The USS Intrepid is a National Historic Monument and and centrepiece of the museum named after the battle-scarred aircraft carrier, which saw action in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. (Lance Hornby/QMI Agency)

NEW YORK — The USS Intrepid, survivor of armed conflict for America since 1943, finds itself in an entirely new battle zone.

The scarred aircraft carrier, forefront of the newly restored sea, air and space museum that bears its name, is fighting to lure tourists a few blocks from competing midtown Manhattan attractions to its berth at Pier 86 on the Hudson River near West 46th St.

Officials are ecstatic that almost one million people came back aboard in the 12 months since November of 2008, following a two-year refit in a New Jersey dry dock. That could swell even higher for all ages if the Intrepid gets hold of one of the retiring NASA space shuttles by 2012. More than 100,000 people have signed the shuttle2nyc petition and there’s lots of political clout behind the scenes.

One of the last Concordes is already available for exterior and interior inspection next to Intrepid, as is the USS Growler, the only strategic missile submarine open to the public.

Intrepid itself has now maximized use of its 277-metre length and 37,588-tonne displacement with a movie theatre and many new exhibits. A restored officers quarters and re-creation of the mess deck are also among the changes and — if you’re lucky — one of the remaining 3,388 men who served on her at the height of action in 1945 will be a guest tour guide or happen by for an emotional return.

Among the Intrepid’s veterans are former president George H. W. Bush and the late Paul Newman. More than 130 artifacts are displayed below decks and you can watch a vintage plane being restored on site.

The realistic kamikaze film and FX show is still part of the experience, near the exact spot on the waterline where the most devastating of the Japanese suicide plane attacks occurred. Almost 100 men were killed and many more wounded in the three worst encounters, before the next phase of Intrepid’s official service during the Korean and Vietnam Wars, then as a NASA capsule recovery ship and lastly, headquarters for FBI agents probing 9/11. A small section of World Trade Center steel is preserved here.

You are free to visit everything from the captain’s chair to the port and aft gun tubs to the anchor chain room, with each link weighing 68 kilos. The Exploreum is a new interactive area featuring a flight simulator and an opportunity to handle objects wearing astronaut gloves.

But for military aircraft buffs, the stars of the Intrepid show are lined up on the flight deck, a collection of more than 20 warplanes and helicopters from the Second World War to present day, representing many nations on both sides of conflict with Intrepid.

They include an A-12 Blackbird, Mig-21 and a Huey chopper.

For more information, go to intrepidmuseum.org.

lance.hornby@sunmedia.ca