The Essex-class aircraft carrier Intrepid (CV-11) is an iconic American naval vessel and a National Historic Landmark. Intrepid was built to defeat the Empire of Japan, but frequent overhauls and refits extended her service through the Cold War, the Space Race, and the Vietnam War. Her contributions to history are ultimately stories of technological innovation and human achievement under extraordinary circumstances. USS Intrepid: The Humanity Behind the Hardware illuminates the experiences of the 50,000 men who served aboard Intrepid during her three-decade career in the U.S. Navy. The book seeks to create a personal connection between readers and the men who lived and worked aboard the ship from 1943 through 1974. The text is organized thematically, with each chapter dedicated to a group of men who comprised the ship's crew: aviators, officers, enlisted sailors, and Marines. USS Intrepid: Humanity behind the Hardware will be richly illustrated with material from the Museum's collections. In addition to historic photographs, artifacts, and archival materials such as diaries, division patches, the ship's newspapers and other items will paint a detailed picture of life aboard the ship. Contemporary photographs of the ship's restored historic spaces--workspaces, mess deck, and sleeping quarters--will reveal the actual environments where these men lived and worked.