total cost |
$400 millions (1961 dollars) |
| Anchors |
Two |
| Weight of anchors |
66,140 lb each |
30,000 kg each |
| Length of anchor chain |
1,080 ft |
329 m |
| Weight of chain links |
360 lb each |
163 kg each |
| Aircrafts |
±75 |
| Airwing |
F-14 Tomcat |
fighter |
| F/A-18 Hornet |
multirole aircraft |
| A-6E Intruder |
attack aircraft (incl. few tankers KA-6D) |
| S-3A/B Viking |
antisubmarine aircraft |
| E-2C Hawkeye |
early warning and control aircraft |
| SH-3H Sea
King |
antisubmarine helicopter |
| C-2A
Greyhound |
transport aircraft |
| Number of catapults |
Four, steam-powered |
| Length of catapult |
263 ft |
80.2 m |
| Arresting gear |
Four |
| Area of flight deck |
4.1 acres |
16,592 sq. m |
| Area of hangar bays |
1.6 acres |
6,475 sq. m |
| Aircraft elevators |
Four |
| Elevator lifting capacity |
130,000 lb |
58,967 kg |
| Armament |
Three Sea Sparrow
missiles launchers (eight missiles each), four Phalanx CWIS mounts, nine .50-cal gun
mounts (2,000-yard effective range), two M-60 gun mounts (650-yard effective range). |
| Miscellaneous |
| Total number of decks & levels |
8 decks and 11 levels |
| Electrical system capacity |
14.000,000 W |
| Doctors and surgeons |
Four |
| Hospital beds |
65 |
| Dentists |
Five |
| Lawyers |
Two |
| Chaplains |
Three |
| Total number of compartments and spaces |
2,400 plus |
| Ship's stores |
Four |
| Barber shops |
Two |
| Post Office |
One |
| Laundry |
One |
| Telephone |
2,400 |
| Closed-circuit television |
Six channels |
| Average annual payroll |
$63 millions |
| Meals served with air wing |
17,000 plus |
| Eggs served with air wing |
9,600 - 12,000 |
| Milk consumed per day |
400 - 600 gallons (1,514 - 2,271 lt) |
| Loaves of bread baked per day |
800 - 1,000 |
| Water distilled per day |
380,000 gallons (14,385 hl) |
| Pounds of mail processed per day |
1,500 lb (680 kg) |
Jirka Wagner
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