More often than not, when I am introduced as Commanding Officer of the Constellation, the new acquaintance will recall that the ship was severely damaged by fire during construction. The assumption seems to be made that damage was permanent and that an aircraft carrier is vulnerable to fire. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In December 1960, the Constellation was the victim of an industrial fire. The hangar deck deluge system had not been placed in operation. There were only 85 ship’s company personnel in New York. (1,300 recent graduates of firefighting school who were en route to the Constellation watched the fire on television from Norfolk, Virginia.) Scaffolding and building materials common to the construction of all ships were in place. Had construction been completed and the crew on board, the fire would have been extinguished in less than one minute.
Nothing can erase the tragedy of the loss of 50 lives. Seven months’ delay in completion and about 33 million dollars extra cost are severe setbacks. There are always some aspects of every event or circumstance, however, which permit one to look to the future with optimism. Today the Constellation is a better ship than she would have been had the fire not occurred.
As a result of the delay, additional time became available to include many improvements which otherwise would not have been possible. The flight deck was widened to provide greater safety. Arresting wires were provided with shock dampeners which reduce the stress on landing aircraft and permit landings with reduced relative winds required. Additional radars which provide greater search capability and more precise control of aircraft in bad weather approaches to the flight deck were installed. Provisions for rapid strikedown of stores during replenishment were incorporated to reduce greatly the periods of vulnerability associated with re-supply. Constellation personnel who were diverted to other similar aircraft carriers remained earmarked for the ship and so reported seven months later with additional operational experience. All fire damage was completely restored. When the Constellation was commissioned on 27 October 1961, she was in better material condition and had a better-trained crew than would have been the case under the original schedule.
USS Constellation (CVA-64)
Length Over-all: 1,047 feet
Maximum Width of Flight Deck: 252 feet
Waterline Beam: 129 feet, four inches
Maximum Draft: 37 feet
Standard Displacement: 60,100 tons
Full Load Displacement: 76,700 tons
Guided Missiles: Two twin Terrier launchers
Catapults: Four steam
Aircraft: 90-100
Complement: 4,154
Following commissioning, the Constellation underwent a period of shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico. In most respects, this is a fairly routine operation which produces a molded team composed of the ship and the air group. In the Constellation's case, the over-all system includes a Terrier missile battery so that special attention was given to anti-air warfare co-ordination between this battery and the interceptor aircraft. Initial missile operations in Roosevelt Roads produced gratifying results culminating in an assessed hit against a drone target whose speed was 1.2 times the speed of sound at a range of nearly ten miles. Nuclear weapons exercises produced the highest score on record for an Atlantic carrier with the Constellation's capabilities.
In July the Constellation began the transit from the Atlantic to the Pacific Fleet. This trip afforded an opportunity to train further the ship-air group team and to support actively the President’s People-to-People Program. Visits were made at Trinidad, Rio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, Balboa, and Acapulco. In every port, ship’s personnel were cordially received and pleasant relations existed throughout. The maximum number of visitors were welcomed; 93,000 South Americans were accommodated during the cruise. Air demonstrations were conducted in Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco before an audience of more than 600,000. Almost without exception, the South Americans demonstrated a sincere desire to develop and maintain friendly relations with the United States. In mid- September, the Constellation arrived in San Diego.
As a completed ship reporting to the Fleet, what is the mission of the Constellation, and what are her capabilities?
The Constellation is part of a complex weapons system—a system which includes not only the ship’s hull and her facilities, but also nearly 100 aircraft, 2,700 officers and men who are at all times part of the ship’s company, and 1,400 personnel of the air group which flies and maintains assigned aircraft.
The trademarks of the Constellation are mobility, flexibility, and versatility. As a mobile air base, she can depart a point at any given time, proceed at a speed in excess 30 knots to a point over 700 miles away in 24 hours, or to any point in a circle whose area is more than 1.5 million square miles in the same period of time. Upon arrival at her destination, she may be required only to show the flag of the United States. This in itself could be a valuable deterrent influence. The ship may be required to deliver conventional weapons with her light attack or fighter aircraft, which are also capable of supporting ground action by friendly troops. These operations can take place many hundreds of miles from the ship. Should all-out war become unavoidable, all of her attack aircraft, light and heavy, can be utilized to deliver nuclear attack at ranges exceeding 1,000 miles from this mobile base.
In the event of any enemy airborne attack directed towards the Constellation, her radars will detect the enemy several hundred miles away and vector fighter aircraft to intercept and destroy them. These aircraft can be launched from catapults seconds after a warning, can climb to 50,000 feet in less than five minutes, and proceed to intercept the enemy at almost twice the speed of sound. If an attack is of such proportion that some of the enemy penetrate her aircraft defenses, the missile batteries go into action. The Terrier missiles may also be launched within seconds after target detection and are capable of distant enemy kills.
The Constellation can do all of these things at any one time and any of these things at all times. During three months of shakedown and two months of transit from Atlantic to Pacific, extensive air operations and internal training have been conducted. The Constellation has proudly reported to the Pacific Fleet as an operational ready carrier capable of sustained action against an enemy whenever and wherever needed.