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USS Kearsage CV-33(V)

The USS Kearsage may not have had as long of a life as other aircraft carriers, but she did a fine job in serving her country, receiving two battle stars for her contribution to Korean War service and five battle stars for her efforts in the Vietnam War. At 888 feet long, she could reach a speed of 33 knots, and could carry over 3400 sailors and almost 100 aircraft, propelled by 8 boilers and 4 steam turbines. Her armament consisted of 38 caliber guns, quadruple Bofors guns-and almost 50 Oerlikon cannons.

Early Days

The Kearsage was commissioned in 1946, named for the Civil War era steam sloop USS Kearsarge of 1861. She was first based in Norfolk, Virginia, and spent more than 12 months training along the coast and Caribbean before joining with the 6th Fleet. At that time, she was placed on peace-keeping alert in the Mideast for three years. Already, the Kearsage found itself in need of a major overhaul to accommodate the newest jet aircraft, so she was out of commission for the following two years.

This was followed by extensive flight training in the Hawaiian Islands to prepare for Korean War combat. She proved more than successful, flying almost 6,000 sorties against the Communist forces of North Korea. In 1953, the Kearsage joined forces with the 7th Fleet fast carrier force during the time in which North Korea was bound by a truce. Also in conjunction with this fleet, she aided in successful evacuation of 38,000 Chinese civilians and military personnel from the Tachen Islands.

Achievements

By 1958, it was clear that Kearsarge should be fitted out as an antisubmarine warfare support carrier, and after this reclassification, she again joined the 7th Fleet in the Far East. Not too long after arrival, she responded to a violent typhoon, by landing planes filled with medicine, supplies and assistants, clothing and money to the devastated inhabitants of Japan. On her way back, around 1200 miles off Wake Island, the Kearsage came upon four Russians drifting in a disabled landing craft. They had been in the water for seven weeks. Kearsage retrieved them and returned them to homeland, receiving the Soviet Union's deep appreciation. After more repairs, she was stationed in the Pacific Missile Range. Her new role was to be the recovery ship in the Project Mercury orbital space flight, rescuing astronaut Walter Schirra after his splashdown. The Kearsage returned him and his space capsule safely back to Honolulu. She again took part in the space program in 1963, this time by retrieving astronaut Gordon Cooper after his 22 orbits around the earth in the "Faith 7" capsule. (This brought the Kearsage international publicity, as the world was following the new space program.)

Final Deployment

Her next mission found her in the South China Sea, after an attack on U.S. destroyers by North Vietnam. Kearsage offered antisubmarine protection for the 7th Fleet during the U.S. Navy planes' destruction of North Vietnam's oil sources. After more maintenance in l965, she was sent past Hawaii and Japan for Vietnam once again, proceeding on to Kuala Lumpur, before returning to Subic Bay and coming home for a short break before leaving for Pearl Harbor. Kearsage's remaining years of service were uneventful, and she was decommissioned in 1970. She served three years in the Reserve Fleet, after which, sadly, she was dismantled and sold for scrap in 1974.

The Kearsage had three nicknames: the "Mighty Kay", "Rammin Rankin's Krashbarge" and "The Mighty Kay-RUNCH"). These monikers referred to her collisions with three other ships within a fairly short period of time, one being the cruise ship SS Oriana. Fortunately, none of these accidents resulted in any notable fires on board as a result of tanks being hit and fuel spilled. The one situation every carrier hoped to avoid was a fire, especially when at sea. Other carriers lost many sailors as a result of onboard fires, regardless of the caution employed. With small, tight quarters, and a high use of fire, heat, flame and electricity, there was definitely danger lucking both above and below deck. To fend off some of the danger, builders of ships relied heavily on asbestos to protect the equipment as well as the sailors. This would have been significant in the Kearsage, with its number of boilers and turbines, and her fairly lengthy deployment times, during which sailors may not have enjoyed leave for several weeks. As far as the asbestos material's protective abilities against fire, it appears to have served the Kearsage well, but a few asbestos fibers may have escaped through the ships' air circulation and created a different kind of risk for the crew.

If you were exposed to asbestos while serving on the USS Kearsage CV-33(V), or have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, Asbestos.com offers a free packet with more information. Enter your contact information in the form in the right column and we'll send a copy immediately.

Aircraft Carriers Index

USS America USS Antietam CV 36 K USS Antietam CV 36 USS Badoeng Strait CVE 116 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Bairoko CVE 115 USS Belleau wood CVL 24 USS Bennington CV 20 USS Bon Homme Richard CVa USS Boxer CV USS Bunker CV USS Cabot CVL 28 USS Constellation CV USS Coral Sea CV USS Corregidor CVE 58 USS Sable ix USS San jacinto CVL USS Saratoga CV USS Saratoga CV3 USS Shangri La

USS Cowpens CVL 25 USS Enterprise CV 6 USS Enterprise CVN USS Essex CV 9 USS Forrestal CV USS Franklin CV 13 USS Hancock CV 19 USS Hornet CV 12 USS Hornet CV 8 USS Independence C1 USS Independence CVL 22 USS Intrepid CV 11 USS Kearsage CV 33 USS Kearsage CV USS Kitty Hawk USS Sicily CVe USS Sitkoh bay USS Tarawa CV USS Ticonderoga CV USS Valley forge CV

USS Lake Champlain CV 39 USS Langley CV 1 USS Langley CVL 27 USS Lexington CV 16 USS Lexington CV 2 USS Leyte CV 32 USS Midway CV USS Oriskany CV USS Phillipine Sea CV USS Point cruz CVE USS Princeton CV USS Princeton CVL USS Randolph CV USS Ranger CV USS Rendova USS Wasp CV 18 USS Wasp CV 7 USS Wolverine IX 64 USS Yorktown CV 10 USS Yorktown CV 5

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