The massive, fuel-hungry supercarrier that shaped the Cold War

Cultures · Published 11 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Designed to launch heavy jet bombers, the USS Independence carried double the fuel capacity of its predecessors. From the Cuban Missile Crisis to the Persian Gulf, this Forrestal-class titan was a cornerstone of American naval power for nearly four decades of global tension.

The USS Independence (CV-62) was the final member of the Forrestal class, a group of conventionally powered supercarriers designed in the early 1950s. Unlike the cancelled United States class, these ships were engineered for dual roles: nuclear strike and conventional warfare. To support the era's new jet technology, the class featured massive aviation fuel capacities, holding 750,000 US gallons of Avgas and 789,000 US gallons of jet fuel—more than twice the capacity of the earlier Midway-class carriers.

The ship's operational history was defined by high-stakes geopolitical flashpoints. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, Independence participated in the naval blockade of Cuba. Operating off Vietnam starting in 1965, this vessel was the initial Atlantic Fleet carrier to do so, completing 7,000+ missions and enduring aviation's first large-scale surface-to-air missile attack. The carrier also played a vital role during the 1980 Iran Hostage Crisis, stationed at 'Gonzo Station' in the Indian Ocean.

Beyond combat, the ship was a site of historical milestones and cultural intersections. The ship provided the venue for Marine Corps Reserve squadron carrier qualifications in 1971, and by 1979, Lieutenant Donna L. Spruill made history as the first woman in the Navy to complete fixed-wing aircraft qualifications on this ship. Even Hollywood left its mark; the 1991 film 'Flight of the Intruder' was filmed on deck in 1989, an endeavor that famously kept the ship's fire party busy dealing with electrical fires caused by movie lighting.

After 39 years of active service, the ship was decommissioned in 1998. Following nearly two decades of storage at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Independence was towed to Texas in 2017, with its scrapping completed by early 2019.

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