Sign up for our FREE Newsletter

 

 

 

Main Page    Cruise News Index

 

The Aircraft Carrier/Museum USS Intrepid Officially Re-Opens.

 

Photo: USS Intrepid Bring Towed to it's Renovated Pier - Copyright Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum

 
 
 
 
 

Below are a series of events that occurred leading to the re-opening of the Intrepid Air Space Museum. Please see related news story covering  the actual towing of the ship to its pier. USS Intrepid Returns.

On October 20, 2008 the Concorde jet returns to Intrepid museum on Hudson

A retired British Airways Concorde supersonic jetliner was lifted into place Monday on a pier next to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum after a 10-mile barge trip from New Jersey.

Its return nearly completes a $120 million restoration of the museum on the Hudson after a year of work on the World War II aircraft carrier and Hudson River Pier 86.

"There she goes -- the Concorde is airborne!" cried Intrepid president Bill White as a huge barge crane lifted the sleek 71-ton jetliner, cradled in a special harness, 50 feet into the air and deposited it deftly onto the pier. The crane, the largest of its kind in the northeast, can lift 250 tons.

The BA jetliner set a New York-London speed record of 2:59:59 in 1999, a mark that still stands. Loaned to the Intrepid after the British and French Concorde SST fleets were retired in 2003, it spent the last year in storage while the carrier underwent renovation.

 

On November 6, 2008, the Submarine Growler rejoins Intrepid museum in NYC

 The retired nuclear-attack submarine USS Growler has returned to its pier on the Hudson River, again part of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum where it has been an attraction for several years.

During the nearly two-year overhaul of the famed World war II aircraft carrier and rebuilding of the pier, the 50-year-old sub was stored at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

On Thursday it was towed back to the Intrepid, whose museum spaces are to reopen on Saturday, followed by a visit on Tuesday, Veterans Day, by President Bush. Even as the Growler returned, helicopters were practicing landings on the Intrepid's flight deck, apparently in preparation for that event.

 

November 8, 2008 (New York)

The newly refurbished Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum continues its grand reopening week activities today with a Veterans Day event highlighted by an appearance by President George W. Bush.

Also on hand was the former astronauts Buzz Aldrin and Scott Carpenter, Gov. David A. Paterson and 2,500 invited veterans. The museum reopens to the public at 2 p.m.

Bush will tour the historic aircraft carrier late in the morning to see the type of Avenger aircraft his father flew during World War II before being presented with the 2008 Intrepid Freedom Award.

The award recognizes world leaders who embody the ideals of world freedom and democracy. Past honorees include presidents Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton, prime ministers Yitzhak Rabin, Margaret Thatcher and Silvio Berlusconi, and Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Visitors returned to the World War II aircraft carrier after a ceremony Nov. 8 at its Manhattan pier.

The museum on the Hudson River underwent a 22-month, $120 million overhaul at a New Jersey drydock and then was laid-up in Staten Island NY while renovations were made to her East River pier.

After World War II, the ship saw service in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was twice a recovery ship for NASA astronauts. Since 1982, it has become a popular tourist attraction, drawing 750,000 visitors yearly over the past decade.

For more information on the Intrepid, go to www.intrepidmuseum.org

 
 

 

 

 


NOTICE

Please note that all images are copy write protected by nycruiseinfo.com. The use of images and/or the reprint of text (or parts ) is prohibited without the written approval of nycruiseinfo.com. In regard to contents, nycruiseinfo.com makes every effort to assure that the information contained within is accurate. ALL WEBSITE VISITORS SHOULD CALL THE CRUISE LINES OR TRAVEL AGENTS TO CONFIRM THE ITINERARY, DATES, TIMES, AND OTHER INFORMATION PRIOR TO BOOKING!. Please note that there may be instances where mistakes are made - nycruiseinfo.com cannot be held responsible for errors or omissions. NYCRUISINFO.com may not be held responsible for any loss suffered as a result of the information or anyone acting upon this site's content. In addition all cruise lines reserve the right to add, delete or change any itinerary at their discretion. Copyright  NYCRUISINFO.com (c) 2006/07/08