USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) 1963 WESTPAC Sweatshirt

USS Kearsarge (CVS-33) deployed on her 1963 WESTPAC cruise, a year of profound significance for the ship. Just months before this deployment, Kearsarge had made history by recovering astronaut Gordon Cooper and his Faith 7 Mercury capsule on May 16, 1963 — the final flight of the Mercury program. Her crew carried that pride with them into the Western Pacific, where they continued their vital anti-submarine warfare mission. This sweatshirt commemorates Kearsarge's 1963 WESTPAC cruise and the exceptional sailors who served aboard her.