By ZACHARY BLOCK
Journal Staff Writer

The Saratoga was launched from the New York Naval Shipyard, in New York City, on Oct. 5, 1955, as the second supercarrier ever built and the second carrier to carry the Saratoga name. Since 1780, a total of six warships have been named Saratoga.

The first Saratoga carrier plied the waters of the Pacific during World War II and received seven battle stars for its war efforts. It came to an inglorious end in 1946, when it was sunk off the Bikini Atoll during atomic-bomb testing.

The current Saratoga was commissioned in April 1956.

During active deployment, the 1,063-foot carrier, which stretches 25 stories from keel to mast, was home to more than 5,500 men and women. Over its 38 years of service, 65,000 sailors, marines and air crew served aboard the ship.

"Sara" or the "Grand Lady of the Sixth Fleet," as the ship was known, was decomissioned in August 1994 and sat in a naval shipyard in Philadelphia before it was moved to Middletown last August.

(After its decommissioning, the ship was briefly on the Navy's donation list and appeared headed to Jacksonville, Fla., to serve as a museum. The project failed, however, after organizers fell $500,000 short of the $7 million required for the project.)

Inside the carrier, paint peels in sheets off the walls and ceilings. The floor around the ship's flight hangar is littered with piles of paint chips, dirt, dust and feathers. Mildew stains carpets and standing water fills some doorways. Old letters and photos of girlfriends crowd some old crew bunks.

Much of the equipment on the ship, including instruments in the bridge, command and communication center, has been destroyed or removed.

Today, the ship is used by the Navy for experimental purposes. Navy officials refuse to elaborate. But others say the ship is being used for testing and evaluating new carrier design. That could include shock tests, in which explosive charges are detonated near the ship to test the hull's strength.

MacDougall says the Navy Seals and the Navy's ordinance disposal unit, located down the road from Pier 1, have used the ship for training exercises.