An A-3B Skywarrior, BuNo 142404, from Naval Air Test Center, Pax River, MD, landing aboard USS America (CVA-66) for carrier suitability trials.

Official U.S. Navy photo (# 1112125) by John D. Reimer, PHC, dated 5 April 1965.

An A-6A Intruder from Naval Air Test Center, Pax River, MD, landing aboard USS America (CVA-66) for carrier suitability trials.

Official U.S. Navy photo (# 1112123) by John D. Reimer, PHC, dated 5 April 1965.

An A-4C Skyhawk, BuNo 147801, of VA-64 "Black Lancers," being hooked up on a forward catapult of USS America (CVA-66), as Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 6 commences carrier qualification operations.

Official U.S. Navy photo (# 1112132) by Robert Ekshain, PH2, dated 14 April 1965.

USS America (CVA-66) underway on 31 August 1965. Aircraft parked on her flight deck include nine A-4C Skyhawk attack planes, four F-4B Phantom II fighters and three RA-5C Vigilante reconnaissance planes.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph (# USN 1114401).

An RA-5C Vigilante from RVAH-5 "Savage Sons" about to launch from USS America (CVA-66), 1965.

USS America (CVA-66)—her crew spelling out a cheery "HI SYDNEY" on the flight deck—approaches Sydney, Australia, on 11 November 1968, accompanied by a flotilla of small boats, in this view taken by Photographer 1st Class William M. Welch, Jr. (photo #NH 96651).

Photo and text from the "Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships," (DANFS), published by the Naval History & Heritage Command.

USS Vega (AF-59) with USS Epperson (DD-719) and USS America (CVA-66) alongside during an underway replenishment at sea. US Navy photo, most likely taken in the South China Sea, either in the summer of 1968 or the fall of 1970.

USS America (CVA-66), left; USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA-42), framed in red; and USS Independence (CVA-62), framed in yellow. Norfolk Naval Shipyard, (probably) first half of 1969.

The photo clearly shows the size and design differences between the ships. FDR was designed and built during WW II to operate piston-engined aircraft; the ship was eventually upgraded to operate jets. America (Kitty Hawk-class) and Indy (Forrestal-class) were cold-war ships designed from the start to accommodate jet aircraft.

USS America (CVA-66) replenishing from a Sacramento-class fast combat support ship (AOE), 1970. Colorful tail of BuNo 148925, an RA-5C Vigilante assigned to RVAH-12 "Speartips," is visible at right.

USS America (CVA-66) underway, May 14, 1970. Note plane guard helicopter in right far background, an A-3 Skywarrior on the starboard catapult and an E-2A Hawkeye on the port one. F-4J Phantoms sit poised on the angled deck catapults. Photo taken by Photographer 3d Class L. J. Lafeir (# USN-1145455).

USS Navasota (AO-106) refueling USS Duncan (DD-874) to starboard and USS America (CVA-66) to port. Mid-1970 in the South China Sea. Photo taken from USS Bausell (DD-845).

On 20 August 1970, at Manila, Vice Admiral Frederick A. Bardshar, Commander, Attack Carrier Striking Force, 7th Fleet, hosted the President of the Philippines, Ferdinand E. Marcos, on board USS America (CVA-66). President Marcos was given a 21-gun salute as he and Mrs. Marcos arrived on board from their Presidential yacht to visit the ship. Accompanied by American Ambassador and Mrs. Henry A. Byiade, they were greeted by Vice Admiral Bardshar and America's commanding officer, CAPT Thomas B. Hayward, and were subsequently escorted to the ship's hangar deck where the Carrier Division band and the ship's Marine detachment rendered honors. Following their arrival, the visiting party dined with Vice Admiral Bardshar and CAPT Hayward, and were later given a brief tour of the ship.

Test of the anti-aircraft missile system on the way to Yankee Station, during America's WestPac 72-73 cruise. The photo was taken from "vulture's row" with a 35 mm Mamiya-Secor 1000 DTL SLR camera.

Partially visible are a North American RA-5C Vigilante of RVAH-6 "Fleurs" (foreground) and a McDonnell-Douglas F-4J Phantom II of VMFA-333 "Shamrocks."

A Grumman A-6C Intruder (BuNo 155660) of Attack Squadron VA-35 "Black Panthers." VA-35, with a mix of A-6A, A-6C and KA-6D variants of the Intruder, was deployed as part of Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) aboard USS America (CVA-66) to Vietnam from 5 June 1972 to 24 March 1973. The designation A-6C was given to twelve A-6A's that were modified between February and June of 1970 as special aircraft designed to detect, track, and attack nighttime truck traffic along the "Ho Chi Minh Trail" during the Vietnam war. The planes were fitted with an internal "Black Crow" engine ignition detection system and a ventral TRIM (Trails-Roads Interdiction Multisensors) pod faired into the lower fuselage that contained the FLIR and LLLTV cameras.

Subsequently brought up to the A-6E standard, BuNo 155660 crashed on MCAS Yuma Range during a bombing run on 18 October 1983, while assigned to Marine All-Weather Attack Squadron VMA(AW)-242.

Photo taken by a U.S. Navy Sailor or employee.

USS America received three Mk.15 Phalanx Close-In Weapons Systems (CIWS) in June 1980: one on the port side, forward; one on the starboard side of the island; and one on the port quarter, later moved to the port side of the fantail. Phalanx can fire 3,000 rounds per minute and simultaneously measures the location of both target and projectiles in flight, automatically correcting the fire control solution. This is a vertical view of one the mounts, during a firing exercise.

General Dynamics Corp. photo (DVIC id: DN-SC-82-05395).