USS Saratoga ( CV - 60 ) USS " Saratoga " ( CV / CVA / CVB - 60 ) , was one of four " Forrestal " - class supercarrier s built for the US Navy in the 1950s . " Saratoga " was the sixth US Navy ship , and the second aircraft carrier , to be named for the Battle of Saratoga in the American Revolutionary War . Commissioned in 1956 , she spent most of her career in the Mediterranean , but also participated in the Vietnam War . " Saratoga " received one battle star for service in the Vietnam War . One of her last operational duties was to participate in Operation Desert Storm . " Saratoga " was decommissioned in 1994 , and is currently stored in Newport , Rhode Island . Multiple unsuccessful attempts have been made to preserve her as a museum ship , and she is currently slated for disposal . Construction and trials . She was ordered as a " Large Aircraft Carrier " , hull classification symbol CVB - 60 , and her contract was awarded to the New York Naval Shipyard of Brooklyn , New York on 23 July 1952 . She is the second of the four " Forrestal " - class carriers . She was reclassified as an " Attack Aircraft Carrier " ( CVA - 60 ) on 1 October 1952 . Her keel was laid down on 16 December 1952 . She was launched on 8 October 1955 sponsored by Mrs . Charles S . Thomas , and commissioned on 14 April 1956 with Captain Robert Joseph Stroh in command . She was the first carrier in the US Navy to use high - pressure ( 1200 psi ) boilers . Service history . 1950s . For the next several months , " Saratoga " conducted various engineering , flight , steering , structural , and gunnery tests . On 18 August , she sailed for Guantanamo Bay and her shakedown cruise . On 19 December , she reentered the New York Naval Shipyard and remained there until 28 February 1957 . Upon completion of yard work , she got underway on a refresher training cruise to the Caribbean before entering her home port , Mayport , Florida . On 6 June 1957 , President of the United States Dwight D . Eisenhower and members of his cabinet boarded " Saratoga " to observe operations on board the giant carrier . For two days , she and eighteen other ships demonstrated air operations , antisubmarine warfare , guided missile operations , and the Navy ' s latest bombing and strafing techniques . Highlighting the President ' s visit was the nonstop flight of two F8U Crusader s , spanning the nation in three hours and twenty - eight minutes , from the off the West Coast to the flight deck of the " Saratoga " in the Atlantic . The carrier departed Mayport on 3 September 1957 for her maiden transatlantic voyage . " Saratoga " sailed into the Norwegian Sea and participated in Operation Strikeback , joint naval maneuvers of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries . She returned briefly to Mayport before entering the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for repairs . On 1 February 1958 , " Saratoga " departed Mayport for the Mediterranean and her first deployment with the Sixth Fleet . From this date through 31 December 1967 she was to spend a part of each year in the Mediterranean on a total of eight cruises . The remainder of the time , she either operated off the coast of Florida or was in port undergoing restricted availability . 1960s . On the night of 24 / 25 May 1960 , the " Saratoga " collided with the German freighter " Bernd Leonhardt " off North Carolina . The freighter ' s bridge and superstructure were damaged by the carrier ' s flight - deck . The results of an investigation were never published , but repairs to the freighter , amounting to about 2 . 5 million German marks , were paid for by the U . S . Navy . While deployed with the Sixth Fleet on 23 January 1961 , a serious fire broke out in " Saratoga ' s " number two machinery space which took seven lives . The fire , believed caused by a ruptured fuel oil line , was brought under control by the crew , and the ship proceeded to Athens , Greece , where a survey of the damage could be made . The ship continued on its patrol mission with reduced steam generation capability , returning to the U . S . as scheduled to offload its air group before going to repair . After an extensive shipyard period in the second half of 1964 , Sara departed for the Mediterranean , arriving just before Christmas 1964 . Ports visited over the next 6 months were Naples , Athens , Cannes , Valencia , Spain , Istanbul , and Malta . Another routine Med cruise was undertaken in 1966 . The Med cruise from June to December 1967 was anything but routine . Immediately after entering the Med , Saratoga was deployed to the eastern Mediterranean during the 1967 Arab - Israeli war , where her medical facility was used to treat survivors of the Israeli attack on the USS Liberty . Later on she was involved in a near collision with a Russian destroyer which was cutting across Saratoga ' s bow during flight operations . During the return voyage in early December 1967 Saratoga spent several days in a fierce Atlantic storm , which caused heavy damage to external catwalks on the flight deck , garbage chute and boat sponsons . She arrived in Mayport on 6 December . On 2 January 1968 , " Saratoga " sailed for Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , and an overhaul and modernization program which was to last 11 months . On 31 January 1969 , she departed Philadelphia for Guantanamo , via Hampton Roads and Mayport , and extensive refresher training of the crew and air detachments . On 17 May , Armed Forces Day , she was the host ship for President Richard Nixon during the firepower demonstration conducted by Carrier Air Wing Three in the Virginia Capes area . On 9 July , she departed Mayport for her ninth Mediterranean deployment . Underway , a Soviet surface force and a November class submarine passed in close proximity , en route to Cuba . Off the Azores on 17 July , " Saratoga " was shadowed by Kipelovo - based Soviet aircraft . They were intercepted , photographed , and escorted while in the vicinity of the carrier . She operated with Task Group 60 . 2 of the Sixth Fleet in the eastern Mediterranean during September in a " show of force " in response to the large build - up of Soviet surface units there , the hijacking of a Trans World Airlines plane to Syria and the political coup in Libya . Numerous surveillance and reconnaissance flights were conducted by Carrier Wing Three aircraft against Soviet surface units , including the helicopter carrier " Moskva " , operating southeast of Crete . " Saratoga " operated in this area again in October because of the crisis in Lebanon . 1970s . " Saratoga " returned to Mayport and the Florida coast from 22 January until 11 June 1970 when she again sailed for duty with the Sixth Fleet . On 28 September , President Richard Nixon and his party arrived on board . That night , word was received that Gamal Abdul Nasser , President of the United Arab Republic had died ; an event that might plunge the entire Middle East into a crisis . The intelligence and communications personnel of the " Saratoga " were required to supply the President , Joint Chiefs of Staff , and the Secretaries of State and Defense with the essential intelligence information to keep them abreast of the deteriorating situation . The presidential party departed the ship the next evening , and " Saratoga " continued on patrol in the eastern Mediterranean until she sailed for the United States on 2 November . From her arrival at Mayport until 10 March 1971 , she was in a " cold iron " status . She then operated off the Florida coast until 7 June when she departed for her eleventh deployment with the Sixth Fleet , via Scotland and the North Sea where she participated in exercise " Magic Sword II . " She returned to Mayport on 31 October for a period of restricted availability and local operations . On 11 April 1972 , " Saratoga " sailed from Mayport en route to Subic Bay , and her first deployment to the western Pacific . She arrived in Subic Bay on 8 May and departed for Vietnam the following week , arriving at " Yankee Station " on 18 May for her first period on the line . Before year ' s end , she was on station in the Tonkin Gulf a total of seven times : 18 May to 21 June ; 1 to 16 July ; 28 July to 22 August ; 2 to 19 September 29 September to 21 October ; 5 November to 8 December ; and 18 to 31 December . She had been reclassified as a " Multi - purpose Aircraft Carrier " ( CV - 60 ) on 30 June 1972 . During the first period , " Saratoga " lost four aircraft and three pilots . On the plus side , on 21 June , two of her F - 4 Phantom s attacked three MiG 21 s over North Vietnam . Dodging four surface - to - air missiles , they managed to down one of the MiG aircraft . " Saratoga ' s " planes attacked targets ranging from enemy troop concentrations in the lower panhandle to petroleum storage areas northeast of Hanoi . On her second line period , she lost an F - 4 to enemy fire northeast of Hanoi with the pilot and radar intercept officer missing in action . During this period , her aircraft flew 708 sorties against the enemy . On 6 August , Lieutenant Jim Lloyd of VA - 105 , flying an A - 7 Corsair on a bombing mission near Vinh , had his plane shot out from under him by a SAM . He ejected into enemy territory at night . In a daring rescue by helicopters supported by CVW - 3 aircraft , he was lifted from the midst of enemy soldiers and returned to the " Saratoga " . On 10 August , one of the ship ' s CAP jet fighters splashed a MiG at night using AIM - 7 Sparrow missiles . During the period 2 to 19 September , " Saratoga ' s " aircraft flew over 800 combat strike missions against targets in North Vietnam . On 20 October , her aircraft flew 83 close air support sorties in six hours in support of a force of 250 Territorials beleaguered by the North Vietnamese 48th Regiment . Air support saved the small force , enabled ARVN troops to advance , and killed 102 North Vietnamese soldiers . During her last period on station , " Saratoga ' s " aircraft battered targets in the heart of North Vietnam for over a week . " Saratoga " departed " Yankee Station " for Subic Bay on 7 January 1973 . From there she sailed for the United States via Singapore and arrived at Mayport on 13 February 1973 where she joined the Atlantic Fleet . In the beginning of 1975 , " Saratoga " took part in the " Locked Gate - 75 " , a NATO operation meant to contain the influence of the Portuguese Communist Party in Portugal after the Carnation Revolution . Along with several foreign vessels , she entered the Tagus River delta and anchored in front of the Presidential Palace of Belém . Saratoga sailed from Mayport , Florida January 1976 for another Med cruise . On board her was VS - 22 with the first deployment of the S - 3A Antisubmarine aircraft . She also took part in operations during the Lebanon crisis in 76 . On 21 November 1978 , the Saratoga collided with USNS Waccamaw ( T - AO - 109 ) while operating with the 6th Fleet , during a refueling operation south of Crete , suffering minor damage and no injuries . 1980s . In March 1980 , Saratoga and embarked airwing CVW - 3 departed on their 16th Mediterranean deployment . Highlights of the deployment included major exercises with the USS Forrestal ( CV 59 ) battle group , and visits by the Chief of Naval Operations , Adm . Thomas B . Hayward , and Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Thomas C . Crow . Then - commanding officer , Capt . James H . Flatley III , made naval aviation history on 21 June 1980 when he completed his 1 , 500th carrier arrested landing . To make the event special , Midshipman James H . Flatley IV , the Captain ' s son , rode in the back seat . On 28 September 1980 , only one month after her return from deployment , Saratoga departed Mayport and headed north to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard where she underwent the most extensive industrial overhaul ever performed on any Navy ship . Saratoga was the first ship to go through the Service Life Extension Program ( SLEP ) overhaul that would last 28 months . She conducted sea trials on 16 October 1982 , and left Philadelphia with much fanfare on 2 February 1983 with her new nickname — " Super Sara . " Saratoga departed the Mayport Basin yet again for her 17th Mediterranean deployment on 2 April 1984 . Saratoga ' s 18th deployment was anything but ordinary . After departing Mayport in August 1985 , Saratoga steamed toward the Mediterranean for what was scheduled to be a routine deployment . But on 10 October , Saratoga was called into action . An Italian luxury liner , the Achille Lauro on a pleasure cruise departing from Alexandria , was hijacked by terrorists from the Palestinian Liberation Front ( PLF ) . After tense negotiations and the killing of an American tourist , the hijackers went ashore at Port Said . Egyptian authorities made hasty arrangements for the terrorists to depart the country . They boarded an Egypt Air 737 jetliner at the Al Maza Air Base , northeast of Cairo . On orders from President Ronald Reagan , seven F - 14 Tomcats from the VF - 74 " Bedevilers " and VF - 103 " Sluggers " were launched from Saratoga . Supporting the Tomcats continuously were VA - 85 KA - 6D air tankers and VAW - 125 E - 2C Hawkeye aircraft . Off the coast of Crete , the F - 14s , without the use of running lights , eased up beside and behind the airliner . On command , the Tomcats turned on their lights and dipped their wings – an international signal for a forced landing . The E - 2 Hawkeye radioed the airliner to follow the F - 14s . Realizing they were in a " no - win " situation , the hijackers allowed the pilot to follow the Tomcats to Naval Air Station , Sigonella , Italy . One hour and 15 minutes later , the aircraft landed and the hijackers were arrested by the Italians after a disagreement between American and Italian authorities . Seven hours after the fighter jets were scrambled , all " Saratoga " aircraft returned home without a shot fired . On 23 March 1986 , while operating off coast of Libya , aircraft from the Saratoga , and crossed what Libyan leader Muammar al - Gaddafi had called the " Line of Death . " The very next day at noon , three U . S . Navy warships crossed the same 32° 30 ' navigational line . Two hours later , Libyan forces fired SA - 5 surface - to - air missiles from the coastal town of Surt . The missiles missed their F - 14 Tomcat targets and fell harmlessly into the water . Later that afternoon , U . S . aircraft turned back two Libyan MiG - 25 fighter planes over the disputed Gulf of Sidra . Soon after , aircraft from the three carriers fought back in defense . A heavily - armed A - 6E Intruder fired Rockeye cluster bombs and a Harpoon anti - ship cruise missile at a Libyan missile patrol boat operating on the " Line of Death . " Later that night , two A - 7E Corsair II jets attacked a key radar installation at Surt . At the conclusion , three Libyan patrol boats and a radar site were destroyed by Navy aircraft . Friendly fire shoot - down incident . On 22 September 1987 , an F - 14A - 70 - GR Tomcat , BuNo " 162707 " , of VF - 74 out of NAS Oceana , Virginia Beach , Virginia , operating from the USS Saratoga , accidentally shot down a USAF RF - 4C - 22 - MC Phantom II , " 69 - 0381 " , ' ZR ' tailcode , of the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing , out of Zweibrücken Air Base , West Germany , at 1550 hrs . EDT over the Mediterranean during a NATO exercise , DISPLAY DETERMINATION . Both RF - 4C crew ejected , pilot Capt Michael Ross of Portsmouth , Ohio , and WSO 1st Lt Randy Sprouse of Sumter , South Carolina , both of the 38th TRS , and were rescued by a helicopter from the Saratoga within 30 minutes , suffering numerous injuries . A Navy spokesman said that the F - 14 downed the RF - 4C with an air - to - air missile , but did not know whether it was a Phoenix , a Sparrow or a Sidewinder . This was likely due to insufficient information being relayed to the spokesman . When told by the Saratoga ' s Admiral that they had been shot down , Sprouse remarks " I thought we were supposed to be on the same side ? " to which the Admiral replies " We ' re sorry about this , but most of the time we are . " The Tomcat pilot , Lt ( jg ) Timothy Dorsey , was duly disciplined and permanently removed from flying status . However , in February 2012 Defense Secretary Leon Panetta recommended Dorsey ' s promotion to Rear Admiral . Following Saratoga ' s 19th Mediterranean deployment in June 1987 , she was overhauled once again at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard at a cost of $ 280 million . 1990s . Operation Desert Storm . " Saratoga " along with embarked airwing , CVW - 17 , participated in Operation Desert Storm , primarily in the Red Sea . Before the outbreak of hostilities in Iraq , the Saratoga suffered a loss of 21 crewmembers in a ferry boat accident off the coast of Haifa , Israel . During the war , the USS Saratoga ( CV 60 ) set what were at the time , several records . She completed 6 transits of the Suez Canal and completed approximately 11 , 000 aircraft launch and recovery cycle s . Saddam Hussein claimed on Iraqi television that " Saratoga " had been sunk , along with several other Coalition vessels . On one occasion during the war , a missile , possibly a Scud , was launched in the general direction of the Saratoga in the Red Sea , but it was either unguided , or launched on a hunch , as it was determined early in its flight path it would miss by more than . The ship launched many flights in support of operations , including that of Scott Speicher , correctly assumed to be the first American casualty of the war . Another Saratoga aircraft shot down was an A - 6E Intruder . Bombardier / Navigator LT Jeffrey Zaun was paraded before cameras by his Iraqi captors , but was eventually returned to American forces and was able to return to the Saratoga . Saratoga - based US Navy SEALs conducted the first wartime boardings of merchant shipping in the Red Sea in support of Operation Desert Shield . The TCG " Muavenet " incident . During the fall of 1992 , the United States , Turkey , and several other NATO members participated in " Exercise Display Determination 1992 " , a combined forces naval exercise under the overall command of Admiral Jeremy Michael Boorda of the United States Navy . The forces of participating nations were assigned to either of two multinational teams . Vice Admiral T . Joseph Lopez of the United States Navy led the " Brown Forces " , which included " Saratoga " . The opposing " Green Forces " , including the Turkish destroyer minelayer TCG " Muavenet " , former USS " Gwin " ( DM - 33 ) , were under the direct control of Admiral Kroon of the Netherlands . During the " enhanced tactical " phase of the training exercises , the Brown Forces were to attempt an amphibious landing at Saros Bay in the Aegean Sea against the resistance offered by the Green Forces . Admiral Boorda ordered the units comprising each force to actively seek and " destroy " each other . Both task force commanders had full authority to engage the enemy when and where they deemed appropriate and to use all warfare assets at their disposal to achieve victory . Needless to say , all confrontations were intended to be simulated attacks . While all the ships had a break ( green period ) and stationed off the coast , On 30 September 1992 the Combat Direction Center Tactical Action Officer ( TAO ) aboard " Saratoga " decided to launch a simulated attack on nearby opposition forces utilizing the RIM - 7 Sea Sparrow missile system . After securing the approval of " Saratoga ' s " Commanding Officer and the Battle Group Commander , Rear Admiral Philip Dur , the Combat Direction Center Officer implemented the simulated assault plan . Without providing prior notice , officers on " Saratoga " woke the enlisted Sea Sparrow missile team and directed them to conduct the simulated attack . Certain members of the missile firing team were not told that the exercise was a drill , rather than an actual event . As the drill progressed , the missile system operator used language to indicate he was preparing to fire a live missile , but due to the absence of standard terminology , the responsible officers failed to appreciate the significance of the terms used and the requests made . Specifically , the Target Acquisition System operator issued the command " arm and tune " , terminology the console operators understood to require arming of the missiles in preparation for actual firing . The officers supervising the drill did not realize that " arm and tune " signified a live firing . As a result , shortly after midnight on the morning of 1 October , " Saratoga " fired two live Sea Sparrow missiles at " Muavenet " . The missiles struck " Muavenet " in the bridge , destroying it and the Combat Information Center , killing five , including the commanding officer , and injuring most of the Turkish ship ' s officers . Navy officials recommended that the captain of the aircraft carrier " Saratoga " and seven other officers and sailors be disciplined for the missile firing , which recommendation was followed through . Decommissioning . " Saratoga " was decommissioned at the Naval Station , Mayport , Florida , on 20 August 1994 , and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day . She was towed to Philadelphia in May 1995 , then , upon deactivation of the Philadelphia Navy Yard in August 1998 , to Naval Station Newport in Newport , Rhode Island . There , she was first placed on donation hold , then her status was changed to " disposal as an experimental ship " , and finally she was returned to donation hold on 1 January 2000 . While a hulk at Newport , ex - " Saratoga " , like her sisters , has been extensively stripped to support the active carrier fleet . There was an active effort to make her a museum ship in Quonset Point in North Kingstown , Rhode Island . In April 2010 the " Saratoga " was removed from donation hold and scheduled to be disposed of . Efforts in 1994 – 95 to establish the ship as a museum in Jacksonville , Florida failed to raise even half of the start up costs . Jacksonville civic leaders attempted to funds , but the fundraising campaign , " Save Our Sara " , fell short of the $ 3 million goal . Efforts were abandoned when startup costs increased from $ 4 . 5 million to $ 6 . 8 million . Officials had wanted to place the ship in downtown Jacksonville , on the St . Johns River along the Southbank Riverwalk . A major hurdle was competition with the National Football League , who had awarded the city the Jacksonville Jaguars franchise in November 1993 . To secure the team as part of the agreement with the NFL , the city had to ensure a large financial commitment to fund re - building of the city ' s stadium at a cost of $ 130 million during 1994 . This severely limited the city ' s available funding and support of the " Save Our Sara " effort to bring the " Saratoga " back to its home port . The Jacksonville USS Saratoga Museum Foundation , Inc ceased operating in the summer of 1995 . The " Saratoga " remains tied up in Newport , and as of April 2013 is in unmaintained condition awaiting sale for scrap . The " Saratoga " will probably be scrapped at Brownsville , Texas .