Oct. 2 (Bloomberg) -- The USS Intrepid, a Navy aircraft carrier that saw action in World War II and Vietnam before becoming an iconic Manhattan museum, returned to its West Side berth today after a two-year, $115 million refurbishment.

The 900-foot (274-meter) ship was drawn by a team of tugboats from the Staten Island Homeport back to Pier 86 at 46th street, with 16 restored aircraft on board. Retired Rear Admiral James L. ``Doc'' Abbot, 82, who commanded the ship when Republican presidential candidate John McCain flew bombers from its deck in the early 1960s, was slated to head up 250 former crew members manning the rails.

The Intrepid is ``back where it belongs, on the skyline of Manhattan,'' Scott Stringer, the borough's president, said in a speech to mark the ship's arrival after the three-hour trip.

During World War II, the Intrepid survived at least four Japanese kamikaze attacks and lost 270 sailors. The ship, which was freed from the Hudson River mud after two attempts and hauled off for repairs in December 2006, will reopen to the public next month with new exhibits and event facilities.

``It's unique for Americans and something very special for the world,'' Bill White, president of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, said in a telephone interview.

The ship's resilience was remarkable, he said, because it was rare for vessels to survive even one or two hits. The Intrepid's crew once sewed a cloth sail to help steer the ship out of harm's way after a torpedo hit to a propeller made it a ``sitting duck for the Japanese,'' White said.

1 Million Visitors

``It's the strength of the ship and those who served on her,'' he said. ``These men came together for a cause greater than themselves.''

White said he expects 1 million visitors aboard the museum in the year after it opens to the public on Nov. 8. Prior to the renovations, the museum averaged about 770,000 visits a year.

Some 30 Cold War-era aircraft and helicopters will line the museum's decks, including two newly acquired Soviet-designed MiG fighter jets and a restored Grumman F11F (F-11) Tiger fighter that was part of The Blue Angels U.S. Navy flight demonstration team in the 1960s.

The ship's interior has new exhibits, and visitors will have access to crew quarters and areas that were previously out of bounds.

`Our History'

Of the funds spent on restoration, $65 million was used to rebuild Pier 86, which now accommodates a British Airways Concorde aircraft, White said.

Coinciding with the ship's return, ``Intrepid: The Epic Story of America's Most Legendary Warship,'' a book by White and Robert Gandt, was published on Sept. 30. McCain wrote the foreword.

``Her history is our history; her story tells us not just about a ship but also about a country,'' McCain writes.

The vessel was commissioned in 1943 and took part in the invasion of the Marshall Islands; air attacks on a Japanese base on Truk in the Caroline Islands; the assault on Okinawa and a naval clash in the Leyte Gulf waters in the Philippines.

The Intrepid later deployed to Vietnam for three tours of duty, and ended its service years monitoring Soviet submarines during the Cold War. More recently, the Federal Bureau of Investigation used the ship as an operations center after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Saved From Junkyard

Decommissioned in 1974, the Intrepid was saved from the scrap yard by New York developer and philanthropist Zachary Fisher, who led the campaign to preserve the ship as a museum.

The Intrepid opened to the public in 1982, and was designated a National Historic Landmark four years later.

Some of the veteran crew members who will be back on the ship today are in wheelchairs, and ``they want to take that last run home and they wanted to man the rails one last time,'' White said.

White raised money from public, private and foundation sources to fund the refurbishments. He also raises money for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, a charity that offers financial and other support to families of soldiers lost in service and wounded veterans.

Bank of America Corp. announced a three-year sponsorship deal with the museum, according to a release distributed by PRNewswire today. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank, which is buying Merrill Lynch & Co., is also sponsoring the ship's return today and its reopening next month.

To contact the reporter on this story: Robin Stringer in New York at rstringer@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 2, 2008 14:53 EDT