1.) The first World War II Yorktown, CV-5, was sunk on June 7th, 1942, the day after the Battle of Midway.
2.) The second World War II Yorktown, CV-10, was initially named Bonhomme Richard, but we re-named her Yorktown to honor CV-5 and to confuse the Japanese.
3.) CV-10's keel was laid down on December 1st, 1941, six days before Pearl Harbor.
4.) After Pearl Harbor, Yorktown was built in a remarkable 16 1/2 months (this happens when a country is motivated). Most of the workforce was women (WAVES).
5.) During her christening ceremony, Eleanor Roosevelt, who christened CV-5, christened CV-10. Yorktown was considered an "eager" ship because she began slipping out of her slip seven minutes ahead of schedule, leaving Eleanor to jump up and quickly smash the champagne bottle on her bow—the first of which didn't break.
6.) The Navy is superstitious. If a ship is not christened, it is considered bad luck, and all the sailors will want to join the Air Force. Fortunately, the bottle broke after Eleanor's second attempt. Yorktown's now christened, and so is Eleanor.
7.) Yorktown was officially commissioned on April 15th (my dad's birthday!), 1943, and joined the war's Pacific Fleet. At the time of her service, she was 873 feet long (the Titanic was 883 feet long), weighed 35,000 tons (the Titanic weighed 52,000 tons), and her Flight Deck was at least 140 feet wide. The Essex-class carriers, to which Yorktown belongs, carried around 90-100 aircraft. The Hellcat was Yorktown's best fighter plane.
8.) Yorktown carried around 3,300 men. She's a floating city with a complimentary airport. Amenities include the chapel, the barber shop, the ship store, the brig, the galley, berthing, the dentist, the hospital, etc. Enlisted soldiers were assigned a day job and a battle job. The average age of the men was nineteen.
9.) During World War II, Yorktown participated in battles such as the Truk and Marianas, the Battle of the Philippines, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa (only 141 of her men died during her entire service). She earned eleven battle stars and was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
10.) While she didn't see action in the Korean War, Yorktown (including other Essex-class carriers and the new Midway-class) was chosen for modernizations in the 1950s, including an angled Flight Deck to support jet aircraft and an enclosed bow to protect her from hurricanes. She went from 873 feet long to 1,000 feet long with these modernizations. During the Korean War, she was re-classified as an attack carrier (CVA).
11.) Yorktown received five more battle stars in the Vietnam War and became an anti-submarine carrier (CVS).
12.) Yorktown was the primary ship that picked up the Apollo 8 astronauts and capsule in 1968. That project circled the Moon but didn't land on it (that was Apollo 11).
13.) In 1970, Yorktown was getting a little run-down, but we still had one more job for her. She starred in the movie Tora, Tora, Tora as the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi (ironic, right?). Yorktown was officially decommissioned on June 27th, 1970, and placed in reserve.
14.) In 1975, while Yorktown enjoyed retirement, a new naval and maritime museum was opening in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina: Patriots Point. They asked for an aircraft carrier, so the Yorktown was towed to Charleston. A 40-foot deep trench was built, and twelve tugboats pushed her in (LOL!). Patriots Point opened in 1976, and Yorktown has been there ever since because she's too "good" to fire (she's also stuck in 40 feet of mud).
15.) Yorktown has two iconic nicknames: "Fighting Lady" (made famous by the 1944 documentary The Fighting Lady) and "Lucky One" for only enduring one bomb hit during her entire service in March 1945. Five men died; that does not compare to Yorktown's sister ship, the Franklin, which survived two bomb hits the next day, and 700 of her men died.
16.) CV-10, the USS Yorktown, is the second-most decorated aircraft carrier next to Enterprise.
And that's the USS Yorktown, the centerpiece of Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum! Bill has a lot to learn, but I did, too.