I wonder, when they break up a ship like this, especially one with a long and storied history, do they tend to make some parts available for auction or purchase? I’d bet lots of men who served on her would be interested. Given the number of years it saw service, and the number of folks it takes to crew a carrier, I’d imagine the number of potential buyers would be significant. Then there are also collectors of various types of militaria who might be interested as well.
Depends on the breaker involved. I beleive ESCO worked with the Naval Institute when they broke up some otehr Navy ships to make pieces of deck teak available on presentation plaques, and a friend of mine who once served on an LHD or LHP managed to get a 1-MC speaker, some klaxons and a few other items from the breakers when his ship was disassembled.
“I wonder, when they break up a ship like this, especially one with a long and storied history, do they tend to make some parts available for auction or purchase?”
I don’t know about auctions, but certain identifiable items — ie. the Ships Bell, dedication plaque, Wheel, etc. might be donated to a museum. Sometimes larger items like a screw (propeller) or an anchor might find its way as an outdoor display outside a base gate.