Intrepid Sails Again — And Less Bloodshed This Time Around!

After an earlier aborted attempt, the Intrepid got unstuck:

“This old baby is moving,” a joyous Intrepid Foundation President Bill White said aboard the vessel. Some crew members cried and gave each other high fives and hugs. Onlookers ashore cheered.

“It’s like it used to be, only better. There’s no bloodshed,” said elated passenger Felix Novelli, who served on the Intrepid crew during World War II. “I’m 18 again. And I have my beautiful broad right here, my ship Intrepid.”

. . .

The trip began with considerable effort as the historic aircraft carrier-turned-museum inched haltingly away from its anchorage. Finally, it began moving at about 3 to 4 knots, its pier growing more and more distant.

“Move baby, move baby!” the crew and passengers yelled. Then, “We did it, we did it!”

“When she started to move, she got hung up. Several of the blades of the propeller dug in,” said tugboat Capt. Patrick Kinnier, who helped plan the mission and was a passenger on the Intrepid.

Mud was churned into a 35-foot-deep trench that had been dug below. When the ship finally moved, “It was the best Christmas present I ever had. I cried. But don’t tell anybody. I’m a tough tugboat guy,” said Kinnier. “This is nothing but joy.”