June 17, 2006

Intrepid Museum makes dry dock plans - NY Times

If you've been meaning to go have a look at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, its Concorde jet, nuclear missle submarine and spy planes, you might want to do that sooner rather than later because there are plans in the works to move the World War II-era aircraft carrier to dry dock for repairs but officials won't say when, the New York Times reports.

Officials won't say when the ship will leave, where it will go for the unnamed repairs, or how long it will be gone. The Times also reports the move may "coincide with the replacement of Pier 86, the city-owned dock that the Intrepid is tied to. The work on the pier could take up to two years. ..."

The museum's website currently lists events scheduled through August 27, including the Red White and Blue Festival on Sunday, July 2, and summer camp sessions for kids that run through August 25.

Additionally, the museum is opening a major new permanent exhibition on July 4 called "Heroic Journeys: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories." A smaller photo exhibit by Mark Greenberg, "Triumph of Vision," is scheduled to run through October 1, according to the website.

The Intrepid is docked at Pier 86, located at 46th Street along the West Side Highway.

Since 1982, the 900-foot long U.S.S. Intrepid has been docked on the Hudson River serving as a museum, but during WWII it survived seven bomb attacks, one torpedo hit and five kamikaza strikes. In the 1960s it was used by NASA as a primary recovery vehicle during the Mercury and Gemini space missions. It also served in the Vietnam War before it was decommissioned in 1974.

Related: The Intrepid has a webcam.

Earlier: Squeezing in a visit to the Concorde

June 17, 2006 08:11 AM in History, Kids, Midtown, Museums, Sightsology

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