The Last Captain of the Ageless Warrior

When you look back at the twilight days of the USS Coral Sea (CV-43), it’s impossible not to think about the steady hand of her last captain, Lloyd Edward Allen, Jr. He was the man at the helm when this great carrier closed out her service to the nation, and those final years were anything but uneventful.

To understand just how meaningful that was, you have to look at what Coral Sea had already given the country. Commissioned in 1947, she was one of the post–World War II “supercarriers” designed to project American air power across the globe [Naval History Command]. She was in the thick of it during the Vietnam War, launching sorties over North Vietnam and playing a major role in Operation Pocket Money—the mining of Haiphong Harbor in 1972 [NavSource]. In the 1980s, she was still right in the mix, sending her air wing against Libya during the 1986 Gulf of Sidra crisis [USS Coral Sea Tribute]. Over more than four decades, Coral Sea had gone from Cold War show-of-force patrols to hot combat zones and back again, earning the nickname “Ageless Warrior.” By the time Allen took command, she already carried a history that was bigger than most ships ever see.

Allen assumed command in June 1988, right after the old girl had come out of the yards for repairs and upgrades [NavSource]. Coral Sea shook off the rust and headed out for shakedown exercises, showing the flag along the East Coast and even pulling into Halifax, Nova Scotia that summer [USS Coral Sea Tribute]. For a lot of the crew, that was their first taste of foreign liberty, and it set the tone that even though this ship was nearing retirement, she wasn’t going to fade quietly into history.

One of the biggest moments during Allen’s command came not from Coral Sea herself but from tragedy aboard a sister ship. In April 1989, the battleship USS Iowa suffered a horrific turret explosion that killed 47 sailors [Encyclopedia Academic]. Coral Sea was right there to answer the call. She launched helicopters with medical teams, supplies, and even explosive ordnance experts to help stabilize the Iowa. It was a sobering reminder of why we keep these great ships at sea—not just for power projection but to support each other in the worst of times.

That same year, Coral Sea opened her decks to families during a Tiger Cruise [USS Coral Sea Tribute]. Kids and loved ones came aboard, watched helicopters fly, and got to experience a small slice of what their sailors lived every day. For a ship in her final chapter, it was a chance to celebrate the bond between crew and family.

But if you want to talk about symbolism, nothing beats September 27, 1989. That’s when an A-6 Intruder from Carrier Air Wing 13 made the very last arrested landing on Coral Sea. They logged it officially as trap number 357,028 [USS Coral Sea Tribute]. Think about that for a second—hundreds of thousands of landings across four decades of service, and Allen was the skipper for the last one. You can bet the deck crew and air wing paused to take that in. It was the end of an era.

And then came April 1990. After 43 years of service—through Vietnam, the Cold War, and countless deployments—Coral Sea was decommissioned [Naval History Command]. Captain Allen stood as her final commanding officer, the last in a proud line of leaders stretching back to 1947. He closed the logbook and watched the ship go silent, but he also carried the honor of knowing he was the one who saw her safely home.

So when we talk about Captain Allen, we’re not just remembering another name in the roster of commanding officers. We’re remembering the man who guided Coral Sea through her last watch, who kept her crew sharp, and who made sure the ship went out with dignity. It’s a fitting legacy for both the captain and the carrier that bore the nickname “Ageless Warrior.”

And maybe that’s the real takeaway. Ships like the Coral Sea are steel and rivets, but their true spirit comes from the people who serve aboard them and the leaders who set the course. Captain Allen’s steady leadership ensured that Coral Sea’s final chapter wasn’t one of decline, but of dignity. In that sense, his command stands as a reminder that even as ships come and go, the traditions of duty, honor, and service never age—and they never fade.

I had the chance, along with some shipmates, to reconnect with Admiral Allen years later on a Zoom call. We all laughed, swapped stories, and got to hear his perspective on life aboard Coral Sea. One story in particular has stuck with me. He told us about a young sailor who had ended up at captain’s mast. Allen already knew the kid was a good sailor who’d just had a run of bad luck, so before the mast he quietly phoned the boy’s mother. Then, right in the middle of the mast, Allen asked the sailor, “What would your mother say about this?”—and handed him the phone. Needless to say, Mom straightened him out, and there were no more problems after that.

It was stories like that which reminded me what kind of commanding officer Rear Admiral Allen really was. Firm when he needed to be, but always with the heart of a leader who wanted the best for his men. Listening to him, I couldn’t help but think—I would have been glad to serve under him.

SOURCES:

“Commanding Officers, USS Coral Sea (CV-43).” NavSource Online: Aircraft Carrier Photo Archive, 2025, .
“Coral Sea 1980s Photos and Memories.” 

“USS Iowa Turret Explosion, 19 April 1989.” Encyclopedia Academic, .

“From the Sea to the Stars: A History of U.S. Naval Space Command.” 

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