Overview

The annulet and gold cross allude to a telescopic gun sight and recognize the birth of modern naval gunnery in the second USS Yorktown with the first successful test of a telescopic gun sight in 1892. The gold arrowheads resemble flight symbols and refer to the role played by the third and fourth USS Yorktowns in World War II as aircraft carriers. The arrowheads also refer to missiles and, with the annulet, symbolize the evolution of the modern sophisticated AEGIS Combat System which incorporates offspring of that first telescopic sight. The arrowheads radiate in all directions, indicating the multifaceted striking ability of the AEGIS System. The red shield indicates the wartime service of the previous Yorktowns. There are nineteen stars on the blue border representing the nineteen battle stars of the previous ships named Yorktown. The red, white, and blue colors of the design are the National colors, while the gold of the arrowheads and cross denotes excellence.

Yorktown's Keel was laid at Ingalls Ship Building and was ceremonially authenticated on October 19, 1981 in Yorktown, VA.

Yorktown was Christened on April 16, 1983 by President Ronald Reagan and the Ship's Sponsor Mary Mathews at Ingalls Ship Building  Pascagoula, MS.

Yorktown was commissioned on July 4, 1984 in Yorktown, VA.

Yorktown was Decommissioned and Struck December 10, 2004. Yorktown is currently berthed at the Naval Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.