The aircraft carrier that survived the Pacific War, the Moon landing, and Hollywood stardom.

History · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Commissioned in 1943, the USS Yorktown (CV-10) was an Essex-class carrier that fought across the Pacific Theater. Beyond her wartime service, she evolved through the Korean and Vietnam Wars, recovered the Apollo 8 astronauts, and eventually became a cinematic icon, starring in major films like Tora! Tora! Tora!.

Originally laid down as the Bonhomme Richard in December 1941, the ship was renamed to honor the USS Yorktown (CV-5), which was lost at the Battle of Midway. Commissioned in April 1943, the carrier quickly entered the Pacific fray. She earned 11 battle stars during World War II, participating in major operations from the Gilbert Islands to the final strikes on the Japanese home islands. Her service was marked by intense combat, including a 1945 attack where a Japanese dive-bomber struck her signal bridge, killing five men and wounding 26, yet she remained fully operational.

Following the war, the Yorktown underwent significant technological transformations. Decommissioned briefly, she was modernized and recommissioned in 1953 as an attack carrier for the Korean War. Later, she was fitted with a canted deck and reclassified as an anti-submarine carrier. This versatility allowed her to serve through the Vietnam War, earning five additional battle stars. Her legacy extended into the space age when she served as the recovery ship for the December 1968 Apollo 8 mission, the first crewed flight to orbit the Moon.

In her final act, the ship transitioned from a weapon of war to a cultural and historical landmark. She was decommissioned in 1970 and eventually found a permanent home at Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, in 1975. Designated a National Historic Landmark, she also became a sought-after film set, appearing in the 1970 Pearl Harbor reenactment Tora! Tora! Tora! and the 1984 science fiction film The Philadelphia Experiment. Today, she stands as a preserved testament to decades of American naval history and technological evolution.

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