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The transition of the aviation navy that had begun in the decade of the 1950s continued unabated in the 1960s and 1970s, against the backdrop of the Cuban Crisis, the Vietnamese War, crises in Africa, the Middle East, over Berlin, and the threat of war in the Caribbean nations.  In 1962, the last airship flight took place, followed in 1967 by the last operational flight of seaplanes by the U. S. Navy.  In 1973, the last North Vietnamese aircraft of the Vietnam War was destroyed in aerial combat.  Seaplanes disappeared from the scene in 1976, as did the venerable S-2 Tracker, and the last of the 24 Essex-class carriers was decommissioned in 1976.

Obsolete aircraft, ships, and weapons systems were replaced by those of vastly improved performance and combat capabilities.  The first nuclear-powered carrier Enterprise was commissioned in 1961, and in 1964 she formed the first task force of nuclear-powered warships for a round-the-world cruise.  In 1969, the first A-7E Corsair II was delivered to an operational squadron, while in the 1970s, a wide range of new and improved tactical aircraft made their first flights or joined the fleet.  The F-14A Tomcat first flew in 1970, followed closely by the arrival of the newest electronic warfare aircraft, the Grumman EA-6B Prowler in the fleet in January 1971.  

On February 22, 1974, another landmark was established in naval aviation history when Lt. (jg) Barbara Ann Allen became the Navy’s first designated female aviator when she received her Wings of Gold in a ceremony at NAS Corpus Christie, Texas.