BREMERTON, Wash. – Sailors assigned to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) attended a rededication ceremony at Naval Ammunitions Depot Park, Aug. 4.
During an ongoing community relations project, Stennis sailors assisted in refurbishing an F8-H Crusader jet from the Vietnam era and renovating the park.
The repainted Crusader was unveiled during the rededication ceremony.
“This has been the longest volunteer project I have worked on, and it couldn’t have been done without the help of the sailors,” said Marion Hersey, master of ceremonies.
The jet was cleaned and restored and then repainted to its 1968 color scheme when it belonged to the Sundowners of Composite Fighter Squadron (VFC)-111 onboard the aircraft carrier USS Shangri-La (CV-38).
“This made me think of how it’s important for us to look back at our naval history,” said Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Equipment) 1st Class Frank Palmer, from Anadarko, Okla. “I always enjoy volunteering and this one was special to me because working on this aircraft made me think of how it relates to my job.”
A veteran F8-H pilot attended the ceremony to see the work that was put into the familiar aircraft.
“I drive by here all the time, and it’s great to see them restore it,” said Carl Swan, retired F8-H pilot. “I have flown for more than 1,000 hours in these planes and I’m so grateful to the volunteers who helped restore this plane.”
Stennis is currently undergoing a docking planned incremental availability maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.
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