History of the name 'Yorktown'

The name Yorktown has often represented honor, power, excellence, adventure, victory. The USS Yorktown-E is no different!

The American Revolution made the name Yorktown famous. Yorktown, a small town in Virginia on Earth's North American Continent, was the site of the final battle that won the United States it's independence from Great Britain. The US Army under General George Washington along with their allies, the French Army under General Jean Baptiste de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau and the Marquis de Lafayette.

The first ship named Yorktown was a US Navy Sloop of War built in 1838. She was 117 feet long and 34 feet wide. Armed with sixteen 32 pounder guns, she was very well armed for her time. The Yorktown served in the Pacific Ocean for ten years before being mothballed. Two years later, she was recommissioned and sent to the coast of Africa to hunt down illegal slave ships. She returned home to Boston and was again mothballed. However she was again recommissioned and sent to stop illicit slave traffic, but she hit an uncharted reef off the Isle de Mayo in the Cape Verde Islands on 6 September 1850 and sank.

The second ship to carry on the name Yorktown was a steel hulled, twin-screw gunboat. She was commissioned on 23 April 1889. She was 244 feet long and 36 feet wide, while displacing 1,910 tons. Her armament was six 6-inch breech-loading rifles, two 6 pounder, two 3 pounder rapid fire guns, two 37-mm Hotchkiss revolving cannons and two Gatling guns. This Yorktown spent her first 4 years in the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, and Pacific Ocean. She also sailed to the Bearing Sea to protect Seals from poachers. In 1893 she returned to the East Coast of the United States for repairs. Then, she returned to the Pacific where she remained until Earth's World War One. In 1918 she headed for the Atlantic Ocean for convoy duty. She was decommissioned on 12, June 1919 and sold for scrap in 1921.

The third USS Yorktown was the fifth Aircraft Carrier in the United States Navy. CV-5 was the first of her class.  The Yorktown class was started in 1933 and would consist of three ships. The Yorktown (CV5), Enterprise (CV6), and Hornet (CV8). This Yorktown was commissioned by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, on 30 September, 1937. The ship was at Norfolk Va. on 7, December, 1941, when the Japanese attack the US at Pearl Harbor. She departed for the Pacific on the 16th and became the Flagship of Rear Admiral Frank Jack Fleacher and his Task Force 17. In late January 1942, the Yorktown and Enterprise conducted the first US offensive operations of the war by attacking Japanese bases in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands. The Yorktown's first enemy kill was a 4-engine 'Mavis' patrol bomber during the action. In late April 1942, Task Force 17 joined Task Force 11, built around the carrier USS Lexington for the Battle of the Coral Sea. This was the first battle where opposing ships never saw sight of each other. During the battle, a member of the Yorktown's Fighter Squadron, Jimmy Flatly, stood out as an ace pilot. Planes from Yorktown and Lexington sunk the Japanese light carrier Shoho and heavily damaged the larger carrier Shokaku, but at a loss. The USS Lexington was also sunk and the Yorktown damaged. She returned to Pearl Harbor for repairs but was underway again 72 hours later. She joined Task Force 16 built around her sister ships Enterprise and Hornet for the epic Battle of Midway. During this turning point in World War Two, the three US Carriers sunk four Japanese carriers, one cruiser, and heavily damaged another cruiser. However the Yorktown was also sunk during the fighting.

The forth USS Yorktown was an Aircraft Carrier like her predecessor. CV-10 was an Essex class ship, commissioned 13, April 1943. She was 890 feet long and 196 feet wide. Also like CV-5, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of the US President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, presided over the commissioning ceremonies. CV-10 started life with the name Bon Homme Richard, but was renamed Yorktown before building was completed to honor CV-5 lost a few months before at the Battle of Midway. The ship also shared two more things with CV5. Her first Air Group Commander was Jimmy Flatley, formerly aboard CV5. Also, her first Commanding Officer was Captain JJ 'Jacko' Clark, whom was XO of the CV5. Designed to carry 90 planes into battle, the ship would see several refits and improvements in her nearly thirty years of service. The Yorktown saw her first action in World War two by attacking the Japanese base on Marcas Island in the Pacific. She was the first of the brand new Essex class to see combat. CV-10 was also an actor! The ship and her crew stared in the 1944 war documentary 'The Fighting Lady', which became the ship's knick-name, and won an Academy Award. She was also seen in the Movies 'Tora Tora Tora (a movie about the attack on Pearl Harbor) and 'Jet Carrier'. Though out the war, the Yorktown would team with a ship she would share so much history with, the USS Enterprise. Both ships were members of Task Force 38/58 (TF38 when Admiral Halsey was in command, TF58 when Admiral Mitcher was commanding). The ship was evolved in many of the major Pacific battles from 1943 thru 1945 when the war ended. In 1953, the ship was refit with improved radar and a new 'Island' superstructure. Other improvement allowed the ship to carry and operate jets from her deck. She was reclassified as an Attack Carrier, CVA-10. In 1955, the ship again entered dry-dock to undergo another major refit. This time, the refit would allow the ship to launch and recover planes at the same time, an angled flight deck. Also during the refit, the ship was again reclassified, but this time as an anti-submarine carrier, CVS-10. This meant the ship would be directly responsible for hunting and countering the Soviet Union's submarine superiority over the United Stated. From 1965 to 1966, the USS Yorktown was again in combat. She was sent into the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam. She launched strikes against communist targets while patrolling the coast. In 1969, the Yorktown returned home for the last time. She was decommissioned that year, after earning fifteen battle stars, The Presidential Unit Citation as well as many other awards, and staring in three movies. However, in 1970, the ship was towed to Charleston South Carolina and became the first ship that was part of the Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum. In the next few years, other ships would be added to Patriot's Point. The Destroyer USS Laffey, that also served along side the Yorktown during World War Two, the Submarine USS Clamagor, and eventually more ships would be added. The ship is still a museum and open to the public.

The fifth ship to bare the name Yorktown was a guided missile Cruiser of the Ticonderoga class. CG-48 was 566 feet long and 55 feet wide. She carried the AEGIS Combat System, the most advanced of the time. She was Commissioned 4, July 1984. CG48 spent most of her career serving out of Pascagoula, Mississippi. During the 'Gulf War' in Earth's Middle East in 1991, the Yorktown protected the Battleship Missouri (BB63) and Carrier Enterprise (CVN65). In 2002, the ship was refit with newer engines that gave her 15% more speed and her electronics suite was updated. In 2004 the ship moved to her new home port of Norfolk Virginia where she served out of for the rest of her career. In 2005, the ship decommissioned, but in 2009 she was recommissioned by special order. In 2010, 'The Fighting Lady' was involved in an attack in the Middle East near Iran. In the engagement, the Yorktown shot down three aircraft and sunk a gunboat, taking only minor damage herself. In 2012 she was decommissioned. She was towed to Charleston South Carolina and become the newest addition of the Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum, joining her previous name sake, CV10. They are still there today and open to the public.

The first Starship to carry the name Yorktown was NX-05, an NX class ship. This ship was one of the first Earth vessels to explore deep space in the 2150s. This ship was responsible for exploring several star systems that would soon be colonized by settlers from Earth and Federation members. In 2160, the Yorktown under new CO, Captain James Michael Bremer, was exploring the area around planet Galorndon Core when the ship was attacked and destroyed. It was believed all hands were lost. It was later learned that the ships that attacked the Yorktown were Romulan. They attacked the NX-05 to prevent Starfleet from learning of a Romulan supply base there that was later used in the Earth/Romulan War.

The second starship named Yorktown was the prototype of the Yorktown Class Battleship, built in 2161. Originally named 'South Carolina', the name of the ship and the class was changed to 'Yorktown' just prior to it's launching and commissioning. NS-01 Yorktown would precede out of the shipyard and have a very active service life during the Romulan war. She would serve actively long enough to see the new Constitution class ships in service. Her final mission was with the soon to be famous USS Enterprise NCC-1701 under command of Captain Robert April in 2248 when the two ships were sent to the Klingon border on patrol. In March 2249, the NS-01 Yorktown was decommissioned.

The next Starfleet ship to bare the name Yorktown was also the eighth ship to carry on the name. She was a Constitution class Starship built in 2250. This ship servered the Federation proud while she explored the 'Final Fronter' from the 2250s to 2280s. In 2284 the ship was refit. In 2286, after an encounter with a probe sent to Earth to find out why whales were no longer present, the ship was towed to space dock to under go repairs from it's encounter with the probe. While there, the ship was renamed Enterprise-A and placed under the command of Captain James T. Kirk. After being renamed, this ship continued on to earn high praise for her new crew, after a few minor bugs were fixed. In 2287 the ship was hijacked by the Vulcan Sybok who was looking for the mythical 'Sha Ka Ree'. In 2293, the ship was sent to escort the Klingon Chancellor Gorkon to Earth for peace talks following an explosion on Praxis, but due to a comspericy between Klingon and Federation members and an attack by a cloaked Bird of Prey, this fell apart. However, after resucing Captain Kirk and Dr. McCoy from the Klingon mining prision Rura Penthe, the ship and crew, with help from Captain Sulu and the USS Excelsior, were able defend the peace talks from the Bird of Prey that was able to fire while cloaked. This opened a new era between the Federation and Klingons.

The next USS Yorktown, commissioned in 2296, was an Excelsior Class ship. The NCC-1717-A made a name for herself in 2301 when she alone protected a Federation colony from an attack by the Tholians who claimed the planet was in their territory. Alone, the Yorktown stood her ground against five Tholian ships, re-earning the Yorktown's nickname from Earth's CV-10 in World War Two, 'The Fighting Lady'. NCC-1717-A destroyed three of the attacking ships, damaged another, and succeed in keeping the Tholians from firing on the colony or landing troops. In 2323 the ship was again in battle, but this time against the Romulans. In a border clash akin to the incident in 2266 between the USS Enterprise and a Romulan Bird of Prey, the Yorktown responded to a report of an attack on a neutral zone outpost. The Romulans wanted to test their newest cloaking technology as well as upgraded plasma torpedoes. The Yorktown was able to repel the attacking ship, but took massive damaged, loosing more then half her crew. The ship was towed to a Starbase by the USS Lexington, but Starfleet decided she was too badly damaged to be repaired and they decommissioned the ship. NCC-1717-A was scrapped two weeks later.

Two years later, in 2325, the next USS Yorktown, NCC-1717-B, was commissioned at Utopia Plaitia Fleet Yards. One of the new Centaur class ships, this Yorktown would have a short life. In 2340, the ship was returning from a trip to the Klingon Homeworld of Qo'noS, when she encountered a sever ion storm near the border. The ship suffered a total power loss which allowed matter and anti-matter in the warp core to come in contact and cause a core breach that destroyed the ship. At first, Starfleet assumed the Klingons attacked the ship, but after a joint investigation the truth was learned. This allowed the two powers to work together toward a common goal and aided Federation and Klingon relations, improving them greatly. It also meant that future encounters between the two powers, the Enterprise-C's defense of the Klingon Outpost on Narendra III in 2344 and Starfleet's aiding of the Klingons after the 2346 Khitomer massacre would bring the two closer and eventually become allies.

The sixth Starship to carry on the name Yorktown was commissioned in 2350 as an Ambassador class vessel. In 2352, the Yorktown took part in the first Federation and Klingon joint operation. The Yorktown and a K'tinga Class Battlecruiser conducted a joint survey of two star systems. This truly ushered in a new era of cooperation between the two powers. The ship operated along the Klingon border, with two brief tours along the Romulan boarder, spending the next twenty years in the area. In early 2372, a new Chief Tactical/Security Officer joined the ship. This officer would go on to become Fleet Admiral and CO of the 4th Fleet in the next few years. Mike K'Wor Bremer would never forget his eight months on the Yorktown, and he would make sure the next ship to carry on the proud name would join him in the 4th Fleet. In 2374, NCC-1717-C was retired from service after twenty-four years. This ship would be handed over to the Starfleet Museum where she now sites along with other famous ships from the past.

The seventh Starship to be called Yorktown was commissioned in 2374, as an Intrepid class vessel, the day after NCC-1717-C was decommissioned. NCC-1717-D would, like NCC-1717-B, lead a short life. As part of Starfleet's 4th Fleet, and under the command of Rear Admiral Martok (no relation to the current Klingon Chancellor Martok) this ship saw more then her share of fighting in the early days of the Dominion war. The Yorktown-D took part in several important engagements, earning twelve Battle-stars for service. In late 2375, the Yorktown was assigned to protect the Chin'toka system as part of Captain Sisko's defending force. However, the Federation, Klingon, and Romulan allies were not ready for the Dominion's new ally, the Breen, and their Energy Dissipating weapons. The battle was nearly a slaughter. After the Defiant and several other ships were destroyed, the Yorktown, which had been assigned to guard the fleet's right flank, came in to cover several dozen escape pods from the lost ships. RAdm. Martok and the Yorktown-D were able to destroy another three Breen Frigates, one Jem Ha'dar Attack ship, and damage a Cardassian Keldon class cruiser before a Breen ship got in a shot with it's Energy Dissipating weapon. Helpless, the ship started to drift and the crew began to abandon ship, but the Breen continued firing. The ship was destroyed with all hands aboard, but it's clear her sacrifice allowed many escape pods to make it to safety.

The eighth and newest Starship named Yorktown was commissioned in 2376 as a Defiant class ship. Assigned to the 4th Fleet like her predecessor, NCC-1717-E was assigned to Avalon Fleet Yards  under the command of the Research and Development Department. Her Commanding Officer is James K'Temoc Bremer, brother of Fleet Admiral Mike K'Wor Bremer. She saw action in the final battles of the Dominion war and later was assigned to Captain Riker's joint Federation/Romulan Task Force for six months before K'Temoc became Federation Ambassador to QonoS with the Yorktown-E remaining under his command. After little more then a year in that position, K'Temoc took the position of R&D CO at Starbase 400 with the Yorktown as Defense and R&D vessel. It's clear she will continue to carry on the proud tradition started more then five hundred years ago by a small wooden sailing ship on Earth.