USS Yorktown Association

10/17/2025

End of one of the most gratifying jobs I ever had in my life. Thanks Yorktown family for allowing me to serve on your Board of Directors for the past twenty one years and as your Chairman for the past six years. You have a great leadership team moving forward and the future looks very bright for the Association.

Dean Peterson

07/09/2025

Another of our Bugs Bunny squadron logos. This one is for Bombing Squadron 9, which served on the Yorktown in 1945. They were part of the Air Group that participated in the sinking of the Japanese battleship, Yamato.

07/08/2025

During World War II, Warner Brothers allowed their characters to be used in squadron logos. We're biased, but this is one of our favorites. Torpedo Squadron One joined the Yorktown in May 1944 and was led by LCDR Walter Henry.

07/02/2025

First day jitters - 1958. You're not the only one who gets a little lost in all these passageways when you visit the ship.

06/24/2025

We had a great visit last week with Yorktown veteran David Bearden (VA-155, 1953-1955). He designed the squadron logos you see in one of the photos here. He also served on the USS Bataan and later helped improve and test ejector seats!
Bearden donated some historic newsletters and menus from his time on the ship and shared fascinating and humorous stories of his time in the Navy.

06/14/2025

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19ggRJ3ewL/

Happy 250th Birthday to the U.S. Army! 🪖 🇺🇸

At Patriots Point, we proudly honor all branches of the military, and today we celebrate the U.S. Army's incredible 250-year legacy of service, sacrifice, and strength.

From the Revolutionary War to today's global missions, the Army has been at the forefront of protecting our freedoms. Here's to 250 years of dedication, valor, and unwavering commitment.

Thank you to all the brave men and women who have served and continue to serve. We salute you! 🙌



📷: US Army Chaplains stand on the flight deck of the USS Yorktown.

06/11/2025

Get ready to place your bids this October!
Lynne Balogas and her daughters Jill Grillo and Kristen Daher dropped off two baskets for the silent auction yesterday. Each one contains several items that are nautical themed. They include hand-painted seashells and hand-made bracelets that spell out a Morse code message!
Lynne is the wife of the late George Balogas from OA Division, 1966-67. She and Jill make the bracelets and other beautiful creations themselves.
If you have something you'd like to donate to our auction, contact us at [email protected]

05/29/2025

We had a great visit today with Maxie Renshaw (X Division, 1969) and his family. If you came on board as a young enlisted man in 1969 in Norfolk, Maxie would have been one of the first guys you met. He did your paperwork. He also became someone people turned to with their problems. He was just that kind of guy. The chaplain said Maxie seemed to counsel more men than he did! That's how Maxie earned the ship's Man of the Year award. He donated it today to the ship's collections.

05/13/2025

If you've ever wondered what your fellow USS Yorktown veterans were up to after they served on the ship, here's an example of one who went into law enforcement. Al Brown (in the squadron HS-4 in 1966) retired from the FBI.
Al was one of the agents who arrested Frank Abagnale years ago.
The two are friends today. In the top photo, Mr. Abagnale stood with Al this past April when he was honored for 30 years of service as an FBI agent and 25 years of service as a member of the Society of Former Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bottom photo is (left to right) Frank Abagnale, Al Brown, and two other agents who arrested Abagnale (Joe Shea and Tom McKewon).

05/12/2025

Happy 98th birthday to one of our World War II veterans, William Anderson! He still travels from Minnesota to our reunions on the ship with his wonderful family!

05/10/2025

We salute you.

05/05/2025

Sam Orr (plane captain for VS-37, 1958) paid us a little visit today with a whole posse of pilots. He flies a private plane himself, now. One he actually built himself! They all flew in from North Georgia to see the ship and hear some great stories from Sam.