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keel of USS Oriskany (CVA-34) was laid down 1 May 1944 in the
New York Shipyard and she was launched in 1945. Her completion
was suspended from 12 August 1947 until after the outbreak of
hostilities in Korea. Then she was rushed to completion and
commissioned 25 September 1950.
Oriskany, an Essex Class carrier, has a displacement
of 27,100 tons, length of 888 feet, width of 147 feet 6 inches,
and can reach a speed of 33 knots. She has a complement of 3,460
crewmen and can carry 80 aircraft.
Following carrier qualifications for Air Group
102, Oriskany departed San Diego on 15 September 1952 to aid
United Nations forces in Korea. She joined Fast Carrier Task
Force 77 off the Korean coast 31 October and began combat operations
against the Korean mainland.
Her aircraft struck hard with bombing and strafing
attacks against enemy supply lines. They downed two MiG-15 jet
fighters and damaged a third.
“Big O” as she was affectionately
called, was involved in action in the Vietnam War, when on 26
October 1966, a disastrous fire broke out on the flight deck,
resulting in the loss of 44 sailors, with and additional 156
six injured.
Oriskany served the fleet with great distinction
in two wars but was decommissioned 25 July 1989.
This patch was worn by pilots of VF-192 during
their 1954 cruise to the Orient, when they participated in filming
“The Bridges at Toko-Ri.”
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