Editing USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (section)

===1973 to 1977===
From January through July 1973, ''Kitty Hawk'' changed [[home port]]s from San Diego to San Francisco. ''Kitty Hawk'' moved into dry dock on 14 January 1973. Work began to convert the ship from an attack (CVA) to a multi-mission carrier (CV). The "CV" designation indicated that ''Kitty Hawk'' was no longer strictly an attack carrier, in that [[anti-submarine warfare]] would also become a major role. ''Kitty Hawk'' became the first Pacific Fleet carrier to carry the multi-purpose "CV" designation. The conversion consisted of adding ten new [[helicopter]] calibrating stations, installing [[sonar]]/[[sonobuoy]] readout and analysis center and associated equipment, and changing a large portion of the ship's operating procedures. One of the significant equipment/space changes in the conversion was the addition of the Anti-Submarine Classification and Analysis Center (ASCAC) in the [[Combat Information Center|CIC]] area. ASCAC worked in close conjunction with the [[anti-submarine warfare]] aircraft assigned aboard [[CVW-11|Carrier Air Wing 11]]. The Engineering Department underwent a significant change in its propulsion plant during the yard period. The Navy Standard Oil (black oil) fuel system was completely converted to Navy Distillate Fuel. The Air Department added several significant changes to the flight deck, including enlarging the [[jet blast deflector]]s (JBD) and installing more powerful catapults to handle the new [[Grumman]] [[F-14 Tomcat]], which ''Kitty Hawk'' was due to receive for its next deployment. Enlarging JBD#1 meant the No. 1 Aircraft Elevator had to be redesigned, making ''Kitty Hawk'' the only carrier at the time having an aircraft elevator that tracked from the hangar deck to the flight deck angling out 6°. ''Kitty Hawk'' moved out of dry dock on 28 April 1973, and the next day, on her 12th birthday, she was named a Multi-Purpose Aircraft Carrier (CV).
[[Image:USS Kitty Hawk Sydney.jpg|thumb|View of the ''Kitty Hawk'' from the [[Royal Botanic Gardens, Sydney]]]]

After much-needed upgrades and modifications to ''Kitty Hawk''{{'}}s systems, she departed Hunters Point navy shipyards in San Francisco to begin "sea trial" exercises and then made a short three-day layover in Pearl Harbor for some crew R&R. She then departed for the South China Sea. However, while en route, during routine maintenance to the ship's fuel oil systems in the No. 1 machinery room on 11 December 1973, a flange gasket failed in one of the fuel transfer tubes of [[Jet fuel|JP5 jet fuel]] that pass through Number 1 engine room. Jet fuel was sprayed, atomized, and ignited, and the ship went to General Quarters for nearly 38 hours. Due to the massive amounts of thick black smoke, the crew was ordered topside to the flight deck until the fire could be controlled and the smoke cleared. Because two and then three of the ship's four propulsion systems had to be shut down during the fire, ''Kitty Hawk'' began to list about 7 degrees portside. As a result, many of the aircraft were moved starboard to balance the ship until the fire was finally brought under control and two propulsion systems restored. ''Kitty Hawk'' then headed toward the Philippines, where she ported in Subic Bay until the ship's damage could be assessed, and repairs could be made, but there would be three days of waiting before reaching port. Six enlisted sailors died in the fire: FR Michael Deverich, FR Linn Schambers, FR Kevin Johnson, FA Alan Champine, Samuel Cardenas, and FA Joseph Tulipana. Thirty-four sailors were treated for smoke inhalation and several minor injuries, and one sailor for a broken wrist reported. The bodies of those men who died in the fire were escorted home by members of their respective Divisions for burial.

As a result of the deaths of the six crew members, on 10 January 1974, an investigation was ordered by Rear Admiral [[Donald C. Davis]], Commander of Carrier Group 1 and Senior Officer onboard ''Kitty Hawk'' designated as his flagship. Although initial reports lay blame to one of the six men who perished in the tragic fire, upon conclusion of the investigation filed by the Department of the Navy, Commander Seventh Fleet, several opinions on causes were noted within the investigation, which included but were not limited to the Fourth Endorsement on Captain [[Kenneth L. Shugart]], USN. The investigative report of 10 January 1974, section 3, paragraph 3 stated, "The replacement of the defective gasket in the strainer cover assembly by Fireman Apprentice Kevin W. Johnson (deceased) reflected, in the words of the investigating officer, poor judgment and unsound maintenance practices." Further, "Fireman Apprentice Johnson was therefore negligent in the performance of his duties." However, in consonance with the investigating officer, the opinion is expressed that under the circumstances, the maintenance deficiencies noted herein constitute simple, rather than culpable, negligence."

In light of the efforts made by all six navy personnel, FA Cardenas, Champine and Tulipana, and FR Deverich, Schambers and Johnson assigned to the machinery room on 11 December 1973, who all died during the suppression efforts, "It has administratively been determined each were posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for their heroic devotion to duty in fighting the fire which is the subject of this investigative report."<ref>Department of the Navy investigative report by Captain Kenneth L. Shugart, U.S. Navy; First hand accounts by BTFN ET Rieth-USS Kitty Hawk 1973-1974; and ''Kitty Hawk Flyer News'' article Thursday 13 December 1973 Vol. 12, Number 28 JO3 Jeff Starke, PAO.</ref>

''Kitty Hawk'' stayed busy throughout the mid-1970s with numerous deployments to the Western Pacific and involvement in a large number of exercises, including [[RIMPAC]] in 1973 and 1975. ''Kitty Hawk'' departed San Diego on 8 March 1976, and on 12 March entered dry dock at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in [[Bremerton, Washington]], to commence a US$100 million complex overhaul, scheduled to last just more than 12 months. This overhaul configured ''Kitty Hawk'' to operate with the F-14 and [[S-3 Viking|S-3A "Viking"]] aircraft in a total CV sea control mode. This included adding spaces for storage, ordnance handling, and maintenance facilities for the two aircraft. Also included in the work package were more efficient work areas for airframes and a repair facility for ground support equipment, and the addition of avionics support capability for the S-3. The ship also replaced the Terrier Surface-to-Air missile system with the [[NATO]] [[AIM-7 Sparrow|Sea Sparrow]] system and added elevators and modified weapons magazines to provide an increased capability for handling and stowing the newer, larger air-launched weapons. ''Kitty Hawk'' completed the overhaul in March 1977 and departed the shipyard on 1 April of that year to return to San Diego. After a six-month pre-deployment workup, ''Kitty Hawk'' departed [[NAS North Island]] 25 October 1977<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/dam/nhhc/research/archives/command-operation-reports/ship-command-operation-reports/k/kitty-hawk-cv-63-ii/1977.pdf |title=USS Kitty Hawk Command History for 1977 |date=6 April 1978 |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |access-date=21 February 2019}}</ref> for another [[Western Pacific Ocean]] deployment and returned 15 May 1978.