USS Intrepid aircraft carrier - Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

The USS Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York is very interesting at the first sight and it belongs to the one of the most unique attractions in New York City. It is located in Manhattan at Pier 86. It shows three different means of transportation – World War II aircraft carrier USS Intrepid, the submarine USS Growler and a Concorde supersonic airplane; all three of them formerly operating.

The USS Intrepid aircraft carrier was commissioned for service in 1943 in World War II. It suffered seven bomb attacks, five kamikaze strikes and one torpedo hit; yet the ship continually returned to action after repairs. During the 1960’s the Intrepid served as a primary recovery vessel for NASA and then in Vietnam and as an ASW (antisubmarine warfare) it was tracking Soviet submarines during the Cold War. The Intrepid was supposed to be broken up in 1974, but Zachary Fischer docked it at Pier 86 and turned it into a museum in 1982. It became the symbol of peace and education. Four years later, in 1986, the Intrepid became a national historic landmark.

There are many exhibits in the museum. One can see historical re-creations such as Kamikaze, or ride in the A-6 Cockpit Simulator, visit Virtual Flight Zone, or tour the inside of the Concorde, world’s fastest commercial airplane.

Every year the museum serves as a hub for Fleet Week events that are held on the museum grounds and the deck of the Intrepid.

From October 1, 2006 the Intrepid is closed and actually removed from the pier because of the renovation of the aircraft carrier itself as well as the pier. The scheduled reopening is planned for 2008.