What You Need to Know: The USS America (CVA/CV-66), a Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier, was sunk in 2005 after weeks of controlled explosions as part of a live-fire test to study how a large warship would withstand attacks.

-Initially commissioned in 1965, the America served for three decades, participating in the Vietnam War and other key missions before being decommissioned. Despite her decommissioning, the Navy used her one final time to gather data for future carrier designs.

-Her sinking proved difficult due to her double-layered hull and advanced compartmentalization, making her a formidable vessel even in retirement.

In 2005, a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier sunk for the first time since the Second World War. USS America sunk 17,000 feet below the floor of the Atlantic Ocean following weeks of controlled explosions on May 14th of that year. When the Kitty Hawk-class carrier was decommissioned almost one decade earlier, the Navy decided to conduct a study involving how a colossal ship would respond to explosions on board instead of simply relegating the vessel to retirement. The service would soon discover that sinking a U.S. aircraft carrier is easier said than done.

USS America (CVA/CV-66) was one of three Kitty Hawk-class supercarriers designed for the Navy in the 1960’s. Built to be more capable than their Forrestal-class predecessors, Kitty Hawk, Constellation and America sported........

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