Construction of the USS Ticonderoga (CV-14)
Construction of the USS Ticonderoga began on February 1, 1943, at Newport News, Virginia. She was initially slated to carry the name Hancock in honor of John Hancock, but the decision was reversed before completion. The carrier was officially placed into service on May 8, 1944, under the command of Captain Dixie Kiefer.
Following two months of outfitting in Norfolk, Virginia, the ship—now designated CV-14—embarked on training exercises with Air Group 80 in the British West Indies. She departed on July 16, briefly returned to Norfolk, and then continued south toward the Panama Canal. After making the transit, Ticonderoga reached San Diego, where she loaded supplies and brought aboard Marine Corps aviation and defense detachments. Her next destination was Pearl Harbor, where additional drills and evaluations awaited.
USS Ticonderoga (CV-14) specs
The USS Ticonderoga was 888 feet long, with a 93-foot beam and a draft of 29 feet. She weighed 27,500 tons, and was powered by eight boilers, four geared steam turbines and four shafts, which allowed the aircraft carrier to reach speeds of up to 33 knots (38 MPH).
In addition to her complement of 3,448 officers and men and 90-100 aircraft, Ticonderoga carried an array of armaments, including twelve 5-inch guns, thirty-two Bofors 40 mm guns and forty-six Oerlikon 20 mm cannons.
Entering the fight in the Pacific Theater
The USS Ticonderoga departed Pearl Harbor on October 18, 1944 for the Western Pacific, arriving off the coast of the Western Caroline Islands 11 days later. She was added to Task Force 38 (TF 38), part of Rear Adm. Frederick C. Sherman’s Task Group 38.3 (TG 38.3).
Ticonderoga‘s first action took place during the Philippines Campaign, providing air support as part of the Battle of Leyte. On November 5, she launched her first air strike, with her aircraft playing a role in the bombing and strafing of airfields at Zablan, Mandaluyong and Pasig; the sinking of the Japanese heavy cruiser Nachi; and the destruction of seven enemy aircraft, with an additional 23 damaged.
It was during this engagement that Ticonderoga first encountered Japanese kamikaze aircraft. While the USS Lexington (CV-16) took a hit from two, Ticonderoga made it out unscathed. Following this, she and TF 38 continued to launch strikes against enemy positions in the region, scoring a number of successes.
Falling victim to Japanese kamikaze strikes
In January 1945, the USS Ticonderoga and Task Force 38 operated in the South China Sea as part of Operation Gratitude. At the start of the mission, her aircraft played a key role in shooting down four enemy bombers, while TF 38’s anti-shipping operations successfully taking out 44 Japanese vessels.
The task force then shifted its focus to the South Japanese Islands. While the weather was favorable for American flight operations, it also created opportunities for Japanese forces. On the afternoon of January 21, two kamikaze planes appeared on the horizon. One struck the USS Langley (CVL-27), while the other crashed into the Ticonderoga’s flight deck. The bomb from the kamikaze exploded upon impact above the hangar deck, causing major damage to the aircraft stored there and resulting in the loss of many crew members.
The crew scrambled to keep the fires under control
To save the ship, Ticonderoga was turned, to keep the wind from fanning the flames, while possibly disastrous areas, such as the magazines, were flooded to prevent the spread of damage. This created a 10-degree list to port.
While fighting the fires created by the first kamikaze, four more attacked the carrier. The anti-aircraft guns were able to shoot down three. The fourth, however, hit Ticonderoga on the starboard side, setting more aircraft aflame and killing or injuring another 100 men, including Capt. Dixie Kiefer.
Ticonderoga served as part of Operation Magic Carpet
Due to the crew’s quick response, the fires were contained, allowing Ticonderoga to return to the Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs. These were completed by April 20, and the ship departed the next day, heading back to the Pacific. After making a stop in Hawaii to pick up crew members and aircraft, she arrived at Ulithi and rejoined the Fast Carrier Task Force as part of Task Group 58.4 (TG 58.4).
Just two days after her arrival, Ticonderoga set out to participate in the final weeks of the war in Japanese home waters. During this time, aircraft from the carrier attacked enemy airfields and other targets, including Tokyo. After Japan formally surrendered aboard the USS Missouri (BB-63), Ticonderoga played a role in Operation Magic Carpet, returning American servicemen home.
USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) returns to the fight
Following the end of the Second World War, the USS Ticonderoga was decommissioned and placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet. During this time, she was upgraded for use by jet aircraft through the addition of steam catapults, updated systems and other modifications. She was also redesignated CVA-14 during this time.
On September 11, 1954, Ticonderoga was recommissioned, under the command of Capt. William A. Schoech. Back in operation, she received additional modifications, the most significant being an angled flight deck. These upgrades were finished in 1957, at which point she got underway, traveling to the waters off Japan for a six-month deployment.
Following additional peacetime deployments in the Pacific, Ticonderoga found herself involved in a second war, this time in Vietnam.
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
On August 2, 1964, the USS Ticonderoga became involved in the infamous Gulf of Tonkin Incident, which saw the United States become even more involved in the Vietnam War. An encounter between the US Navy and the Vietnam People’s Navy, it began after the USS Maddox (DD-731) reportedly came under attack while the American forces were conducting secret operations in North Vietnamese territorial waters.
Receiving word of the attack, Ticonderoga sent four Vought F-8E Crusaders, armed with rockets, to assist. They engaged the North Vietnamese with the rockets, as well as strafing fire. Two days later, on August 4, the aircraft carrier received a second request for aid, this time from the USS Turner Joy (DD-951). Again, Ticonderoga launched fighters, sinking two boats and damaging an additional two.
Ticonderoga continued to launch air strikes against North Vietnamese supply, logistics and communications targets between 1964-69, split between “Dixie” and “Yankee” stations. Over the course of her time in the Far East, she conducted tens of thousands of sorties.
Apollo 16 and 17
After returning from Vietnam, the USS Ticonderoga was reclassified as CVS-14 and refitted to function as an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) support carrier. In this new capacity, she began conducting training missions and even appeared briefly in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! as a stand-in for the USS Enterprise (CV-6).
In April 1972, Ticonderoga was assigned to recover the Apollo 16 command module, successfully retrieving the spacecraft and its three astronauts roughly 215 miles from Christmas Island. Later that year, she completed another high-profile mission by recovering the Apollo 17 crew—Eugene Cernan, Ronald Evans, and Harrison Schmitt—near American Samoa.
Her last major operation came on June 22, 1973, when she recovered the Skylab 2 astronauts off the coast of San Diego. The Ticonderoga remained in service for a few more months before being officially decommissioned on September 1, 1973, and ultimately sold for scrap in 1975.