The Foss Maritime vessel Corbin Foss has begun towing the Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier USS Constellation on a 16,000 mile journey through the straits of Magellan to Brownsville, Texas, where the ship is to be scrapped.
The historic voyage, which is expected to take just under
five months, began the afternoon of Aug. 8 at the Bremerton Naval Shipyard in
Washington. The 141-foot Corbin Foss, which was built to tow
barges to Alaska, is powered by two diesels producing 8,000 horsepower.
The USS Constellation (CV-64) was built
at a cost of $264 million at the New York Navy Yard beginning in 1957, and in
her many years of service, she was involved in numerous deployments and
exercises; housed hundreds of crewmembers; and was proclaimed “America’s
Flagship” in 1981 by then-President Ronald Reagan.
The 1,088-foot long aircraft carrier, which has a beam of
282 feet and can travel at up to 34 knots, was decommissioned in San Diego on
Aug. 7, 2003 after 41 years of service, and she began her final voyage nearly
11 years later to the day.
Foss has created a blog at www.foss.com to track the final
voyage of the USS Constellation and will post photos and updates over the
approximately 140-day journey. Those who have served on “Connie” – as she is
nicknamed by her crew – are encouraged to contribute their own stories or
photos to the blog.
“We recognize the significance of this vessel to US Naval
history, and to the men and women who served on her during her many
operations,” Foss Maritime Senior Vice President Gary Faber said. “We are
honored to be part of this historic voyage.”