The Ships of Battlegroup: United States Intrepid (CV-11)

Displacement	27,100 tons	Belt Armor	4 inches
Overall Length	820 feet	Deck Armor	6 inches
Beam	147.5 feet	Aircraft Complement	110
Speed	33 knots	Main Guns	12 × 5″

The first United States navy ship named Intrepid was a tiny 64-ton ketch captured from Tripoli and used in a daring raid by Stephen Decatur (1779–1820) to penetrate Tripoli Harbor and blow up the captured frigate Philadelphia .

The fourth U. S. S. Intrepid (CV-11) was a mighty Essex class aircraft carrier launched on April 26, 1943 and commissioned in August 1943. After working up in the Atlantic, Intrepid was ordered to the Pacific, where she supported the Kwajalein invasion in January-February 1944. On February 17, 1944, while taking part in raids on the Japanese base at Truk, she was hit by an aerial torpedo. After repairs, the carrier was back in the combat zone in September 1944. Over the next few months, she participated in strikes on the Palaus, Okinawa, Formosa and the Philippines and her planes sank several Japanese ships during the 24-25 October Battle of Leyte Gulf. Intrepid’s air group was very prominent in sinking the Japanese super-battleship Musashi during the latter battle. On November 25, while attacking Philippine targets, the "Evil I" was hit by a kamikaze suicide plane, which caused the loss of sixty crewmen and required shipyard work in the United States. Intrepid rejoined the fast carriers in time for attacks on the Japanese home islands in mid-March 1945, during which she was lightly damaged by another "kamikaze." Beginning in late March, she was part of the invasion of Okinawa. On 16 April, two "kamikaze" planes attacked her, one hitting the flight deck and causing enough damage to require more stateside repairs. Japan surrendered while she was en route to rejoin the other fast carriers in mid-August and Intrepid spent the rest of 1945 with the occupation forces and was decommissioned in March 1947.

Re-commissioned in February 1952, Intrepid received a thorough, two-year, modernization and was re-designated CVA-11. She reentered active service in June 1954. The carrier was deployed with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean during 1955-56 and then updated with an angled flight deck and enclosed "hurricane" bow to better handle modern jets. In March 1962 she was reclassified and re-equipped as an anti-submarine warfare support aircraft carrier with the new designation CVS-11. Intrepid took part in anti-submarine exercises in the Atlantic and European areas and helped in space flight recovery work.

Following a major overhaul in the mid 1960s, Intrepid was given an air group of light attack planes and the temporary designation of "special attack carrier." She deployed off Vietnam three times in 1966-69 before returning to an Atlantic Fleet anti-submarine role. Intrepid operated in the Mediterranean in 1971 and 1973 and visited Northern Europe in 1972. Decommissioned in March 1974, she was an exhibition ship at the 1976 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Bicentennial. Intrepid was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in February 1982 and transferred to a New York City organization for her current service as a museum ship.

For other Essex class aircraft carriers, see: Hornet, Lexington and Yorktown .

Where did we get all these fascinating historical tidbits and factoids? See the Bibliography for the culprits.