The third America (CV-66) was laid down on 1 January 1961 at Newport News, Va., by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corp.; launched on 1 February 1964; sponsored by Mrs. David L. McDonald, wife of Admiral David L. McDonald, the Chi ef of Naval Operations-and commissioned at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 23 January 1965, Capt. Lawrence Heyworth, Jr., in command. After fitting out there until 15 March 1965, America remained in Hampton Roads for operations off the Virginia capes until getting underway on 25 March. She conducted her first catapult launch on 5 April 1965, with Comdr. Kenneth B. Austin, the car rier's executive officer, piloting a Douglas A-4C "Skyhawk." Proceeding thence to the Caribbean, the carrier conducted shakedown training and concluded it at Guantanamo Bay on 23 June.

America sailed for her first Mediterranean deployment late in 1965. New Year's Day, 1966, found her at Livorno, Italy. Over the ensuing weeks, the ship visited Cannes, France; Genoa, Italy; Toulon, France; Athens, Greece; Istanbul, Turkey; Beirut, Lebanon; Valletta, Malta, Taranto, Italy; Palma, Majorca, Spain; and Pollensa Bay, Spain. She sailed on 1 July for the United States. Early in the deployment, from 28 February to 10 March America participated in a joint Franco-American exercise "Fairgame IV," which simulated conventional warfare against a country attempting to invade a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) ally. She arrived at NOB, Norfolk, on 10 July, remaining there for only a short time before shifting to the Norfolk Naval S hipyard on 15 July for availability.

The following month, America initiated into carrier service the Ling- Temco-Vought A-7A "Corsair II", conducting its flight qualifications off the Virginia capes, while she also conducted automatic carrier landing system trials which demonstrated t he feasibility of "no hands" landings of McDonnell-Douglas F-4 "Phantom" and Vought F-8 "Crusader" aircraft.

By 25 May, there was evidence that a crisis was brewing in the Middle East. America's crew, from reading the ship's paper, the Daily Eagle, could see that tensions between Israel and the Arab States had been rising fast. As soon as the ship was sla ted to finish with the last of her "Poop Deck" exercises, she would be heading back to the Sea of Crete.

For the next 48 hours America steamed east and south from the coast of Spain, through Malta Channel and on to the Sea of Crete to join up with the ships of TG 60.2, the carrier Saratoga (CVA-40) and her destroyers. The carrier task force, under the command of Rear Admiral Geis, prepared for any contingency.

Their presence was evident everywhere on board the carrier. They lined the signal bridge and the flight deck, their cameras recording the cycle of flight operations, refuelings, and the tempo of shipboard routine. At night, Robert Goralski of NBC News and Bill Gill of ABC News teamed up to present the WAMR "Gill-Goralski Report," a half-hour on the latest developments in the Mideast and around the world.

America's presence was soon noted, and the carrier soon attracted other, less welcome, visitors. A Soviet destroyer had joined up on the morning of 2 June; armed with surface-to-air guided missiles, the Russian ship constantly cut in and out of the carrier's formation. Shortly afternoon on 7 June, Vice Admiral William I. Martin, Commander 6th Fleet, sent the Soviet ship a message, in Russian and English: "Your actions for the past five days have interfered with our operations. By positioning your s hip in the midst of our formation and shadowing our every move you are denying us the freedom of maneuver on the high seas that has been traditionally recognized by seafaring nations for centuries."

"In a few minutes," the message continued "the task force will commence maneuvering at high speeds and various courses. Your present position will be dangerous to your ship as well as the ships of this force. I request you clear our formation without dela y and discontinue your interference and unsafe practices." Although that particular Soviet guided missile destroyer left America alone, her sister ships soon arrived to dog them for days, harassing the carrier and her escorting destroyers.

On the morning of 5 June, while America was refueling from the oiler Truckee (AO-147), with the CarDiv 4 band and the "rock 'n' roll" combo of Truckee (AO-147) playing against one another the word came that the Israelis and the Arabs were at war. That afternoon the bosun's pipe called the crew to a general quarters drill, and the excitement of the moment was evident as all hands rushed to their battle stations. When general quarters was secured, the word was passed over the 1-MC, the ship-wide general announcement system, to set condition three, an advanced state of defensive readiness.

At about 1400 local time, on 8 June 1967, the technical research ship Liberty (AGTR-5) was attacked by Israeli torpedo boats and jet fighters, approximately 15 miles north of the Sinai port of El Arish, in international waters. She had been in position to assist in communications between United States diplomatic posts in the Mideast and to aid in the evacuation of American dependents from the area if necessary.

However, the first word that reached America and the Department of Defense in Washington gave no indication as to the identity of the attackers. America's flight deck came alive. In a matter of minutes, F- 4B "Phantom" interceptors were in t he air to ward off any possible attack against task force units. At the same time, bombs and rockets moved from the magazines deep within the ship to the flight deck. Four Douglas A-4 "Skyhawk" attack bombers were loaded and launched together with fighter cover. As the planes sped towards Liberty's position, however word was received from Tel Aviv that the attackers had been Israeli and that the attack had been made in error. The planes outbound from America were recalled with their ordnance still in the racks.

The attack on LIBERTY had cost the lives of 34 men, with 75 wounded, 15 seriously. Admiral Martin dispatched two destroyers, Davis (DD-937) and Massey (DD-778), with Lt. Comdr. Peter A. Flynn, MC, USN, one of America's junior medical officers, and two corpsmen from the carrier on board. The destroyers rendezvoused with Liberty at 0600 on 9 June, and the medical personnel, including a second doctor from one of the destroyers, were transferred immediately to the damaged research ship.

At 1030, two helicopters from America rendezvoused with Liberty and began transferring the more seriously wounded to the carrier. An hour later, about 350 miles east of Souda Bay Crete, America rendezvoused with Liberty. The ca rrier's crew lined every topside vantage point, silent, watching the helicopters bring 50 wounded and nine dead from Liberty to America. As Liberty drew alongside, listing, her sides perforated with rockets and cannon shell, nearly 2,000 of the carrier's crew were on the flight deck and, spontaneously moved by the sight, gave the battered Liberty and her brave crew a tremendous cheer.

America transited the Dardanelles on 21 June and arrived at Istanbul, where Rear Admiral Geis laid a wreath at the foot of the grave of the Unknown Soldier as a tribute to the Turkish war dead. Three days later, however, a group of angry demonstrat ors burned the wreath. Then, approximately 600 students with 1,500 spectators and sympathizers, participated in an anti-American/6th Fleet protest march, culminating in speeches in the area of the fleet landing. Liberty for the crew was canceled for most of the afternoon-however, by early evening the situation had quieted down enough so that liberty could be resumed. All was peaceful for the remainder of the visit.

America departed Norfolk on 16 January. Upon arrival at Guantanamo Bay soon thereafter, the ship conducted extensive drills and exercises and inspections were conducted in almost all shipboard activities. General quarters was a daily routine as the ship strove to reach the peak of proficiency required in its upcoming combat deployment to the western Pacific (WestPac).

Then, on the dark, rainy afternoon of 10 April 1968, America stood out of Hampton Roads, bound for "Yankee Station," a half-a-world away. The next day, the ship's complement of men and machines was brought up to full strength as America recovered the remainder of CVW-6's aircraft off the coast of the Carolinas. En route, she conducted one last major trainin g exercise. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was the next stop enroute to southeast Asia, America's first to that city and continent. Now with her course set almost due east, America sailed through waters she had never traveled before. Across the sou thern Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope, past Madagascar and out into the broad expanse of the Indian Ocean towards the Sunda Strait and Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. From Subic the ship sailed northwest through the South China Sea towards "Yankee S tation." Enroute, on 26 May, the ship participated in exercise "NEWBOY" and the next day held carrier qualifications. At 1000, 30 May, she arrived at "Yankee Station, and at 0630 the next morning the first aircraft since commissioning to leave her deck in anger was launched against the enemy.

During four line periods, consisting of 112 days on "Yankee Station, America's aircraft pounded at roads and waterways, trucks and waterborne logistics craft (WBLCS), hammered at petroleum storage areas and truck parks and destroyed bridges and cav e storage areas in the attempt to impede the flow of men and war materials to the south. On 10 July 1968, Lt. Roy Cash, Jr. (pilot) and Lt. (j.g.) Joseph E. Kain, Jr. (radar intercept officer), in an FT "Phantom" from VF-33 downed a MiG-21, 17 miles north west of Vinh, North Vietnam, for the ship's first MiG "kill" in the Vietnam War. America and her embarked air wing, CVW-6, would later be awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for their work during that time.

America's mission on "Yankee Station" nearing completion, she launched the last of her attack aircraft at 1030 on 29 October. The next day, she set sail for Subic Bay and the of offload of various "Yankee Station" assets. In addition, a heavy attack squadron, VAH-10, and an electronic countermeasures squadron, VA-130, departed the ship on 3 November as they bean a transpacific movement of their entire detachments t o Alameda, and 144 aviators along with several members of the ship's company departed for the United States on the "Magic Carpet" flight.

The days the ship spent en route to Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, and Norfolk were, of necessity, more relaxed than those of her six months of combat. Nine hundred ninety-three "Pollywogs" were initiated into the realm of Neptunus Rex on the morning of November 7th as the ship again crossed the Equator. On 9 November, a flight deck "cookout" was sponsored by the supply department as the entire crew enjoyed char- broiled steaks and basked in the equatorial sun. After mooring at 1330 on 16 December at Pie r 12, Norfolk, her "round-the-world" cruise completed, post-deployment and holiday leave began, continuing through the first day of the year 1969

Shortly thereafter, on 8 January 1969, she headed for the Jacksonville operating area where she served as the platform for carrier qualifications. On 24 January, America arrived at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard to begin a nine-month overhaul. Upon com pletion of the overhaul, the carrier conducted post-repair trials and operated locally off the Virginia capes. During one period of local operations, between 21 and 23 November 1969 America took part in carrier suitability tests for the Lockheed U- 2R reconnaissance plane.

On 5 January 1970, the carrier departed the Norfolk area to commence a nine week cruise in the Guantanamo Bay operating area. From 15 to 21 February, America participated in Operation "SPRINGBOARD 70," the annual series of training exercises conducted in the Caribbean. The program was established to take advantage of good weather and the extensive modern training facilities, including targets of all kinds, which are available in order to achieve maximum training during the period. This exercise included submarine operations, air operations, and participation by the Marine Corps. At the completion of this testing and training, America departed the Guantanamo area to arrive at the Jacksonville area on 1 March in order to conduct carrier qualification landings with the various squadrons stationed in and around the Jacksonville/Cecil Field area.

On 26 May, America began its first day of special operations in the Gulf of Tonkin, when Comdr. Fred M. Backman, commanding officer of VA-165, and his bombardier/navigator, Lt. Comdr. Jack Hawley, in a Grumman A-6C "Intruder" flew the ship's first combat sortie of the 1970 WestPac cruise. On the same day, the Navy's newest light attack aircraft, the A- 7E Corsair II received its first taste of combat. At 1201, Lt. (j.g.) Dave Lichterman, of VA-146, was catapulted from the deck in the first A- 7E ever to be launched in combat. He and his flight leader, Comdr. Wayne L. Stephens, the squadron's commanding officer, subsequently delivered their ordnance with devastating accuracy using the A-7E's digital weapons computer. Shortly after 1300, Comdr R. N. Livingston, skipper of the "Argonauts" of VA-147, and Lt Comdr. Tom Gravely rolled in on an enemy supply route to deliver the first bombs in combat in an A-7E, reportedly "all on target".

For five line periods, consisting of 100 days on "Yankee Station," America's aircraft pounded at roads and waterways, trucks and waterborne logistic craft (WBLC), hammered at petroleum storage areas and truck parks in an attempt to impede the flow of men and war materials to the south. .

Reaching Rota on 24 March, America relieved Saratoga (CV-60), and commenced operations in the western Mediterranean on 29 March. During this deployment, the ship visited a variety of ports, starting with Naples, Taranto, and Catania. Moving into the Adriatic, the carrier stopped at Split, Yugoslavia, before moving north to Venice and Trieste. In the eastern Mediterranean, America called at Alexandria, Egypt, at Souda Bay, Crete. Returning west, she visited Palma de Mallorca and Barcel ona in Spain Marseilles on the coast of France, Genoa in northern Italy, and Valencia in Spain before heading for Rota. She completed turnover proceedings at Rota on 10 and 11 September 1979, and got underway immediately to commence the homeward voyage.

Highlighting this period were numerous multilateral and unilateral exercises, as in previous Mediterranean deployments. During one phase of "National Week XXVII," America and her consorts took part in an open sea exercise that took them into the wa ters of the Gulf of Sidra (Sirte)- claimed by Libya as territorial waters since 11 October 1973. The Libyan government serving notice that any ship or aircraft operating south of the 32-30 north latitude would be violating its territory, America's battle group maintained an alert, in view of the proximity of Libyan airfields and Soviet-made aircraft operating therefrom. Departing Augusta Bay, Sicily, on 26 July, the task group arrived in its exercise area on the 28th. As planes from CVW-11 maintained nearly continuous fighter cover, the ships conducted their exercise unhindered.

Ultimately departing Rota on 12 September 1979 to conduct a "blue water" turnover with Nimitz (CVN-68), America encountered her second pair of "Bears". F-14 "Tomcats" of VF-213 intercepted the two, however, and caused them to turn away to th e north, having never sighted a single ship in the carrier's battle group. Reaching Norfolk on 22 September, America stood down after her 6th Fleet deployment.

The carrier departed Norfolk again on 15 October for Mayport, and conducted local operations off the coast of Florida before moving into the Gulf of Mexico to conduct carrier qualifications. Returning north upon completion of those evolutions, America< /I> put to sea on 30 October for more carrier qualifications-these, however, involved the first arrested carrier landings of the new McDonnell-Douglas F/A-18 "Hornet." This aircraft underwent rigorous testing over the days which followed, before Americ a returned to Norfolk on 3 November.

Entering the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 6 November 1979 America underwent repairs and alterations for much of 1980 commencing her post-repair trials on 23 September 1980. Among the work performed during the availability was the installation of the N ATO "Sea Sparrow" missile and close-in weapon systems such as the multi-barreled "Phalanx" machine gun.

America anchored at Fremantle on 25 August, and remained there for six days, sailing for "Gonzo Station" on the 31st. During her third line period, the ship spent 34 days on station. On 23 September, a fire broke out in a steam trunk line that carries steam from the main engineering spaces to the flight deck catapult system, at about 1745. Soon after America's fire party arrived on the scene to isolate the fire, smoke began filling the areas adjacent to the crew berthing areas, so Capt. Jame s F. Dorsey, Jr., ordered general quarters sounded.

As the new year, 1986, began, tensions in the Mediterranean basin would result in America's sailing to deploy with the 6th Fleet one month earlier than planned. On 7 January 1986, President Ronald Reagan ordered all American citizens out of Libya, and broke off all remaining ties between the two nations. At the same time, the President directed the dispatch of a second carrier battle group to the Mediterranean, and directed the Joint Chiefs of Staff to look into military operations against Libya, a country strongly suspected of fomenting terrorist activity.

Operations near Libya began at the end of January. These evolutions, collectively named "Attain Document," were carried out between 24 and 31 January 1986 and between 10 and 15 February, by surface ships and aircraft. America, with CVW-1 embarked, and her accompanying battle group departed Norfolk on 10 March 1986, and arrived in the Mediterranean in time to participate in the third phase of "Attain Document," a freedom of navigation (FON) exercise in the Gulf of Sidra.

Late on 23 March, American planes flew south of latitude 30-30 N.-the "Line of Death" proclaimed by Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi. On 24 March, Ticonderoga (CG-47), accompanied by two destroyers, Scott (DDG- 995) and Caron (DD-970), m oved south of the "Line," covered by fighter aircraft, at 0600.

A Libyan missile installation near Surt (Sirte) launched two Soviet-made SA-5 "Gammon" surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) at 0752, toward F-14A "Tomcats" of America's VF-102. Later that afternoon, the installation at Surt (Sirte) fired additional SAMs at American planes, but, like the first pair, went wide of their mark. About 1430, a Libyan missile- equipped Combattante II G-type patrol craft, sortied from Misratah, Libya, and approached Ticonderoga and her consorts. Two Grumman A-6E "In truders" from America's Attack Squadron (VA) 34 fired "Harpoon" missiles at the craft and sank her in the first use of the "Harpoon" in combat. Shortly thereafter, when American radars detected the Libyan installation at Sirte activating its target acquisition radars two A-7E "Corsairs" from Saratoga's VA-81 put the site out of action with "HARMs" (high-speed anti-radiation missiles).

The following day, 25 March, at 0200, another Nanuchka-II-type patrol boat entered International waters and came under attack from "Intruders" from VA-85 and Coral Sea's VA-55; the latter utilized "Rockeyes" in the attack, the former then sank the craft with a "Harpoon." The same squadrons then attacked and damaged a second Nanuchka-II, forcing her to put into Benghazi.

Operation "Eldorado Canyon" commenced early on the afternoon of 14 April 1986, as tanker aircraft took off from bases in England to support the Air Force North American F-111F and EF-111 planes that soon followed them into the air and began the long 3,000 -mile trip to the target. Later that afternoon, between 1745 and 1820, America launched six "Intruders" (strike aircraft) from VA-34 and six A-7E "Corsair IIs" (strike support); Coral Sea launched her strike/strike support aircraft, e ight A-6Es from VA-55 and six F/A-18 "Hornets" between 1750 and 1820. Both carriers launched additional aircraft to support the strike to provide a combat air patrol (CAP) and other functions.

"In a spectacular feat of mission planning and execution," the Navy and Air Force planes, based 3,000 miles apart, reached their targets on time at 1900. The "Hornets" from Coral Sea and "Corsair IIs" from America launched air-to-surf ace "Shrike" missiles and "HARMs" against Libyan SAM sites at Benghazi and Tripoli. Moments later, VA-34's "Intruders," roaring in at low-level in the blackness, dropped their Mk. 82 bombs with near surgical precision on the Benghazi military barracks, re ckoned to be an alternate command and control facility for terrorist activities and a billeting area for Qaddafi's elite Jamahiriyah Guard as well as a warehouse for components for MiG aircraft. VA-34's attack heavily damaged the warehouse, destroying fou r crated MiGs and damaging a fifth.

Following that counter-terrorist strike, America visited Naples between 28 April and 4 May, and then participated in NATO Exercise, "Distant Hammer" with units of the Italian and Turkish Air Forces, and visited Cannes upon conclusion of the evoluti on. During June, the carrier operated with CORAL SEA and the newly arrived Enterprise (CVN-65), and took part in a "Poop Deck" exercise with Spanish and United States Air Force units off the coast of Spain, arriving at Palma de Mallorca soon therea fter.

Participating in a NATO exercise, "Tridente," in late June, America visited Naples before she participated in a "National Week" exercise. Subsequently visiting Catania and operating in the central and western Mediterranean, the carrier wound up the month of July at Benidorn, Spain, before returning to sea for further operations at sea in that region. Visiting Naples between 11 and 17 August, America spent the rest of her deployment in operations in the western and central Mediterranean befor e John F. Kennedy relieved her at Rota between 28 and 31 August. America arrived back at Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 20 November 1986 for an overhaul which lasted until 11 February 1988. She spent the remainder of that year opera ting along the east coast and in the Caribbean.

America received five battle stars for her service in the Vietnam War.