Like her famous namesakes, USS CONSTELLATION (CV 64) has a proud and distinguished record. Connie, as her crew affectionately calls her, has
almost 38 years of service, which has seen her sail into harm's way from Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam to the turbulent waters of the Arabian
Gulf.
Built at the New York Naval Shipyard as the second ship in the Kitty Hawk class of aircraft carriers, Connie was commissioned on October 27, 1961,
under the motto "Spirit of the Old, Pride of the New." She has been homeported at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego since July 1962.
Just like the original CONSTELLATION, America's newest and best Navy ship was immediately put to the test. In response to North Vietnamese
attacks on U.S. destroyers in the Gulf of Tonkin in August 1964, CONSTELLATION departed from a scheduled port visit to Hong Kong and was the
first U.S. warship to launch strikes against North Vietnamese vessels and bases.
Over the next eight years, CONSTELLATION would return to the South China Sea for a total of seven combat cruises, conducting air strikes against
heavily fortified North Vietnamese positions, engaging naval targets and shooting down enemy aircraft.
In 1968 President Lyndon Johnson made a surprise visit prior to Connie's fourth deployment to the Western Pacific (WestPac). In November, Connie
pilots flew the last strike missions into North Vietnam prior to a bombing halt declaration.
In May 1972, Lt. Randy Cunningham and Ltj.g. Willie Driscoll of Fighter Attack Squadron 96 became America's first fighter aces of the Vietnam War
by downing three MiGs during vicious dog fighting over North Vietnam. The extraordinary effort brought their total to five enemy aircraft in four
months.
For her actions in Southeast Asia, CONSTELLATION was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation by President Richard Nixon.
In 1975 Connie was redesignated "CV" from "CVA" following a complex overhaul to the flight deck, enabling her to deploy with the S-3A Viking
(anti-submarine) and F-14 Tomcat (fighter) aircraft.
A newly refurbished Connie began her 10th deployment in April 1977, which included the first port call by a U.S. carrier to Pattaya, Thailand. In
September 1978, Connie sailed west once again on her 11th overseas deployment. The ship was extended on station in the Arabian Gulf because of the
Iranian hostage crisis. Her service earned her the Navy and Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal. While on her 12th deployment to the Western Pacific and
Indian Oceans, CONSTELLATION set a new endurance record for that time by remaining on station for 110 consecutive days.
In the summer of 1981, Connie hosted President Ronald Reagan. It turned out to be a watershed moment in the carrier's illustrious history. Reagan
presented a Presidential Flag to the ship and proclaimed CONSTELLATION as "America's Flagship" - a new ship's motto which is used to this day.
In 1982, Constellation returned to the yards, this time in Bremerton, Wash. Naval aviation had undergone vast changes since 1961, and when Connie
came out of the yards in 1984 two weeks early and under budget, it was completely modernized. One facet of the ship's upgrade was the ability to carry
the Navy's newest strike fighter, the F/A-18 Hornet. She was also fitted with the new PHALANX radar-guided gattling gun, two new flush deck
catapults and the NATO Sea Sparrow Missile System.
During WestPac 1987, Constellation once again found itself in the spotlight; this time providing vital air cover for the escort of U.S. flagged oil tankers
through the Arabian Gulf.
In February 1990, Constellation left San Diego, returning to the East Coast for a three-year overhaul. The $800-million Service Life Extension Program
(SLEP), completed in Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in March 1993, added an estimated 15 years to the carrier's operational life. The overhaul saw
upgrades to virtually every system on the ship.
After completing one of the most successful work-up schedules in Navy history, CONSTELLATION departed San Diego on June 18, 1999, beginning
her 19th overseas deployment. Connie immediately put her war fighting skills to the test by conducting a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX). This
marked the first time ever that a carrier has conducted JTFEX at the beginning of a deployment. With increased tensions between North and South Korea,
Connie then headed for the Korean theatre to closely monitor the situation and provide a calming influence. After port calls in Pusan, ROK; Yokosuka,
Japan; Singapore; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Connie entered the Arabian Gulf on August 28 where she will spend the next 10 weeks flying combat
air patrols over the Iraqi no-fly zones in support of Operation Southern Watch.
On September 16, 1999, Captain Jamie Kelly relieved Captain Don Bullard as Commanding Officer of America's Flagship. Just as Captain Thomas
Truxtun left an indelible imprint on our nation's naval heritage as CONSTELLATION's first Commanding Officer in 1797, so too has Captain Bullard continued that heritage by guiding the Navy's finest crew on the nation's best carrier. As Connie's 29th Commanding Officer, Captain Kelly will
continue this legacy and add to the illustrious history of America's Flagship.
