Some
cities have clippers or galleons floating in their harbours, others have
battleships or decommissioned cruise ships for the public to enjoy . . .
New York has a
fully fledged aircraft carrier . . .
This monster
floats in the Hudson on the western shore of Manhattan. A gargantuan ship that
in it's time saw conflict at the battle of Midway and transported troops to the
Vietnam War. Stretching 900ft from bow to stern it is an impressive sight set
against the skyscrapers of mid-town. Here you can scramble over the decks that
felt the blows of kamikaze pilots, descend into the bowels of a nuclear
submarine and look out of the bridge window at a view of a ship that has seen
action in Korea, Okinawa and picked up space capsules from the moon landings.
I recommend at
least an afternoon to see this magnificent vessel. Even if you don't like
military history, the sheer scale and scope of this behemoth will win you over.
There is something beautiful about the design of a battleship, and something
even more special about an aircraft carrier - possibly the most powerful weapon
of war in the world. Kids will absolutely love it, it has an abundance of
planes, submarines and gun emplacements for them to play with and adults will
find the way of life aboard these huge vessels fascinating. The story and
experiences of the 'Intrepid' are the stuff that modern legends are made of . .
.
It does take a
little ingenuity to get there. It is moored in the West Hudson on 12th Avenue
with views towards New Jersey. It lies between W44th Street and W46th Street
and the easiest way would be to walk through 'Hell's Kitchen'. This notorious
area looked fine as I took the bus through it in daytime, but I'm not sure it
is advisable in the evening? From Grand Central or Times Square the best way to
reach it is a bus down 42nd Street. The nearest subway stop is Port Authority/42nd Streetbut this is still a walk of
six blocks which can be wearing on the feet. The bus costs only £1.50 and heads
west along 42nd Street and changes at 12th Avenue where you can get off for the
Circle Line ferries and USS 'Intrepid'.
Before the
entrance to the aircraft carrier are the remains of an old pier whose stumps
poke nervously from the water. Then you walk past the prow of the 'Intrepid'
which towers 50ft above you and was tied with a huge yellow ribbon when I was
there (the Iraqi war still had two weeks to go). Entrance costs $14 and is open from 9am to 6pm, and you bags and belongings will undergo a
very tight security check. Then you climb the steps and enter the vast interior
hangar. This 800ft long metallic cavern was where the bombers and jets were
housed before being hydraulically raised to the runway above. On show were
pieces of the airplane that slammed into the Twin Towers back in 2001 and
numerous fighter aircraft including one flown by George Bush senior in the
Second World War. There were also enormous space capsules from the moon
landings that the 'Intrepid' used to pick up from the Pacific in the late
sixties. And there is a superb exhibition called 'The Forgotten War'about Korea in 1950-1953.
But it was the
self-explanatory video that really caught my attention. This showed the story
of the 'Intrepid' and after watching this I developed some real affection for
the old girl. She was first commissioned in the thirties and saw action in the
Pacific at Okinawa and Midway. Her nadir came when she was fighting off Japan
and attacks by 'kamikaze' pilots severely
damaged the bridge and runway. She came home in WWII but was used in Korea and
Vietnam. In 1976 she was due to be de-commissioned but instead of being sold
for scrap she was purchased by multi-billionaire Zachary Fisher and turned into
a museum. She has been opened to the public since 1982 and her hangar has seen
numerous high-status dinners including with speakers Reagan, Bush, Clinton, and
Maggie Thatcher.
But best of all
is topside. Set against the skyscrapers of New York the entire flight deck
stretches for about 700ft. On it's starboard was a huge bridge tower with a
warning about 'exhaust burns' emblazoned on it's side. Lining the deck were
warplanes from around the world - Russian MIG's, American bombers, French
fighters and RAF Scimitars. There were BELL helicopters that I remember from M.A.S.H. and a very sinister black shape at the
end which was the famous'Stealth' bomber. A
bomber so fast it can slip under a country’s radar. To reach the bridge you
must climb a number of ladders, a wide window provided good views across the runway
and there were 'Intrepid' veterans there to answer any questions. I was
surprised to see how little electronics there was on the bridge, the controls
seem to consist of brass instruments and black buttons.
'Intrepid' is
not alone on the Hudson. Sharing it's pier are other navy vessels. USS 'Growler' (fabulous name!) was a nuclear
submarine that could be visited on a guided tour but I settled on a nearby
battle cruiser USS 'Edison' which was dwarfed
next to the mighty 'Intrepid'. You could stroll the decks, visit the angled
prow and play with the Bofors gun on its emplacement. The narrow passageways
and crew quarters were more interesting with a large commissary with over
twelve different types of ice cream . . .
All in all,
'Intrepid' and its sisters won me over with their sheer sense of scale. There
is something undeniably beautiful about an aircraft carrier. The video shots of
her ploughing through blue Pacific waters on the way to battle were
exhilarating. It's easy to understand why the old girl commands such affection.
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