USS Constellation (CV-64)

USS Constellation in April 2003, arriving in Perth, Australia
History
United States
Name:	Constellation
Awarded:	1 July 1956
Builder:	Brooklyn Navy Yard
Cost:	US$264.5 million
Laid down:	14 September 1957
Launched:	8 October 1960
Acquired:	1 October 1961
Commissioned:	27 October 1961
Decommissioned:	6 August 2003
Struck:	2 December 2003
Nickname(s):	Connie
Fate:	Planned scrapping in 2015
General characteristics
Class and type:	Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier
Displacement:	61,981 short tons (56,228 t) light 82,538 short tons (74,877 t) full load 20,557 short tons (18,649 t) dead
Length:	1,088 ft (332 m) overall 990 ft (300 m) waterline
Beam:	282 ft (86 m) extreme 130 ft (40 m) waterline
Draft:	39 ft (12 m)
Propulsion:	eight boilers, four steam turbine engines, totaling 280,000 shp (210 MW)
Speed:	34 kn (63 km/h)
Complement:	3,150 – Air Wing: 2,480
Armament:	2 × Sea Sparrow missile launchers 3 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS guns, Formerly: Terrier surface-to-air missile systems.
Aircraft carried:	72 (approx)

USS Constellation (CV-64), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the "new constellation of stars" on the flag of the United States and the only naval vessel ever authorized to display red, white, and blue designation numbers. One of the fastest ships in the Navy, as proven by her victory during a battlegroup race held in 1985, she was nicknamed "Connie" by her crew and officially as "America's Flagship".

The contract to build Constellation was awarded to the New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, New York, on 1 July 1956, and her keel was laid down 14 September 1957 at the New York Navy Yard. She was launched 8 October 1960, sponsored by Mary Herter (wife of Secretary of State Christian Herter). Constellation was delivered to the Navy 1 October 1961, and commissioned on 27 October 1961, with Captain T. J. Walker in command. At that time, she had cost about US$264.5 million.Constellation was the last U.S. aircraft carrier (as of 2016) to be built at a yard other than Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company. As of early 2015, Constellation was at the scrapyard in Brownsville, Texas.

USS Constellation was heavily damaged by fire while under construction on 19 December 1960. The carrier was in the final stages of construction at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York when the fire began.