The afterburners of an Hornet glow as the aircraft is catapulted from the USS Independence. The afterburners of an F/A-18 Hornet glow as the aircraft is catapulted from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Independence (CV 62) while the ship operates in the Persian Gulf on Feb. 11, 1998. Independence and its embarked Carrier Air Wing 5 are on station in the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Southern Watch which is the U.S. and coalition enforcement of the no-fly-zone over Southern Iraq. SHARE: Download: Full Size (0.05 MB) Credit: VIRIN: 714590-J-EVR85-736.jpg Photo Gallery