USS Independence embarks on final voyage



BREMERTON , Wash. -- The former USS Independence left a naval base in Kitsap County Saturday morning for the last time.

The ship began its final journey down around the coast of South America to its final destination in Brownsville, Texas where it will be dismantled for reuse.

The Navy says the ship's intercontinental voyage will last through the summer.

The Independence was decommissioned in 1998 after 39 years of active service which included a tour in Vietnam and operations in Iraq.