On the shimmering Hudson River, the USS Intrepid sits moored at Pier 86, its steel hull a living testament to the sweeping tides of naval history. But halfway around the world, a new symbol of maritime ambition is making waves: the Chinese Navy’s Fujian, a next-generation aircraft carrier that’s turning heads and raising eyebrows across the Pacific. The stories of these two ships, separated by decades and continents, reveal a striking portrait of how sea power evolves—and why it still matters in a world defined by rapid military innovation.
The USS Intrepid (CV-11) was commissioned in August 1943, at the height of World War II. According to the National Security Journal, she was built to answer a simple but daunting challenge: project overwhelming airpower across the vast Pacific, far from American shores. The Essex-class carrier was designed for speed, resilience, and adaptability—a blueprint for wartime urgency. After a brisk shakedown, Intrepid steamed west to join the fast-carrier task forces, her decks soon echoing with the thunder of piston fighters and dive bombers.
Intrepid’s baptism by fire came early. In early 1944, her air groups struck the Marshalls, then pounded Truk Lagoon during Operation Hailstone. There, a nighttime aerial torpedo smashed her stern, jamming the rudder. The crew’s response was nothing short of ingenious—they rigged a makeshift sail on the forecastle to help steer the wounded carrier home for repairs. Back in the fight by summer, Intrepid joined the relentless carrier offensive through the Palaus and the Philippines, culminating in the sprawling Battle of Leyte Gulf. The autumn of 1944 was brutal: repeated kamikaze attacks battered the ship, but each time, the crew fought fires, patched decks, and returned to flight operations with stubborn regularity. She was there for the Okinawa campaign in 1945, launching strikes against Japanese airfields and fleet units, weathering more near-misses and direct hits. The pattern held: take damage, repair, and return—testimony to steel, training, and an indomitable damage-control culture.
With victory achieved, Intrepid was decommissioned in 1947. But the jet age was dawning, and the Navy needed carriers that could keep up. In the early 1950s, Intrepid underwent a sweeping modernization: her flight deck was strengthened, arresting gear upgraded, and powerful steam catapults installed. A second round of upgrades added the now-iconic angled flight deck and an enclosed “hurricane bow”—transforming her silhouette and enabling safer, faster jet operations. These changes, detailed by National Security Journal, turned a World War II veteran into a Cold War attack carrier, ready for a new era of challenges.
During the Cold War, Intrepid’s missions ranged from Atlantic and Mediterranean patrols to a very different kind of duty: serving as a recovery ship for NASA. She retrieved Mercury astronaut Scott Carpenter in 1962 and the Gemini 3 crew in 1965, bridging the gap between the age of naval aviation and the dawn of space exploration. In the early 1960s, as the Soviet undersea threat grew, Intrepid was reclassified as CVS-11 and shifted to anti-submarine warfare, embarking hunter-killer air groups and drilling across the Atlantic—including during the tense days of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
From 1966 to 1969, Intrepid deployed three times to Vietnam. Her air wing was a blend of A-4 Skyhawks, A-1 Skyraiders, electronic warfare, and early warning aircraft—a “small-deck” mix that prioritized sortie rate and persistence. In one of the war’s most unusual dogfights, an Intrepid-based Skyraider shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17—a feat that proved pilot skill and tactics could still trump the latest technology. The ship’s Vietnam record was built on dependable machinery and practiced crews: launch, recover, fuel, rearm, repeat. The rhythms of the Tonkin Gulf pressed every system and sailor, echoing the carrier’s Pacific past.
After Vietnam, Intrepid returned to Atlantic and Mediterranean duty. She decommissioned for the last time in March 1974, narrowly avoiding the scrapyard thanks to an advocacy campaign and philanthropic support. In 1982, she reopened as the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, transforming from a warship into a floating classroom and civic landmark. Over the years, she’s hosted ceremonies, Fleet Week events, and millions of visitors—even serving as a temporary operations hub after 9/11. A major drydocking and restoration in 2006–2008 prepared her for decades more of public life. Today, Intrepid anchors a campus that spans naval aviation, space exploration, and Cold War undersea warfare—fitting for a ship that lived all three.
Fast-forward to September 2025, and the world’s attention is fixed on a very different kind of carrier. The Chinese Navy’s Fujian (18), a Type 003 aircraft carrier, represents a quantum leap in Beijing’s maritime ambitions. As reported by USNI News, Fujian launched and recovered next-generation naval aircraft—including the J-35 fifth-generation stealth fighter, J-15 attack jet, and KJ-600 airborne early warning aircraft—in a series of deck operations that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) called a first for the carrier. The involved aircraft had recently dazzled crowds over Beijing during the 80th anniversary parade marking the end of the Pacific War.
Launched in the summer of 2022, Fujian is the largest warship to emerge from Asia since World War II, displacing some 80,000 tons and supporting an embarked air wing of 40 aircraft. Unlike China’s earlier STOBAR carriers, Liaoning and Shandong, Fujian boasts catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery (CATOBAR) operations, enabled by an electromagnetic catapult system—the only such system outside the U.S. Navy. This technological leap allows Chinese naval aviation to operate farther and with heavier payloads than ever before.
Earlier this month, the Japan Self-Defense Force spotted Fujian sailing from the Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard through the Taiwan Strait toward the South China Sea for further testing. According to the PLAN, these tests were likely conducted earlier in 2025, but footage was released during Fujian’s ninth sea trials, suggesting that the carrier is nearing operational status. Ben Lewis, co-founder of PLATracker, told USNI News the event was a “significant milestone” for China’s carrier program. "Once operational, the PLAN will have the capacity to field fifth-generation stealth carrier aircraft, supported by fixed-wing carrier-based airborne early warning and command aircraft, across the first island chain and Western Pacific Ocean," Lewis noted.
Fujian’s debut comes amid a broader regional naval buildup. India is preparing to equip its latest carrier with French Rafale fighter jets, hoping to bolster its presence in the Indian Ocean Region. Japan is converting two helicopter destroyers to support F-35B operations, while Indonesia is reportedly eyeing an Italian flattop for conversion into a drone mothership featuring Turkish Bayraktars. The race for maritime supremacy in the Indo-Pacific is heating up, and the introduction of advanced carriers like Fujian is raising the stakes for all involved.
Comparing the Intrepid and Fujian offers a glimpse into the arc of naval history—and the challenges ahead. Intrepid’s resilience, adaptability, and ability to bridge eras made her a legend. Fujian’s cutting-edge technology and ambitious scope signal the emergence of a new maritime power. Both carriers, in their own ways, embody the spirit of innovation and determination that define great navies. As the world watches the Pacific, the lessons of the past and the promises of the future converge—on steel decks, under open skies, and in the hearts of those who serve.