Anchors Away

The Intrepid pulls up its gangplank for a lengthy overhaul.Over the past quarter century, the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum has showcased America’s military might—fighter jets, helicopters and a Concorde AD—for more than 750,000 visitors a year. But if you want see the former battleship up close, you’d better make haste: Come October 1, the Intrepid will be towed to Bayonne, New Jersey, where it will undergo stem-to-stern repairs before docking in Staten Island for renovations through May 2008.

“Both the hull of the ship and the dock at Pier 86 need to be renovated,” explains Intrepid executive director Susan Marenoff. “And the ship itself is going to be repainted in battleship gray.” After the lengthy closure, Marenoff says areas of the ship that have been off-limits will finally be open to the public. “The chain room will be accessible, as will berthing areas where the crew was housed.”

Commissioned in 1943, the 27,000-ton, 898-foot-long aircraft carrier survived bombs, torpedoes and kamikaze attacks during World War II, and also served in Vietnam. The “Fighting I,” as the ship was known, also participated in the US blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis and recovered two space capsules for NASA in the ’60s. The sea is a harsh mistress, though, and the ship was eventually decommissioned in 1974. Real-estate mogul Zachary Fisher saved the Intrepid from the scrap yard, resurrecting it as an educational institution in 1982.

During the museum’s 18-month overhaul, Marenoff intends for the Intrepid to “continue its presence” through workshops and lectures at schools throughout the tri-state area, though the Lockheed Blackbird and other planes parked on its flight deck will tag along to Staten Island for spring cleaning. (Plans to keep the Concorde and the Growler submarine on display have not been finalized.)

“The renovations constitute an enormous endeavor,” Marenoff admits, “but they’ll greatly prolong the life of the ship.” Of course, with the Armed Forces stretched so thin in the Middle East, how long will it be before the Fighting I is pressed back into service?

For Intrepid tickets and information, call 877-957-7447 or visit intrepidmuseum.org.

By Hal Miller

Time Out New York / Issue 573: September 21–27, 2006

More info: http://www.lostbattalion.com/t-bg_Intrepid.aspx