Having served in Independence and Ranger, this does tug at the heart strings a bit. I did serve in those years with men who were aboard Forrestal during the tragedy of 1967.
The Navy has paid one cent under a contract to have the 60-year-old vessel dismantled by All Star Metals in the Gulf port of Brownsville.
The Lexicans 
Reblogged this on Among The Joshua Trees.
I was on the 1978 Med cruise with VAW-116 on the FID. We had some good times, but she wasn’t a ship you loved like the Midway was.
I was in VT-26 at NAS Chase Field, Texas by then.
I still love the North American T-2C Buckeye.
Sad. Memories. She was the carrier where I CQed in the F-4 for the 1st time after being winged.
Agree with Pogue, though. The Midway was loved… and has reached a far better fate.
Indy and Ranger were to be used for somewhat noble purposes, initially. Indy was to be sunk as an artificial reef, which I am a big proponent of. Ranger was to be a museum on the Columbia River, upstream from Portland. Seems the PC Nazis influenced the Navy Department and it is not going to happen. A donor even bought the land for it including enough parking, a visitor center and other sundry things……….Mabus needs to be keel hauled.