USS Oriskany ( CV - 34 ) USS " Oriskany " ( CV / CVA - 34 ) – nicknamed " Mighty O " , and occasionally referred to as " the O - boat " – was one of the few s completed only after World War II for the United States Navy . The ship was named for the Revolutionary War Battle of Oriskany . The history of " Oriskany " differs considerably from that of her sister ships . Originally designed as a " long - hulled " ship ( considered by some authorities to be a separate class , the ) her construction was suspended in 1947 . She eventually was commissioned in 1950 after conversion to an updated design called SCB - 27 ( " 27 - Charlie " ) , which became the template for modernization of 14 other ships . " Oriskany " was the final " Essex " - class ship completed . She operated primarily in the Pacific into the 1970s , earning two battle star s for service in the Korean War , and five for service in the Vietnam War . In 1966 one of the worst shipboard fires since World War II broke out on " Oriskany " when a magnesium flare was accidentally ignited ; forty - four men died in the fire . " Oriskany " s post - service history also differs considerably from that of her sister ships . Decommissioned in 1976 , she was sold for scrap in 1995 , but was repossessed in 1997 because nothing was being done ( lack of progress ) . In 2004 it was decided to sink her as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico . After much environmental review and remediation to remove toxic substances , she was carefully sunk in May 2006 , settling in an upright position at a depth accessible to recreational divers . As of 2008 the " Oriskany " is " the largest vessel ever sunk to make a reef " . Construction and commissioning . The name " Oriskany " was originally assigned to , but that hull was renamed when the keel was laid in 1942 . " CV - 34 " was laid down on 1 May 1944 by the New York Naval Shipyard , launched on 13 October 1945 , and sponsored by Mrs . Clarence Cannon . Construction was suspended on 12 August 1947 , when the ship was approximately 85 % complete . " Oriskany " was redesigned as the prototype for the SCB - 27 modernization program . To handle the new generation of carrier aircraft , the flight deck structure was massively reinforced . Stronger elevators , more powerful hydraulic catapult s , and new arresting gear were installed . The island structure was rebuilt , the anti - aircraft turrets were removed , and blisters were added to the hull . Blistering the hull ( also known as adding bulges ) increases the cross - sectional area of a ship ' s hull , thereby increasing its buoyancy and stability . It also provides increased bunker volume . In the case of the " Oriskany " , this would have been for aviation fuel . These features would have been crucial to a ship that had so much topside weight added after its original design . " Oriskany " was commissioned in the New York Naval Shipyard on 25 September 1950 , Captain Percy H . Lyon in command . Service history . 1950 – 1956 . " Oriskany " departed New York on 6 December 1950 , for carrier qualification operations off Jacksonville , Florida , followed by a Christmas call at Newport , Rhode Island . She resumed operations off Jacksonville through 11 January 1951 , when she embarked Carrier Air Group 1 for shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . After major modifications at New York Naval Shipyard from 6 March to 2 April , she embarked Carrier Air Group 4 for training off Jacksonville , then departed Newport on 15 May 1951 , for Mediterranean deployment with the 6th Fleet . Having swept from ports of Italy and France to those of Greece and Turkey , from there to the shores of Tripoli , " Oriskany " returned to Quonset Point , Rhode Island on 4 October 1951 . She entered Gravesend Bay , New York on 6 November 1951 to offload ammunition and to have her masts removed to allow passage under the East River Bridges to the New York Naval Shipyard . Overhaul included the installation of a new flight deck , steering system , and bridge . Work was complete by 15 May 1952 , and the carrier steamed the next day to take on ammunition at Norfolk , Virginia from 19 – 22 May . She then got underway to join the Pacific Fleet , steaming via Guantanamo Bay , Rio de Janeiro , Cape Horn , Valparaíso , and Lima , arriving San Diego , California on 21 July . Following carrier qualifications for Carrier Air Group 19 , " Oriskany " departed San Diego on 15 September 1952 , to aid United Nations forces in Korea . She arrived Yokosuka on 17 October and joined Task Force 77 off the Korean Coast on 31 October . Her aircraft struck hard with bombing and strafing attacks against enemy supply lines and coordinated bombing missions with surface gunstrikes along the coast . Her pilots downed two Soviet - built MiG - 15 jets and damaged a third on 18 November . Strikes continued through 11 February , attacking enemy artillery positions , troop emplacements , and supply dumps along the main battlefront . Following a brief upkeep period in Japan , " Oriskany " returned to combat on 1 March 1953 . She continued in action until 29 March , called at Hong Kong , then resumed air strikes on 8 April . She departed the Korean Coast on 22 April , touched at Yokosuka , and then departed for San Diego on 2 May , arriving there on 18 May . Following readiness training along the California coast , " Oriskany " departed San Francisco on 14 September to aid the 7th Fleet watching over the uneasy truce in Korea , arriving in Yokosuka on 15 October . Thereafter , she cruised the Sea of Japan , the East China Sea , and the area of the Philippines . After providing air support for Marine amphibious assault exercises at Iwo Jima , the carrier returned to San Diego on 22 April 1954 . She entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard for overhaul ; the overhaul was completed on 22 October , when she put to sea for the first of a series of coastal operations , and participation in the production of the Korean War - era film " The Bridges at Toko - Ri " , where she stood in for the escort carrier USS " Savo Island " . " Oriskany " arrived at Yokosuka on 2 April 1955 , and operated with the Fast Carrier Task Force ranging from Japan and Okinawa to the Philippines . This deployment ended on 7 September , and the carrier arrived at NAS Alameda , California , on 21 September . She cruised the California Coast while qualifying pilots of Air Group 9 , then put to sea from Alameda on 11 February 1956 for another rigorous Western Pacific ( WestPac ) deployment . 1957 – 1969 . " Oriskany " returned to San Francisco on 13 August 1956 , and entered the shipyard to undergo the SCB - 125A modernization program on 1 October . She was decommissioned there on 2 January 1957 . " Oriskany " received a new angled flight deck , aft deck edge elevator , enlarged forward elevator , and enclosed hurricane bow . Powerful new steam catapults replaced the older hydraulic catapult s . The wooden flight deck planking was also replaced with aluminum planking . " Oriskany " was recommissioned at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 7 March 1959 , Captain James Mahan Wright was in command . Four days later she departed for shakedown out of San Diego with Carrier Air Group 14 embarked . Operations along the West Coast continued until 14 May 1960 , when she again deployed to WestPac , returning to San Diego on 15 December . She entered San Francisco Naval Shipyard on 30 March 1961 , for a five - month overhaul that included the first aircraft carrier installation of the Naval Tactical Data System ( NTDS ) . " Oriskany " departed the shipyard on 9 September for underway training out of San Diego until 7 June 1962 , when she again deployed to the Far East with Carrier Air Group 16 embarked . She returned to San Diego on 17 December for operational readiness training off the West Coast . The carrier was again stationed out of San Diego on 1 August 1963 , for Far Eastern waters , with Carrier Air Group 16 embarked . She arrived at Subic Bay on 31 August 1963 , and from there steamed to Japan . She was at the port of Iwakuni , Japan , on the morning of 31 October , " en route " to the coast of South Vietnam . There , she stood by for any eventuality as word was received of the coup d ' état taking place in Saigon . When the crisis abated , the carrier resumed operations from Japanese ports . " Oriskany " returned to San Diego on 10 March 1964 . After overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard , she steamed for refresher training out of San Diego , followed by qualifications for Carrier Air Wing 16 . During this period her flight deck was used to test the E - 2 Hawkeye , the Navy ' s new airborne early warning aircraft . She also provided orientation to senior officers of eight allied nations . " Oriskany " departed San Diego on 5 April 1965 , for WestPac , arriving at Subic Bay on 27 April . By this time more United States troops had landed in the Republic of South Vietnam to support ARVN ( Army Republic of South Vietnam ) troops against increased communist pressure . " Oriskany " added her weight to the massive American naval strength supporting South Vietnam . In combat operations that brought her and embarked Carrier Air Wing 16 the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service from 10 May to 6 December 1965 , she carried out over 12 , 000 combat sortie s and delivered nearly 10 , 000 tons ( 9 , 100 tonnes ) of ordnance against enemy forces . She departed Subic Bay on 30 November , and returned to San Diego on 16 December . " Oriskany " again left San Diego for the Far East on 26 May 1966 , arriving in Yokosuka , Japan , on 14 June . She steamed for " Dixie Station " off South Vietnam on 27 June . Wearisome days and nights of combat shifted to " Yankee Station " in the Gulf of Tonkin on 8 July . In the following months there were brief respites for replenishment in Subic Bay , then back into the action that saw her launch 7 , 794 combat sorties . The carrier was on station the morning of 26 October 1966 , when a fire erupted on the starboard side of the ship ' s forward hangar bay and raced through five decks , killing 44 men . Many who lost their lives were veteran combat pilots who had flown raids over Vietnam a few hours earlier . " Oriskany " had been put in danger when a magnesium parachute flare exploded in the forward flare locker of Hangar Bay 1 , beneath the carrier ' s flight deck . Subsequent investigation showed the flare functioned as designed and the cause of the fire was human error . A seaman accidentally ignited the flare , and in a panic , threw it into the weapons locker where the flares were kept for storage , instead of throwing it over the side into the water ; this ignited all the flares in the locker and caused horrific damage . Some of her crewmen jettisoned heavy bombs which lay within reach of the flames , while others wheeled planes out of danger , rescued pilots , and helped quell the blaze throughout the next three hours . Medical assistance was rushed to the carrier from aircraft carriers and . Later investigation by Captain John H Iarrobino of the " Oriskany " and analysis by the Naval Ammunition Depot in Crane , Indiana , showed that one in every thousand flares could ignite accidentally if jarred . Five crew members were court - martial ed as a result of the incident but were acquitted . After this incident and others , the flare design used by the Navy was changed to a safer design immune to accidental ignition , and crews were increased to stabilize numbers so all activities could be properly supervised . " Oriskany " steamed to Subic Bay on 28 October , where victims of the fire were transferred to waiting aircraft for transportation to the United States . A week later the carrier departed for San Diego , arriving on 16 November . San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard completed repairs on 23 March 1967 , and " Oriskany " , with Carrier Air Wing 16 embarked , underwent training . She then was stationed out of San Francisco Bay on 16 June to take station in waters off Vietnam . Designated flagship of Carrier Division 9 in Subic Bay on 9 July , she commenced " Yankee Station " operations on 14 July . On 26 July she provided medical assistance to the fire - ravaged attack carrier USS " Forrestal " . On 26 October 1967 , then – Lieutenant Commander John McCain flew off " Oriskany " in an A - 4 Skyhawk on his 23rd bombing mission of the Vietnam War . He was shot down that day and was a prisoner of war until January 1973 . " Oriskany " returned to Naval Air Station Alameda on 31 January 1968 , and entered San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard on 7 February for an eight - month overhaul . Upon completion of work , the carrier underwent refresher training and flight qualifications before deploying to the Far East in April 1969 . From 16 April 1969 , Carrier Air Wing 19 made six deployments aboard the " Oriskany " ( the first four to support the Vietnam War in the Gulf of Tonkin until the end of the war in 1973 ) . The final deployment being to Western Pacific from 16 September 1975 – 3 March 1976 . 1975 – 2004 . Following 25 years of service , " Oriskany " was decommissioned on 30 September 1976 , and laid up for long - term storage in Bremerton , Washington , to be maintained as a mobilization asset . Reagan Administration proposals to reactivate " Oriskany " were rejected by the United States Congress on the basis of her poor material condition and limited air wing capability . The cost of reactivation was estimated at $ 520 million for FY 1982 ( $ in 2018 ) . At the end of the Cold War and the subsequent reduction of the U . S . Navy ' s active force , " Oriskany " was recognized as being obsolete and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1989 . Her hull was stripped of all equipment that could be reused or recycled . The ship ' s bell ( removed during decommissioning in 1976 ) is now on display in Oriskany , New York , and various parts were scavenged to support the USS Hornet Museum in Alameda , California and other Navy ship museums . " Oriskany " received two battle star s for Korean War service and ten for Vietnam War service . In the early 1990s , a group of businessmen from Japan wanted to buy the Oriskany and display her in Tokyo Bay as part of a planned " City of America " exhibit . Congressional legislation was initiated to transfer " Oriskany " , but the project failed due to lack of financing . " Oriskany " was sold for scrap by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service on 9 September 1995 to Pegasus International , a start - up company at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo , CA . The contractor towed the ship from Bremerton to Vallejo , but the contract was terminated for default on 30 July 1997 , because of lack of progress . While berthed at Mare Island in rusted and decrepit condition , she was used as a setting for the Robin Williams film , " What Dreams May Come " ( 1998 ) as part of the representation of Hell . The Navy took back possession of the ship and after a few more years at the former Mare Island Navy Yard , she was towed in 1999 to the Maritime Administration ' s Beaumont Reserve Fleet in Beaumont , Texas , for storage pending availability of funding for her disposal . 2004 – artificial reef . The Navy announced on 5 April 2004 , that it would transfer the former aircraft carrier to the State of Florida for use as an artificial reef . In September 2003 the Navy awarded a contract to Resolve Marine Group / ESCO Marine Joint Venture for the environmental remediation work necessary for sinking the ship as an artificial reef . The contractor towed the ship to Corpus Christi , TX in January 2004 and completed the environmental preparation work in December 2004 . " Oriskany " was the first United States warship slated to become an artificial reef , under authority granted by the fiscal 2004 National Defense Authorization Act ( Public Law 108 - 136 ) . " Oriskany " was towed to Pensacola in December 2004 and was originally scheduled to be sunk with controlled charges south of Pensacola by June 2005 . Exhaustive ecological and human health studies were conducted by Navy scientists in consultation with the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) to demonstrate no adverse impact from reefing the ship . Failure to gain EPA approval caused a delay , so " Oriskany " was then towed back to Texas in June to ride out the 2005 hurricane season . Completion and peer review of a complex Prospective Risk Assessment Model developed in consultation with EPA , the first for any ship reefing project , was necessary to support EPA ' s February 2006 decision to issue a risk - based PCB disposal approval for the estimated 750 lb ( 340 kg ) of polychlorinated biphenyls contained in solid form , mostly integral in the insulation layers of the electrical cabling throughout the ship . Based on EPA ' s approval , after a public comment period , the ship was towed to Pensacola , FL in March 2006 for final preparations for sinking under a Navy contract . A team of Navy personnel accomplished the sinking of the ship on 17 May 2006 , supported by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission , Escambia County Department of Natural Resources , the U . S . Coast Guard , the Pensacola Police Department , and several sheriff departments of Escambia County and surrounding counties . A Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team from Panama City , FL detonated C - 4 explosive charges of approximately 500 lb ( 230 kg ) net explosive weight , strategically placed on 22 sea connection pipes in various machinery spaces . The ship sank stern first 37 minutes after detonation in of water in the Gulf of Mexico . As was intended , the ship came to rest lying upright . The flight deck was at a depth of , and its island rose to . Following Hurricane Gustav , the ship shifted 10 feet deeper leaving the flight deck at . The island structure is accessible to recreational divers , but the flight deck will require additional training and equipment . It is now popularly known as the " Great Carrier Reef " , a reference to Australia ' s Great Barrier Reef . " The Times " of London named the " Oriskany " as one of the top ten wreck diving sites in the world . " The New York Times " Web video " Diving the U . S . S . Oriskany " explored the " Oriskany " wreck two years after its sinking .