USS Saratoga (CV-60) 1980 Cruise Sweatshirt

The USS Saratoga (CV-60) was a Forrestal-class aircraft carrier commissioned on April 14, 1956, and homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. Named for the 1777 Battles of Saratoga, a turning point of the Revolutionary War, she represented American sea power through the Cold War decades. The 1980 Mediterranean deployment came in the immediate wake of the Iran hostage crisis and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, placing the U.S. Navy on heightened alert throughout the region. Saratoga and her embarked Carrier Air Wing stood ready as America's forward presence in the Sixth Fleet area of operations. This sweatshirt honors the crew of USS Saratoga who served during the 1980 cruise.