Boneyard Safari
Preserving Aviation HIstory

Flash back to 2007 with HMS Illustrious R06 with USMC AV-8B conducting fixed wing work ahead of Operation Bold Step. At the rear of the flight deck, an Osprey MV-22 aircraft can just be seen. #hmsillustrious #r06 #boneyardsafari #navalsafari #aviationsafari

Did you know USS Long Beach CGN-9 was a MiG killer during the Vietnam War? #migkiller #usslongbeach #cgn9 #boneyardsafari #navalsafari

What it looked like landing on an Essex Class carrier. #aircraftcarrier #boneyardsafari #navalsafari #aviationsafari

A look back at USS John C. Stennis CVN-74 alongside the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious R06 in the Persian Gulf on April 9, 1998. #hmsillustrious #r06 #boneyardsafari #navalsafari #aviationsafari

A look back at HMS Ark Royal departing Malta in 1993. #hmsarkroyal #boneyardsafari #navalsafari #aviationsafari

The two 5-Inch/38 gun mounts which were installed midships of USS Long Beach CGN-9 as directed by President Kennedy during construction. #usslongbeach #cgn9 #boneyardsafari #navalsafari

Check out this photo of a A-4C landing aboard USS Enterprise CVAN-65 with USS Bainbridge DLGN-25 and USS Long Beach CGN-9 following, can you guess what year? #usslongbeach #cgn9 #boneyardsafari #navalsafari #aviationsafari

Here is USS Ranger CV-4 underway in Hampton Roads, VA August 1942, note her smoke stacks are on the side of the flight deck and be canted outwards to clear space during flight operations. #ussranger #cv4 #boneyardsafari #navalsafari #aviationsafari

Here is USS Ranger CV-4 in 1945, she spent most of WWII in the Atlantic due to her slower speed. #ussranger #cv4 #boneyardsafari #aviationsafari #navalsafari

A tugboat guides the Self Defense Test Ship (SDTS) back into its mooring location at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Dec. 18 2024 after the ship rotated 180 degrees. Repositioning the SDTS enabled painters to work from a pontoon boat to paint the port side of the hull after recently completing the starboard side. The work completed more than a year of upgrades and renovations for the ship, which serves as a key platform for testing and evaluating Navy weapon system