UNSEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: Aircraft carrier and submarine in transit through the fog

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

At the end of a socked-in day, we learned that somewhere in the fog, an aircraft carrier passed by … for the last time. The USS Kitty Hawk has been mothballed in Bremerton for more than a decade, and was towed away today, headed to be scrapped in Texas, as the Kitsap Sun‘s Josh Farley reports. We don’t have a photo of its passage in the fog today, but here’s a pic we published (courtesy of reader Gary) the day it arrived in Bremerton in September 2008:

Meantime, also on the water between here and Bremerton this murky day, a submarine:

We received that photo from Kelley Leigh, who was on a state ferry headed for downtown Seattle that passed the submarine arriving in Bremerton just before 3 pm today.

Justin January 15, 2022 (7:48 pm)

I remember touring the USS Kitty Hawk as a kid. I guess I’m old now. Godspeed

StopCuttingDownTrees January 15, 2022 (9:17 pm)

Brave men and women going into harm’s way for us 🇺🇸

Westwood January 15, 2022 (10:33 pm)

Someone didn’t read the story
- StopCuttingDownTrees January 15, 2022 (11:57 pm)
  
  Someone didn’t read the part about the submarine.

John Smith January 16, 2022 (5:29 am)

I know a guy who started his US Navy career as an ensign on a submarine, and ended his US Navy career as a C-2 Greyhound pilot on carriers. I am proud to have hosted his air crew at my modest house in West Seattle when they were young and poor. Once, I watched a US Navy helicopter taking off from Harborview. The wind made the helicopter wobble, my breath froze, one of the young men in the open doorway of the helicopter waved to us, and my heart swelled with pride and gratitude.

eric January 17, 2022 (10:53 am)

Sad. Sold for 1 cent to be scrapped. I bet the Chinese would give at least 100 mil for it. Especially after they bought that crappy old russian carrier. Couldn’t it have been a museum? Kids love aircraft carriers. Adults too. I see the Constellation is to be scrapped also. What the heck is going on? We’re just made of (printed) money, I guess. A mighty ship with a mighty history. Bye old friend.

D-burger January 17, 2022 (2:07 pm)

Eric, the Kitty Hawk is over 60 years old. It’s not nuclear powered, which puts it at a distinct disadvantage, and makes it environmentally destructive. We have plenty of museum ships, and those cost large amounts of money to maintain. With her scrapping, significant resources will be put back into our economic and ecological stream. I see this as a net positive.
- Will January 18, 2022 (1:24 pm)
  
  I agree but it could b used as low cost housing for the homeless too!!!
Rhonda January 17, 2022 (5:38 pm)

Think of the thousands of tons of steel from that obsolete carrier that can be used to build new, far more useful warships. That way the Kitty Hawk can still be actively serving.

Ken Christensen January 18, 2022 (11:56 am)

K Christenseni served on the hawk during Vietnam for 3yrs. She was my first ship. Really enjoyed my tour and kept track of her during my 20 years of service. My last ship was the Long Beach which is in Bremerton waiting final scraping. Really enjoyed my career on both ships

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