USS SARATOGA CV-3 RETURNS TO SAN FRANCISCO 

My Dad served on the CV3 USS Saratoga from 1928 or 29 for 3 years. I have his leather log book filled with photos and diary. My treasure.

Nothing compares to watching the California coastline begin to be visible at dawn as your ship slowly approaches the Golden Gate after an 8-month deployment. The famous bridge comes into view and as you glide beneath its deck you realize you made it! You are home at last. Your wife, kids, all that's important to you is waiting on the pier at Alameda. My last day in the Navy. USS Oriskany, December 12, 1969.

To think my mom witnessed this event. Amazing!

Torpedoed twice, then kamikazed and bombed, finally went under after being nuked twice. One tough ship, with a badass crew.

Sad to think that less than 1 year later, she was sunk during Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll on July 25th , 1946.

My Dad was ships company on the Magic Carpet trips. I was born exactly one year later.

Fun family fact: my grandpa Leo Slesinski (mom’s dad) and my great-uncle Raymond Szopa (dad’s uncle) were in Saratoga but never knew each other until their wedding in 1973. They both died when I was little, so I never got to talk to them about the Pacific War.

My uncle served on Sara during this time period.

I believe USS Saratoga had the distinction of returning more servicemen home during “Operation Magic Carpet” than any other ship. The logistics involved running the war in the Pacific Theater of Operations was an incredible undertaking. Personally, I find it even more fascinating how quickly they brought those boys home!

Great footage. Thank you!

my father served 1932 into 1936 ! enlisted in macon, ga discharged in san diego, calif. nice check for back then !

All 4 of these carriers should’ve just stayed there parked & turned into museums . That would’ve amazing 💯 for the Alameda & all of California • Lucky one remained USS HORNET & saved from the scrapper or operation crossroads .

Almost 80 years later, US carriers still watch the Pacific ocean.

Sara: "Now that the war is over I can finally rest in retirement!" US Navy: "Uh, we have one more job for you!"

Impressive.... Just think though that odds are every man on the Saratoga in the film has as of Jan. 2024 passed away. Their and her legacy is captured on film though

Saratoga was always the bridesmaid and never the bride. Still at Eastern Solomons she got some licks in.

One of my favorite ships. The other being Iowa.

You'd be hard pressed to convince an Enterprise crewman that the Saratoga ever got out of Bremerton during the war.

Saratoga and Lexington started out battle cruisers

My Friend Jerry Langerback Serve U.S.S Saratoga CVN-60 Aircraft Carrier now Scape Metal U.S.NAVY

Nobody used a sea bag to leave the ship, interesting.

Once a very proud port, Oakland is now a ghetto of democrat policies. Beautiful ships. I wish I could have been there, back when everything didn't suck.

We should give this carrier to the Ukraine.