The USS Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum sits in Manhattan, NYC where visitors from across the world can come to walk through its hallowed hallways.
The Intrepid (CV-11) was launched in 1943 and it saw significant action in the Pacific during WWII. After the war she was decommissioned but then returned to service in the 1950’s and she remained in service until 1974 when she was decommissioned a second time.
Intrepid was also used to assist with the US space program, recovering the Project Mercury Capsule with Astronaut Scott Carpenter on May 24th, 1962, then she helped with the recovery of astronauts Gus Grissom and John Young after their ride in the Gemini 3 capsule on March 23rd, 1965.
She also served with the Seventh Fleet in the Pacific during Vietnam and then with the Atlantic Fleet during the early 70’s.
Intrepid was turned into a museum in 1982 at Pier 86 on the Hudson River in NYC and you can visit her on your next visit to the Big Apple.
The USS Growler (SSG-577) sits beside the Intrepid. She was one of the US Navy’s efforts to field a submarine capable of delivering early nuclear tipped cruise missiles.
She and her sisters were the first nuclear capable submarines in the US Navy.
You can also visit the Space Shuttle Enterprise which was brought on board in 2011.
Enterprise was the first shuttle built and she was known as the “test shuttle”. She never made it to orbit but she was very important in the beginning stages of the shuttle program. Lacking engines and a heat shield, Enterprise was used to test taxiing, and the gliding return flight that all of the future shuttles would undertake on their return to Earth.
Did you know that she was originally named Constitution, but a campaign to remane her after the famous Star Trek starship gave her a new name.
For more information about the USS Intrepid Museum, visit https://www.intrepidmuseum.org.
