‘Indy’ on way to recycling bin

PADRE ISLAND, Texas - The 60,000-ton USS Independence, last of the Forrestal class of aircraft carriers, was towed June 1 through Brazos Santiago Pass on its way to be recycled at the Port of Brownsville. The ship, towed from Washington state, was decommissioned 1998. International Shipbreaking Ltd. (ISL) President Chris Green credited the port and Cameron County for a ceremony honoring the veterans who served on the carrier. The 1,070-foot-long “supercarrier” passed on the horizon behind the podium. Flags waved with the sea breeze as speakers said farewell to the ship. The Independence served in the Vietnam War, Lebanese Civil War, and Operation Southern Watch in Iraq. ISL will cut the ship's high-nickel steel into 2-by-3 foot sections and ship it out to mills that will melt it down, repurpose it in order to “make other U.S. military with it,” Green said. (Source: McAllen Monitor 06/02/17)