Intrepid's Back In Town

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat up the Hudson River to its berth, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum occupied the Manhattan space for 24 years as a military and space museum until late 2006, when it was moved for extensive repairs and improvements costing nearly $120 million.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat up the Hudson River to its berth, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. Onlookers gathered along the riverbanks and in passing pleasure craft as the huge vessel was ceremoniously escorted on a 5-mile journey from Staten Island.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat up the Hudson River into its berth, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. About 400 guests and former crew members rode along, mingling on the flight deck in 60-degree weather. A tugboat fleet generating about 18,000 horsepower, said a stiff westerly wind helped guide the estimated 38,900-ton carrier into its newly rebuilt pier.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat up the Hudson River into its berth, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. The Intrepid arrived home following brief stops to salute the Statue of Liberty and unfurl a large American flag near ground zero, honoring victims of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat up the Hudson River to its berth, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. Launched in 1943 as one of the Navy's then-new Essex-class attack carriers, the USS Intrepid figured in six major Pacific theater campaigns including Leyte Gulf, the war's greatest naval battle, surviving five Japanese kamikaze suicide planes.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat up the Hudson River to its berth, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. It later saw service in the Korean and Vietnam wars and was twice a recovery ship for NASA astronauts before it was decommissioned and mothballed in a Philadelphia shipyard -- slated for demolition until rescued by New York real estate developer and philanthropist Zachary Fisher.

The Intrepid passes 42nd Street in New York as it is towed up the Hudson River on the way to its berth after a 22-month overhaul, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. Since 1982 it has become one of Gotham's most popular tourist sites, drawing some 750,000 visitors yearly over the past decade.

The Intrepid is towed up the Hudson River past the New York skyline on the way to its berth after a 22-month overhaul, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. Renovations at a New Jersey dry dock included repair and refurbishment of the ship's 65-year-old hull, then interior work at Staten Island's Stapleton naval dock.

The Intrepid is towed up the Hudson River past the New York skyline on the way to its berth after a 22-month overhaul, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008. Improvements include the opening of formerly sealed spaces and expanded interactive museum exhibits, and the addition of five new aircraft to its flight deck collection.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is moved via tugboat in New York Harbor, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008.

The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid is guided by tugboat into its berth in the Hudson River, Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008.

The Intrepid is moved into position at its berth in New York after it was towed up the Hudson River after a 22-month overhaul, as seen from Weehawken, N.J., Thursday, Oct. 2, 2008.

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