Constellation Ship

After 41 years, 21 overseas deployments, eight combat tours and decades as a local icon, the aircraft carrier Constellation left San Diego Bay for the final time Friday for a long, slow journey into retirement. For sailors who had served aboard the giant ship known as "Connie," it was a sorrowful occasion. "Connie is my girl," said Chief Petty Officer Efren Ponce, one of a group of sailors who sang "Anchors Aweigh" as the ship departed shortly before 6 a.m.

Wind-POWERED tall ships from around the world will glide into Baltimore's harbor at the end of this month to help the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy, the Constellation, celebrate its 150th birthday. In the days after, through July 4th, visitors can tour the ships and attend other festivities for free. Late August will bring a two-day 150th Anniversary Festival of the Sea to commemorate the Constellation's 1854 launch. On Oct. 26, the ship will be towed to Annapolis, Md.

The aircraft carrier Constellation left the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Friday for a 10-day sea trial following a 29-month, $800-million overhaul. About 3,500 crew members and shipyard workers were aboard the 88,000-ton vessel.

Two sailors have been sentenced to prison for having two teenagers e-mail them pornographic images while they were deployed on the aircraft carrier Constellation. Wayne Craig and Robert Quackenbush also had illegal sexual relationships with the 15- and 16-year-old San Diego County girls before leaving for the Persian Gulf in November 2002, according to court records. Quackenbush, 36, of Lemon Grove, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

A Navy electronic warfare plane with a crew of four failed to return from a training mission and was the subject of a search 900 miles off the coast of San Diego, the Navy said. The Grumman-made EA6-B Prowler took off from the carrier Constellation for a nighttime training exercise and was declared overdue a few hours later. Names of the four crewmen were being withheld. "At this point, all we know is that it is missing and overdue," said Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Bob Pritchard.

The aircraft carrier Constellation and six other American warships begin a five-day visit here today in the latest sign of improving U.S.-Chinese relations. On Sunday, U.S. military officials described the ships' arrival as routine, but it is in many ways more a return to routine. The Constellation's presence marks the first time such a large group of U.S.

Eighteen sailors were injured Tuesday when fire swept through the engine room of the Constellation as the giant aircraft carrier left port here on a routine training mission. Fourteen of the injured were flown to the Navy Hospital in Balboa Park with minor injuries, officials said. Eight suffered smoke inhalation, six sustained burns and four suffered bumps and bruises. Navy officials said the fire started about 12:10 p.m. and was quickly contained.

Wind-POWERED tall ships from around the world will glide into Baltimore's harbor at the end of this month to help the last all-sail warship built by the U.S. Navy, the Constellation, celebrate its 150th birthday. In the days after, through July 4th, visitors can tour the ships and attend other festivities for free. Late August will bring a two-day 150th Anniversary Festival of the Sea to commemorate the Constellation's 1854 launch. On Oct. 26, the ship will be towed to Annapolis, Md.

Two sailors have been sentenced to prison for having two teenagers e-mail them pornographic images while they were deployed on the aircraft carrier Constellation. Wayne Craig and Robert Quackenbush also had illegal sexual relationships with the 15- and 16-year-old San Diego County girls before leaving for the Persian Gulf in November 2002, according to court records. Quackenbush, 36, of Lemon Grove, was sentenced to three years and four months in prison.

A fuel oil leak caused a fire in one of the four main machinery rooms aboard the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Constellation, steaming to the northern Arabian Sea and a possible war with Iraq, Navy officials said Saturday. The fire, which took more than an hour to extinguish, caused the shutdown of part of the ship's propulsion system.

After 41 years, 21 overseas deployments, eight combat tours and decades as a local icon, the aircraft carrier Constellation left San Diego Bay for the final time Friday for a long, slow journey into retirement. For sailors who had served aboard the giant ship known as "Connie," it was a sorrowful occasion. "Connie is my girl," said Chief Petty Officer Efren Ponce, one of a group of sailors who sang "Anchors Aweigh" as the ship departed shortly before 6 a.m.

A fuel oil leak caused a fire in one of the four main machinery rooms aboard the San Diego-based aircraft carrier Constellation, steaming to the northern Arabian Sea and a possible war with Iraq, Navy officials said Saturday. The fire, which took more than an hour to extinguish, caused the shutdown of part of the ship's propulsion system.

The aircraft carrier Constellation and six other American warships begin a five-day visit here today in the latest sign of improving U.S.-Chinese relations. On Sunday, U.S. military officials described the ships' arrival as routine, but it is in many ways more a return to routine. The Constellation's presence marks the first time such a large group of U.S.

In a few months, this mammoth aircraft carrier will be back in the Persian Gulf, keeping the lid on a region with potential for explosive conflict. But on Friday the "Connie" and its warplanes were deployed off San Diego on a difficult and important mission of a different sort: trolling for new sailors. With the economy good, and no enemy on the horizon to stir patriotic fervor, these are trying times for military recruiters.

The aircraft carrier Constellation left the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on Friday for a 10-day sea trial following a 29-month, $800-million overhaul. About 3,500 crew members and shipyard workers were aboard the 88,000-ton vessel.

A Navy electronic warfare plane with a crew of four failed to return from a training mission and was the subject of a search 900 miles off the coast of San Diego, the Navy said. The Grumman-made EA6-B Prowler took off from the carrier Constellation for a nighttime training exercise and was declared overdue a few hours later. Names of the four crewmen were being withheld. "At this point, all we know is that it is missing and overdue," said Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Bob Pritchard.

In a few months, this mammoth aircraft carrier will be back in the Persian Gulf, keeping the lid on a region with potential for explosive conflict. But on Friday the "Connie" and its warplanes were deployed off San Diego on a difficult and important mission of a different sort: trolling for new sailors. With the economy good, and no enemy on the horizon to stir patriotic fervor, these are trying times for military recruiters.

Eighteen sailors were injured Tuesday when fire swept through the engine room of the Constellation as the giant aircraft carrier left port here on a routine training mission. Fourteen of the injured were flown to the Navy Hospital in Balboa Park with minor injuries, officials said. Eight suffered smoke inhalation, six sustained burns and four suffered bumps and bruises. Navy officials said the fire started about 12:10 p.m. and was quickly contained.