I remember pre-911 when I last visited the Intrepid and was in awe by the massive site and history.
Yesterday morning, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum made its grand opening, in front of officials and former crew members. The ceremony came after two years of extensive work, which included the complete rebuilding of Pier 86, the refurbishment of 16 historic aircraft on board, the redesigning and installation of the new museum. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum first opened up its gates in 1982 at Pier 86.
Class: Essex (short hull group) Aircraft Carrier
Launched: April 26, 1943
At: Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Commissioned: August 16, 1943
Modernized: in 1954 and 1959
Length: 898 feet, as converted
Beam: 103 feet
Draft: 32 feet
Displacement: 33,292 tons
Armament: WWII: 90+ aircraft; twelve 5-inch/38 caliber, 40mm and 20mm guns. Post War: 45+ aircraft, four 5-inch/38 caliber guns
The total cost of the two-year project was $115 million, required over 6,500 gallons of paint, and included redesigning the Intrepid hangar deck exhibition space, and adding a lot of new exhibits, such as an interactive wind tunnel, a pinball game that explains how a spacecraft reaches orbit, and more.
Many of the ship’s historic aircraft have been renovated, including an A-4 Skyhawk jet fighter, an FJ-3 Fury jet fighter, an MIG-21 jet fighter, and F-3D Skynight night fighter, an E-1 Tracer early warning/sub hunter, as well as an F11F Tiger-fighter jet.
