DEDICATION

This feature is dedicated to the flight crews and Navy personnel onboard the USS Independence, CV-62. The Indy, the oldest carrier in the Navy, is scheduled to be decommissioned on September 30, 1998, in Bremerton, Washington. Already enroute from its homeport of Yokusuka, Japan, the ship has bidden its final farewell to a Carrier Air Wing, CVW-5, which redeployed from the Independence in July 1998.

To the many sailors who served onboard the Indy over the last four decades, we bid you well. You will carry with you the memories of your time at sea forever. To the many dictators who fought against you over the years, we hope that your memories too will be long and you will never forget what it was like to face one of the most professional and capable ships in the US Navy.