This information was mailed to by GunnermateM@aol.com on September 12th. So perhaps they have changed their mind about sinking Yorktown.

From: "Dunnigan, Katie A CIV NAVSEA"
To:
Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 09:44:23 -0400
Subject: RE: USS Yorktown CG-48
Mr. Watts,
Below are the responses to the questions submitted in an e-mail dated Aug. 30. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks,
Katie

Katie Dunnigan
Public Affairs Officer
Naval Sea Systems Command
202-781-3350
katie.dunnigan@navy.mil


Q1. Can you tell me about the status of the ship? How will it be disposed and when?
A1. The ex-USS Yorktown is a decommissioned inactive ship at the NAVSEA Inactive Ship Maintenance Office (INACTSHIPMAINTO) in Philadelphia, Pa. The ship is designated to be sunk as a part of a fleet sinking exercise. The date and location have not been set yet.

Q2. What is the current state of the ship? Has everything been stripped off already? Are the missile launchers and the guns still onboard?
A2. The Navy is in the process of preparing the ship for sinking. Most of the weapons systems have already been removed from the ship.

Q3. Is there any way we can some souvenirs off the ship?
A3. Unfortunately, the Navy cannot permit veterans, or any individuals, to remove material from the ship. The Navy is only authorized by law to donate material to eligible non-profit organizations for educational display purposes at no cost to the government.

Q4. Do you have any current pictures of the ship that we can have?
A4. Unfortunately, the Navy does not have current pictures of the ship available.

Thanks to Mr. Watts for sending that information.

Received this article from Mike Hirsch.



Aegis ship sunk on target range

The first Navy Aegis ship to be sent to Davey Jones' locker now rests on the bottom of the Pacific, done in by a combination of missiles and gunfire.

The decommissioned cruiser Valley Forge was sunk as part of a Nov. 2 target practice on a test range near Kauai, Hawaii, according to the U.S. Pacific Fleet.

The fourth Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser to be built, it was in service for only 18 years, from 1986 to 2004. The ships were designed to serve at least three decades, but the Navy decommissioned the first five Aegis cruisers in 2004 and 2005, citing their older missile systems.

The Navy could not say whether the Aegis combat system was on board at the time of the sinking, although Naval Sea Systems Command said Nov. 17 that "various components of the Aegis weapon system have been removed."

Topside items such as missile directors, radars and gun mounts were removed prior to the sinking. None of the other decommissioned Aegis cruisers are currently scheduled for sinking, the Navy said.

Sinking ships at sea, usually for target practice, has become a regular method of disposal. Of 31 decommissioned Spruance-class destroyers, 19 already have been sunk and three more are scheduled. Only two ships have been scrapped, and two more are scheduled to be broken up.