The USS Saratoga (CV 60), a former US Navy aircraft carrier, departed Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island last week en route to the Port of Brownsville, where it will be scrapped at ESCO Marine. The journey is expected to take about 16 days to reach the Laguna Madre.
The Navy paid ESCO Marine one cent to dismantle the carrier. ESCO will then sell the metal it salvages from the ship, which served in the Navy’s carrier fleet from 1956-94. The Saratoga was part of 22 deployments, including: serving in North Vietnam (1972-73); helping capture terrorists who hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro (1985); with Operation Desert Storm (1991); and in the Balkans (1992-94).
Fellow former Navy carrier the USS Forrestal was towed to the Port of Brownsville earlier this year where it was scrapped at All-Star Metals.
