USS Saratoga (CVA-60) 1972-73 Cruise Sweatshirt

The USS Saratoga (CVA-60) was a Forrestal-class attack carrier commissioned on April 14, 1956, and homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. In 1972 she was redesignated CV-60, reflecting the Navy's new multi-mission carrier classification. The 1972-73 Mediterranean deployment was one of the most eventful of Saratoga's career. In 1972, Operation Linebacker intensified air operations over Vietnam, and in October 1973, the Yom Kippur War erupted in the Middle East, triggering a massive U.S. military airlift to Israel and bringing the Sixth Fleet to the highest state of readiness since the Cuban Missile Crisis. This sweatshirt honors the crew of USS Saratoga who served during the dramatic 1972-73 cruise.