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The following history of the ship
was written and edited from several histories found in the Oriskany Museum.
On July 17, 1777, General Nicholas Herkimer issued a call to the Tryon County Militia
of the Mohawk Valley NY, asking them to "march to oppose the enemy with vigor, as true patriots, for the defense of their
country". The call was answered, and on August 6, 1777, the strategic Battle of Oriskany was fought, which turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. 166 years later on August 7, 1943, Congress authorized the construction of the attack aricraft carrier USS
Oriskany CV-34. The keel of this essex-class carrier was laid in the Brooklyn
Naval Shipyard on May
1, 1944.
The vessel was launched on Oct. 13, 1945. However, WW II was over and Oriskany wasn't completed until the Korean War was in progress. On Sept.25, 1950, Oriskany was commissioned at the Brooklyn
Naval Shipyard and--in keeping with her heritage--was sent out "to oppose the enemy with vigor, as a true patriot, for the
defense of (her) country". The Korean conflict was at hand. With Capt. Percy H. Lyon at the helm, Oriskany steamed to Guantanamo
Bay for her shakedown cruise.
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