The USS Kitty Hawk as she sails past a small group of Japanese fishing vessels and heads toward Sagami Bay, Japan. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kitty_Hawk_(CV-63)
2022 Reunion of USS Kitty Hawk Shipmates
May 23, 2022: USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) / Michele Foss Tow is nicely making way through the Caribbean and will enter the Gulf of Mexico May 25, 2022. Current ETA Brownsville May 31, 2022. International Shipbreaking Limited, LLC/EMR has partnered with Cameron County and The Port of Brownsville, Texas to sponsor a public arrival ceremony in honor of all those who served our country onboard this mighty ship. Ceremony will commence at 0900hrs May 31,2022 and be held at the Cameron County Amphitheater located inside Isla Blanca Park on South Padre Island, Texas. We will have open mic time for Veterans to speak about their experiences onboard and a moment of silence when she passes through Brazos Santiago Pass. Please join us and share this information with anyone interested in attending. There will be a day use fee of $12.00 to enter Isla Blanca Park, however they do offer a Veterans discount.
As you may know, the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) was decommissioned in 2009 after 49 years of service. The Kitty Hawk is 1069 feet long and carried a compliment of 5,624 sailors.
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A reunion is being planned to see the ship in Texas before she is dismantled. Dale Ray Thiesen in Brainerd, Minnesota, is planning a trip to Brownsville, Texas, to see her one last time, likely the first week of June 2022. Navy vets and enthusiasts are welcome to join in the gathering. Contact Dale Ray by email from this page. He served aboard the Kitty Hawk 1983 to 1987 as part of flight deck operations. Dale Ray remembers visiting Subic Bay in the Philippines, Pusan in Korea, Perth in Australia, and Singapore in Thailand.
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News: June 24, 2022, The Kitty Hawk is undertow by the SS Michele Foss, an ocean-going tug, approaching Long Beach, California. Progress can be tracked here:
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3373363/mmsi:367657270/imo:9748564/vessel:MICHELE_FOSS
https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/details/ships/shipid:3373363/mmsi:367657270/imo:9748564/vessel:MICHELE_FOSS
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Photos below are from a Facebook group for CV-63.
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YouTubeVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXd7zSm4fhI
