USS Intrepid

Essex-class Aircraft Carrier (Decomissioned)

The USS Intrepid is an amazing museum. Walking around the massive ship while seeing all these amazing fighter jets and other aircraft. A highlight is the space shuttle Enterprise. It alone is worth going! What I would recommend though is going on one of the night tours. They are truly something else and not just because it is at night.

— An amazed visitor.

The Intrepid is a museum ship since 1982. It is the key component of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The vessel needs regular maintenance that a skilled crew takes care of. Many of the exhibitions are permanent showcasing the marvels of technology.

Purpose

The ship's deck is one of the main attractions of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Several fighter jets and other aircraft are displayed on it. The biggest attraction is the space shuttle Enterprise. The ship serves as a platform to educate on history, engineering and technology. Its many decks are home to many exhibits of various topics.

Decks

There are four decks of interest that can be visited on board of the Intrepid. Each deck has its own purpose in operation of the ship and usually several points of interests and exhibits.
The flight deck is the area on top of the carrier. Visitors can wander around on it and look at various restored aircraft that are positioned on the deck. The three points of interest are the space shuttle pavilion, the restoration pavilion and the vessel's island. On the island, visitors can climb on the crow where it gives an overview over the flight deck and how massive it really is.
Below the flight deck is the gallery deck which features the Squadron Ready Room (SRR) and the Command Information Center (CIC). The crew used the SRR as the briefing room for pilots about to fly out on missions. In the CIC, the crew tracked the movements of all ships and aircraft around the aircraft carrier.
Next is the hangar deck which is used today as a big indoor exhibition room. It features multimedia exhibits that educate and immerse visitors in the history of the Intrepid. The last deck is the third deck which features crew quarters and the mess. It features exhibits on the life of the crew aboard the Intrepid to let visitors imagine how the life on the high seas is for these sailors.

Night Tours

A crew of around twenty remnants haunts the ship. They became bound to the ship during the carrier's service in World War II. The remnants are mostly stable and can make themselves visible to visitors during the night. The crew was pacified and strengthened by the summoner Kathleen Flores in the aftermath of 9/11.
The crew is comprised of four Japanese Kamikaze Pilots and fifteen US Marines who died in the line of duty during World War II. The last remnant was an engineer who died in a horrific accident while the Intrepid was repaired from damages. A living tour guide accompanies the visitors during the night. The engineer talks about the systems of the vessel, while the soldiers bring the war time stories to (un)-life. The employee translates for the Japanese remnants as they do not speak English.
This nightly tour is a very well known attraction and visitors from around the world book it often months in advance. But be warned the tour is not for the faint of heart!

CIty

New York City

Borough

Manhattan

Neighbourhood

Hell's Kitchen

Address

Pier 86, 46th West Street

Class

Essex-class aircraft carrier

Nickname

The Fighting "I"
Decrepit

Designation

NBQK
CVS-11

Beam

28.3 m (waterline)

Length

249.9 m (waterline)

Weight

27'500 - 36'960 t

Complement / Crew

2'600 officers and enlisted men

Aircraft carried

91–103 aircraft

Added to NRHP

14 January 1986

Designated NHL

14 January 1986

Enterprise Shuttle by NASA