My Dad often told the story of owning a plank on the Kearsarge. As a kid it was just a story but I have begun to investigate to see what I could find out. He passed away very young and I often remember him as the proud veteran of WW2 that he was. Anyone have any Kearsarge stories? I suspect he was quite close to discharge when he served on this vessel. I also understand that it was involved at the time of Tonkin Bay and decommissioned in 1970. What happpened to it? Any hints on how to locate veterans that may have been on that ship in 46?
Originally posted by 17557869: My Dad often told the story of owning a plank on the Kearsarge. As a kid it was just a story but I have begun to investigate to see what I could find out. He passed away very young and I often remember him as the proud veteran of WW2 that he was. Anyone have any Kearsarge stories? I suspect he was quite close to discharge when he served on this vessel. I also understand that it was involved at the time of Tonkin Bay and decommissioned in 1970. What happpened to it? Any hints on how to locate veterans that may have been on that ship in 46?
....Six months later, 19 June 1964, the antisubmarine carrier was deployed on her ninth Far Eastern cruise. Arriving Yokosuka 30 July, Kearsarge was dispatched to the South China Sea, following the North Vietnamese patrol boat attack on U.S. destroye rs in t he Gulf of Tonkin. While U.S. Navy planes destroyed North Vietnam oil and supply depots, Kearsarge provided antisubmarine protection for the 7th Fleet....
She was sold for scrapping. "Disposed of, sold by Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service (DRMS) for scrapping 03/01/1974"
