Station HYPO

By Bruce Ames

The 1970s were arguably the height of the Cold War and the Navy was tasked to provide as much a deep-water worldwide presence as possible. This is the story of the USS INTREPID (CVS-11) and our escapades with our Soviet friends in 1971. The USS INTREPID was launched in April 1943 and ready for action in August of 1943. She was one of the new twenty four fast Essex-class aircraft carriers. She would project her might with ninety aircraft against the Japanese with her first action in January 1944 supporting operations at Kwajalein. Damaged by a torpedo in the raid on Truk, she was out of service until June of that year. She then was a key participant in the battles for the Palaus, Leyte Gulf, and Okinawa. She was struck twice by kamikazes in late 1944. Returning to action in March