On October 8, 1960 Constellation CV-64 was christened and floated for the first time. The carrier was built at the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn and at the time was the largest warship ever built, she was also the last American carrier constructed by a yard other than Newport News. Her launch was uneventful, but only two months later she was in the news again.

On Dec. 19, 1960 a forklift accident ignited a blaze which engulfed much of the ship killing forty-six shipyard workers and injuring over 150 more. The fire caused her commissioning to be delayed and it cost an estimated $75 million in repairs.