DEAR SUN SPOTS: Did you or anyone you know serve aboard the USS Intrepid? The search is underway to find former USS Intrepid crew members and memorabilia for a special 75th Commissioning Anniversary Weekend.

Aug. 1 will mark the 75th anniversary of the commissioning of the World War II-era Essex class aircraft carrier, which is home to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. To mark the occasion, the museum is putting out a coast-to-coast “all call” for former crew members to be reunited in a special celebration Thursday, Aug. 16 to Sunday, Aug. 19, on board the vessel.

The museum is also accepting donations of personal artifacts and memorabilia from former crew members and their families. Each item added to the museum’s collection helps express and interpret Intrepid’s stories of service and serves to educate and inspire more than one million visitors each year.

The homecoming weekend will offer guided tours of the ship and behind-the-scenes curator-led tours of the museum’s collection storage facility, and a special former crew member dinner with the United States Secretary of the Navy, Richard V. Spencer. For some former crew members, this will be the first time they have been aboard their ship since the completion of their service.

The homecoming weekend is open to the public and will feature programs and events specifically tailored for former crew members and their families, and opportunities for the public to interact with former crew members. Over 280 of them are confirmed to attend with their family members.

The aircraft carrier was one of the most successful and stalwart ships in U.S. history. Nicknamed “The Fighting I” by its crew, Intrepid served in the Pacific during World War II, surviving five kamikaze attacks and one torpedo strike. It later conducted submarine surveillance in the North Atlantic during the Cold War and served three tours of duty off Vietnam.

It was also one of the primary recovery vessels for NASA during the Mercury and Gemini missions, and retrieved astronauts Scott Carpenter, Gus Grissom and John Young after their respective orbits and splashdowns in the Pacific.

The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is a nonprofit, educational institution featuring the legendary aircraft carrier Intrepid, the space shuttle Enterprise, the world’s fastest jets and a guided missile submarine.

Through exhibitions, educational programming and the foremost collection of technologically groundbreaking aircraft and vessels, visitors of all ages and abilities are taken on an interactive journey through history to learn about American innovation and bravery.

Tickets are available at the Intrepid Museum website, www.intrepidmuseum.org.

To learn more about the homecoming weekend and for registration information, former crew members and their family members can visit www.intrepidmuseum.org/75 or e-mail fcm@intrepidmuseum.org.

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