USS Saratoga CV

Built in 1955, the USS Saratoga CV was an aircraft carrier that served the U.S. Navy for nearly 40 years, during which she participated in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. During her various missions, the USS Saratoga CV fought in combat, underwent a series of overhauls and heroically endured a few accidents.

However, like other 20th Century aircraft carriers, the USS Saratoga CV does have a tainted legacy in that asbestos exposure that occurred aboard her has caused (and will continue to cause) many to be afflicted with chronic, potentially fatal conditions, including various forms of cancer.

Because asbestos exposure can be life threatening, those who have ever worked on or aboard the USS Saratoga CV should take time to learn more about the ways in which asbestos exposure occurs on aircraft carriers, as well as its long-term effects.

The USS Saratoga CV's Early Missions

In her first set of missions, the USS Saratoga CV played a role in "Operation Strikeback," which involved a number of collaborations with NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) countries. While a fuel accident would trigger a damaging fire in 1961, after undergoing the necessary repairs, the USS Saratoga CV:

• was reclassified as a "multi-purpose aircraft carrier" (CV 60)
• successfully conducted over 1,000 flight missions in North Vietnam, as part of the Vietnam War
• showcased military exercises for the Chief of Naval Operations and the Navy's Master Chief Petty Officer.

Subsequently, the USS Saratoga CV was massively overhauled in what, at the time, was the most extensive repair project ever performed on a Navy vessel. As the first to participate in the "Service Life Extension Program," the USS Saratoga CV was dubbed "Super Sara."

The USS Saratoga CV's Final Years

In 1985, the USS Saratoga CV was involved in a hijack incident, in which she launched seven attack planes that successfully - without a single shot - overtook the PLO's (Palestinian Liberation Organization) escape plane.

While she would, in the following years, take part in "Operation Desert Storm" progressing in the Persian Gulf, the USS Saratoga CV is, perhaps, best known for the two tragedies that ensued:

• a run-in with a ferry boat, in which 21 were killed
• an attack on the Turkish ship "Muavenet," which was conducting simulations that the USS Saratoga CV's officers misunderstood and fired against (Five lives were lost in this unfortunate incident).

Two years later in 1994, the USS Saratoga CV was decommissioned and dismantled. Despite her single Vietnam battle star and the remarkable "firsts" that peppered her career, her many accidents, as well as her role in exposing many to toxic asbestos, has cut hundreds of lives short.

For some, the effects of asbestos exposure aboard the USS Saratoga CV won't be felt for years, as asbestos diseases (mesothelioma, lung cancer, etc.) take decades to manifest. Since surviving such conditions relies on early detection and treatment, anyone who has spent time aboard the USS Saratoga CV should contact us for more information and resources regarding asbestos exposure aboard aircraft carriers.