Directory of Aircraft Carriers You Can Tour
Here you will find information on aircraft carriers around the world that you can visit and tour.
Many aircraft carrier museums also include some of the aircraft that flew from them. These planes and helicopters are usually on display on the flight deck and/or the hangar deck.
Image is the USS Saratoga (CV-60) (Source: US Naval History & Heritage Command). To learn about the effort to convert CV-60 into a museum ship, visit the USS Saratoga Museum Foundation site.
What is an aircraft carrier?
Category: File - :Principe-de-Asturias Wasp Forrestal Invincible 1991 DN-ST-92-01129s.jpg|thumb|350px|From bottom to top: Principe de Asturias, amphibious assault ship , and light V/STOL carrier , showing size differences of late 20th century carriers
Category: File - :HMS Illustrious01.jpg|thumb|upright|From foreground to background: , , and
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations. They have evolved from wooden vessels, used to deploy balloons, into nuclear powered warships that carry dozens of fixed and rotary wing aircraft.
USS Intrepid (CV-11)
Port: New York City, New York, USA
The USS Intrepid is an Essex class aircraft carrier commissioned in 1943. She served in World War II, the Vietnam War and was a recovery vessel for the Mercury 7 and Gemini 3 space missions. Intrepid was decommissioned in 1974 and opened as the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York in 1982.
Flight deck
Navigation Bridge
Island
USS Yorktown (CV-10)
Port: Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, USA
The USS Yorktown was commissioned in 1943 and saw action in World War II and the Vietnam War. She also served as a recovery vessel for the Apollo 8 space mission. In 1975 the Yorktown began life as a museum ship just across the river from Charleston, SC.
Ready room
Stern
Combat Information Center
Hangar
Engine room controls
USS Hornet (CV-12)
Port: Alameda, California, USA
The USS Hornet was commissioned in November 1943 and saw heavy action in the forward areas of the Pacific theater in World War II. After modernization and reactivation in 1951, she served in the Vietnam War and was the primary recovery ship for the Apollo 11 and Apollo 12 space missions. These were the first two lunar landing missions. The Hornet was decommissioned in 1970 and opened as a museum ship in 1998.
Operating room
Books About Aircraft Carriers
Carrier: A Guided Tour of an Aircraft Carrier (Tom Clancy's Military Reference)
Amazon Price: $11.56 (as of 12/18/2009) 
U.S. Aircraft Carriers: An Illustrated Design History
Amazon Price: $72.67 (as of 12/18/2009)
Aircraft Carriers: A History of Carrier Aviation and Its Influence on World Events: Vol. II, 1946-2006
Amazon Price: $32.97 (as of 12/18/2009)
USS Lexington (CV-16)
Port: Corpus Christi, Texas, USA
When finally decommissioned in 1991, the USS Lexington was the oldest working aircraft carrier in the US Navy. She survived torpedo and kamikaze attacks during World War II and the Japanese claimed to have sunk her four times. This and her dark blue paint scheme earned her the nickname "The Blue Ghost". Lexington served primarily as a training carrier for naval aviators since 1962 based out of Pensacola.
CIC
Kamikaze strike
Anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft Carriers For Kids
Mighty Mac - Giant 31 inch Aircraft Carrier with 6 Aircraft and Collector's Cards
Amazon Price: $54.95 (as of 12/17/2009)
Aircraft Carriers (Pull Ahead Books)
This book is written at an easy to understand level for kids.
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 12/17/2009)
18" Aircraft Carrier Playset with Realistic Sounds
Amazon Price: $32.95 (as of 12/17/2009)
USS Midway (CV-41)
Port: San Diego, California, USA
The USS Midway was commissioned in 1945 after the end of World War II. She saw action in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm before being decommissioned in 1992. The Midway is now open to the public as a museum ship that includes 25 restored aircraft.
Engineering Room
Help Keep An Aircraft Carrier Afloat
Most aircraft carrier museums are owned and maintained by non-profit organizations. These ships require a lot of work and money to restore and keep afloat.Please remember that your admission ticket only covers a portion of these costs. There is usually a donation box on site or you can find donor information on the ship's website.
These organizations also depend on volunteers to help perform maintenance and/or guide tours. If you have experience working on ships or just want to help keep history alive, then consider volunteering. Check the website of the carrier you're interested in or ask when you visit for more information.
INS Vikrant
Port: Colaba Naval Dockyard, Mumbai, India
There's not much info available on touring INS Vikrant. From what I found she's only open to the public certain weeks of the year (November-December) and possibly on weekends. To get there you either have to enter the Naval Dockyard at the Tiger Gate or take a ferry from the Gateway of India.
SV Minsk
Port: Dapeng Bay, Shatoujiao, Shenzhen, China
The Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk was commissioned in 1993 but was retired early due to a "major accident". She was sold in 1995 and later became the centerpiece of a Chinese military theme park called Minsk World.
SCUBA Dive On An Aircraft Carrier
USS Oriskany (CV-34)
Port: Pensacola, Florida, USA
The USS Oriskany was commissioned in 1950 and saw action in the Korean War and Vietnam War. US Senator and former presidential candidate, John McCain, was based on the Oriskany when he was shot down and held as a POW during the Vietnam War.The "Mighty-O" was decommissioned in 1976 and was almost scrapped during the 1990s. In 2006 she was stripped of environmentally hazardous materials and purposely sunk in the Gulf of Mexico to become the world's largest artificial reef. She is now a memorial to the men who bravely served on her as well as a popular attraction for fish and recreational SCUBA divers.
The ship sits upright on the bottom with the top of her smokestack at 80' and most of her island above 130'. Check out the links below for underwater pictures and more info on diving Oriskany.
- Underwater Pictures of USS Oriskany
- Lots of good pictures of divers on the Oriskany at her final resting place.
- Dive The USS Oriskany
- MBT Divers was involved in the sinking of USS Oriskany and their site has lots of info about the ship and diving her.
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
Port: Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands
Construction of the USS Saratoga began as a battle cruiser but was later re-ordered as an aircraft carrier. In 1927, she became the second ever commissioned aircraft carrier in the US Navy. Saratoga saw significant action in the Pacific during World War II including the Guadalcanal Campaign and was awarded seven battle stars for her service.Her last action was as a target in the nuclear test fleet during 1946 where she was sunk by underwater atomic test Baker.
Saratoga sits upright on the floor of the lagoon with her bridge at 40 feet and flight deck at 90 feet. The hangar is accessible at 125 feet and still contains the Helldiver bombers and bombs on board during the test.
You can find more info on diving the Saratoga and other nuclear test ships at the Bikini Atoll Dive Tourism site.
USS Saratoga Dive Video excerpt
The USS Saratoga was sunk military trials to test the efectiveness of atom bombs against exposed shipping. The first atomic bomb exploded in the air with mixed results. The second undewater blast suspended underneath a 1,000ton LSM sank the fleet. No remains of the LSM were ever fund.
Runtime: 85
1921 views
2 Comments:
curated content from YouTube
Aircraft Carrier DVDs
USS Midway - The Hero Ship (History Channel)
Amazon Price: $22.49 (as of 12/18/2009)
Aircraft Carrier
Amazon Price: (as of 12/18/2009)
More Museum Ships...
After visiting an aircraft carrier or two, take a tour of other historic ships in port. Below are lists of different types of museum ships that you can tour.-
Tour A Tall Ship
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Ahoy! Here you will find information on tall ships around the world that are open for the public to tour. All ships are grouped by region of the world so that you can easily find a tall ship near you or your next travel destination. Tour...
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Tour A Battleship
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Battleships were once the most fearsome warships that sailed the seas. Today there are none left in commission but a handful remain preserved as museum ships and memorials. Here you will find information on battleships around the world that you can v...
Sign The Log Book
Have you toured or served on an aircraft carrier? What do you think of these mighty ships?
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Reply
- kiwisoutback kiwisoutback Nov 6, 2009 @ 11:09 am
- I haven't been on an aircraft carrier since a kid, but it was really interesting! Nice work.
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Reply
- stargazer00 stargazer00 Jul 28, 2009 @ 8:11 pm
- My son is serving on the USS Nimitz. We went on the Nimitz Friends and Family Day Cruise in March 2009. They are awesome war ships! Lensrolled to several of my aircraft carrier lenses.
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