A jet fighter climbs away from the flight deck of USS Ticonderoga moments after a catapult launch, the towline still trailing beneath its fuselage. Scenes like this played out daily aboard American aircraft carriers on Yankee Station during the Vietnam War, as pilots and deck crews maintained a relentless tempo of combat air operations against targets in Southeast Asia. The Essex-class carrier Ticonderoga, a veteran of World War II, went on to serve with distinction through the Vietnam era before her eventual decommissioning. Project: 218116