Brownsville's Ghost Fleet: Looking Back at Warships that Were
By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon
Since 2014, the Port of Brownsville has become the final resting place for many of the U.S. Navy's decommissioned aircraft carriers. For a Throwback Thursday feature, we figured we'd go back a few years and revisit how Brownsville became the navy's carrier graveyard and how Brownsville's Ghost Fleet continues to grow.
There are several shipbreaking and metal recycling companies at, and around, the port.
All Star Metals, LLC, a subsidiary of Scrap Metal Services, LLC, was the first metal recycling company to hook one of these aircraft carriers. They paid the U.S. government one cent to acquire the first supercarrier, the former USS Forrestal (CV-59). USS Forrestal was the first aircraft carrier in her class and was conventionally (not nuclear) powered.
She was named after James Forrestal, the first Secretary of Defense. She served from 1956 until her decommissioning in 1993. Forrestal is most known for a horrific accident that took place on her flight deck off the Vietnamese coast in 1967. While in the Gulf of Tonkin, a missile on an F-4 Phantom II misfired, striking an A-4 Skyhawk, causing an explosion and a large fire. 134 sailors were killed and another 161 were injured.
The navy made attempts to make Forrestal a museum, but all efforts to do so failed. Another failed plan including sinking her off the coast for use as an artificial reef. After her anchors and propellers were removed for use on two other aircraft carriers, All Star Metals finished scrapping her in December of 2015.
ESCO Marine was the second metal recycling company to join the shipbreaking fray. In September 2014, the former USS Saratoga (CV-60) arrived in Brownsville and was moored off ESCO Marine's facility at the port. ESCO Marine had a warehouse that was open to the public. They were selling bits and pieces from the ships they were breaking apart, including all kinds of furniture and old equipment found on board the vessels.
USS Saratoga was a Forrestal-class aircraft carrier. She was commissioned in 1956. She was a veteran of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. When she was decommissioned in 1994, an effort was made to turn her into a museum in Jacksonville, Florida. Those efforts failed when the organization trying to save Saratoga was unable to raise enough funds for the project.
In 2015, ESCO Marine declared bankruptcy and closed up shop, firing approximately 300 employees. This also halted the dismantling of the former Saratoga. Eventually, ESCO Marine was acquired by SteelCoast. SteelCoast would finish dismantling Saratoga in March of 2019.
A third company, International Shipbreaking, LTD. would end up with three decommissioned carriers to dismantle. The first carrier they received was USS Constellation (CV-64), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier.
USS Constellation was commissioned in 1961. She served during the Vietnam War, and was also deployed to the Perisan Gulf during the Global War on Terror, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. She was decommissioned in 2003.
Scrapping of the former Constellation was completed in May 2017.
The second supercarrier scheduled for dismantling by International Shipbreaking, LTD. was USS Ranger (CV-61), a Forrestal-class supercarrier.
USS Ranger was commissioned in 1957. She served in the Pacific Ocean and in the Indian Ocean. She earned 13 battle stars during the Vietnam War and during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She was decommissioned in 1993.
USS Ranger was also a TV and movie star. She made an appearance on The Six Million Dollar Man, and she starred as the USS Enterprise on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. But perhaps her biggest claim to fame was reprising the role of USS Enterprise in the 1980's hit Top Gun. Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise were on board Ranger filming several sequences for the movie.
Despite efforts to turn Ranger into a museum in Oregon, the navy eventually decided to scrap her. She arrived in Brownsville in July of 2015 and was scrapped in November of 2017.
The final supercarrier scrapped by International Shipbreaking, Ltd. was USS Independence (CV-62), another Forrestal-class aircraft carrier.
She was commissioned in 1959. She saw action in Vietnam, and was the task force carrier that supported Marines during the invasion of Grenada. She also served during the Gulf War. She was decommissioned in 1998.
USS Independence also appeared in the movie Flight of the Intruder.
During her time in mothballs, USS Independence was heavily stripped for parts. Several of her parts were reused and installed on several Kitty Hawk-class and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. Since she was so heavily stripped, she was never considered for use as a museum. Plans to sink her for use as an artificial reef were also scrapped. She arrived in Brownsville in May 2017 and was scrapped in early 2019.
International Shipbreaking, LTD. has scrapped other naval vessels, including USS Tripoli (LPH-10), an amphibious assault ship that earned battle stars for her role in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and in Somalia.
Other aircraft carriers, including USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) were recently removed from their "donation hold" status, meaning there are no viable efforts to make either carrier a museum, opening the door for possible dismantling by one of our local shipbreaking companies. USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is currently moored in Virginia while studies are conducted to see if it would be safe for civilian shipbreaking companies to dismantle the ship without causing any potential radioactive debris from the nuclear reactors.
It is a pity these great warships have visited their final resting place when they get tied to the docks at the Port of Brownsville. We can only wonder if Brownsville's Ghost Fleet will continue to grow in years to come.
Since 2014, the Port of Brownsville has become the final resting place for many of the U.S. Navy's decommissioned aircraft carriers. For a Throwback Thursday feature, we figured we'd go back a few years and revisit how Brownsville became the navy's carrier graveyard and how Brownsville's Ghost Fleet continues to grow.
There are several shipbreaking and metal recycling companies at, and around, the port.
All Star Metals, LLC, a subsidiary of Scrap Metal Services, LLC, was the first metal recycling company to hook one of these aircraft carriers. They paid the U.S. government one cent to acquire the first supercarrier, the former USS Forrestal (CV-59). USS Forrestal was the first aircraft carrier in her class and was conventionally (not nuclear) powered.
She was named after James Forrestal, the first Secretary of Defense. She served from 1956 until her decommissioning in 1993. Forrestal is most known for a horrific accident that took place on her flight deck off the Vietnamese coast in 1967. While in the Gulf of Tonkin, a missile on an F-4 Phantom II misfired, striking an A-4 Skyhawk, causing an explosion and a large fire. 134 sailors were killed and another 161 were injured.
The navy made attempts to make Forrestal a museum, but all efforts to do so failed. Another failed plan including sinking her off the coast for use as an artificial reef. After her anchors and propellers were removed for use on two other aircraft carriers, All Star Metals finished scrapping her in December of 2015.
 |
| The former USS Forrestal being broken up |
ESCO Marine was the second metal recycling company to join the shipbreaking fray. In September 2014, the former USS Saratoga (CV-60) arrived in Brownsville and was moored off ESCO Marine's facility at the port. ESCO Marine had a warehouse that was open to the public. They were selling bits and pieces from the ships they were breaking apart, including all kinds of furniture and old equipment found on board the vessels.
USS Saratoga was a Forrestal-class aircraft carrier. She was commissioned in 1956. She was a veteran of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. When she was decommissioned in 1994, an effort was made to turn her into a museum in Jacksonville, Florida. Those efforts failed when the organization trying to save Saratoga was unable to raise enough funds for the project.
 |
| The former USS Saratoga arrives in Brownsville |
In 2015, ESCO Marine declared bankruptcy and closed up shop, firing approximately 300 employees. This also halted the dismantling of the former Saratoga. Eventually, ESCO Marine was acquired by SteelCoast. SteelCoast would finish dismantling Saratoga in March of 2019.
A third company, International Shipbreaking, LTD. would end up with three decommissioned carriers to dismantle. The first carrier they received was USS Constellation (CV-64), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier.
USS Constellation was commissioned in 1961. She served during the Vietnam War, and was also deployed to the Perisan Gulf during the Global War on Terror, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. She was decommissioned in 2003.
Scrapping of the former Constellation was completed in May 2017.
 |
| The former USS Constellation at the jetties |
The second supercarrier scheduled for dismantling by International Shipbreaking, LTD. was USS Ranger (CV-61), a Forrestal-class supercarrier.
USS Ranger was commissioned in 1957. She served in the Pacific Ocean and in the Indian Ocean. She earned 13 battle stars during the Vietnam War and during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. She was decommissioned in 1993.
USS Ranger was also a TV and movie star. She made an appearance on The Six Million Dollar Man, and she starred as the USS Enterprise on Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. But perhaps her biggest claim to fame was reprising the role of USS Enterprise in the 1980's hit Top Gun. Val Kilmer and Tom Cruise were on board Ranger filming several sequences for the movie.
Despite efforts to turn Ranger into a museum in Oregon, the navy eventually decided to scrap her. She arrived in Brownsville in July of 2015 and was scrapped in November of 2017.
 |
| The former USS Ranger being dismantled |
The final supercarrier scrapped by International Shipbreaking, Ltd. was USS Independence (CV-62), another Forrestal-class aircraft carrier.
She was commissioned in 1959. She saw action in Vietnam, and was the task force carrier that supported Marines during the invasion of Grenada. She also served during the Gulf War. She was decommissioned in 1998.
USS Independence also appeared in the movie Flight of the Intruder.
During her time in mothballs, USS Independence was heavily stripped for parts. Several of her parts were reused and installed on several Kitty Hawk-class and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. Since she was so heavily stripped, she was never considered for use as a museum. Plans to sink her for use as an artificial reef were also scrapped. She arrived in Brownsville in May 2017 and was scrapped in early 2019.
 |
| The former USS Independence |
International Shipbreaking, LTD. has scrapped other naval vessels, including USS Tripoli (LPH-10), an amphibious assault ship that earned battle stars for her role in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and in Somalia.
 |
| The former USS Tripoli arrives in Brownsville |
Other aircraft carriers, including USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) were recently removed from their "donation hold" status, meaning there are no viable efforts to make either carrier a museum, opening the door for possible dismantling by one of our local shipbreaking companies. USS Enterprise (CVN-65) is currently moored in Virginia while studies are conducted to see if it would be safe for civilian shipbreaking companies to dismantle the ship without causing any potential radioactive debris from the nuclear reactors.
It is a pity these great warships have visited their final resting place when they get tied to the docks at the Port of Brownsville. We can only wonder if Brownsville's Ghost Fleet will continue to grow in years to come.
Nice enjoyable article.
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