The USS Intrepid is a warship unlike any other. The 27,000-ton, Essex-class aircraft carrier has sailed into harm’s way around the globe. At Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle in history, she sank Japanese warships and endured kamikaze and torpedo attacks. She fought at Okinawa and other Pacific battles, surviving to be the recovery ship for America’s first astronauts and later returning to action in Vietnam.

Intrepid brings this history to life in a stirring tribute complete with personal recollections of those who served on the ship and vivid descriptions of the deadly conflicts she endured. It is a story of the people who sailed in her, fought to keep her alive, and perished in her defense, a story which powerfully captures the human element in the history of American heroism.