Carrier Saratoga freed from sand
Aug. 18, 1932: The Saratoga was engaged in afternoon target maneuvers in the waters between Seal Beach and Huntington Beach when “the sandy bottom seemed suddenly to rise and clutch her keel in its vise-like grip,” The Times reported.
Suddenly run aground, the aircraft carrier “swung immediately parallel to the beach, port side to the shore and with her prow headed south,” the newspaper said.
It took three tugs and more than 3 1/2 hours to pull the Saratoga back into safe waters. A battleship and a light cruiser stood by in case of emergency. Hundreds of spectators gathered on the shore.
The ship’s hull did not appear to be damaged, and it returned safely to its home port in Long Beach that evening after its “perilous brush with disaster,” The Times said, adding: “The giant ship, with a displacement of 33,000 tons, is the largest ship to be grounded in the history of the Navy.”
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