On a cold, dreary Thursday in Philadelphia, a handful of people came to the waterfront to visit the former. Kitty Hawk USS class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CV-67) begins its final journey. Nicknamed “Big John” Kitty Hawk The sub-class variant began traveling from the U.S. Navy’s idle ship repair facility to the International Ship Recycling Co. facility in Brownsville, Texas. There it will be cut up and its remaining parts sold for scrap.
A spokesman for the U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) said that after 17 years in Philadelphia, the USS Big John is expected to arrive at its final destination next month war zone. It will travel south across the Atlantic Ocean, around the Florida Peninsula, and then across the Gulf of Mexico. The ship’s scrapping date has not yet been determined.
Big John and former U.S. Navy Kitty Hawk After years of debate over their fate, they were sold in October 2021 for 1p each. For a short time, this even included talk of a return Kitty Hawk services and rumors of selling Big John to India. There were also several attempts to keep them away from the boxer’s torch, but all were unsuccessful. Navy set John F. Kennedy Leave open the possibility that it might be converted into a museum ship after decommissioning. Several groups attempted to secure the ship for this purpose, but these efforts were unsuccessful. A nuclear-powered supercarrier cannot become a museum ship, so this is the last chance for the Navy’s largest warship to get a second life.
The flattop was commissioned on September 7, 1968 and was the first naval ship to be named. John F. Kennedy It is the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier built by the United States. After 39 years, it was decommissioned in 2007.
U.S. Navy John F. Kennedy Inactive ship repair facility at the U.S. Navy. (Brian W. Schaller via Wikimedia Commons)
The ship is a unique derivative Kitty Hawk The stage design was originally intended to be nuclear powered. It entered service during the height of the Vietnam War, but did not see service there. However, it did support a variety of other missions, including the U.S. response to the 1983 bombing of the Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, and the first Gulf War in 1991. Patrolling after terrorist attacks, the ship was also involved in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan.
Aerial view from the port bow of the U.S. Navy John F. Kennedy In the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was deployed to the New York area in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York City and Washington, DC. (Photo by Lisa Marcus/U.S. Navy/Courtesy Getty Images) U.S. Navy
That such a huge legendary ship – more than 1,000 feet long and displacing 87,000 tons – is being sold for a penny highlights the challenges and expenses of scrapping such large ships. This problem is only going to get worse. Scraping a nuclear-powered ship of similar size is far more complex and fraught with danger. By comparison, the net cost of dismantling the former U.S.S. Enterprise – Navy’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier – According to the 2018 Government Accountability Report, losses could be as high as $1.55 billion.
This won’t be the last flattop named after the 35th president. future Ford J-class destroyerJohn F. Kennedy (CVN-79), second Ford According to Navy documents, this class of super aircraft carrier was procured in fiscal year 2013 and is scheduled to be delivered in July this year.
Some images of the USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) during its construction phase at the Newport News Shipyard in Newport News, Virginia, USA.
As of Thursday evening, the decaying Big John remained close to the shore of the Delaware River, where an ocean-going tugboat was towing it down the channel toward the Atlantic Ocean. Once the ship entered open water, it was no longer visible from the coast until it approached San Padre Island, Texas, in the Gulf of Mexico, according to NVSEA.
This is for Big John’s legacy and all the sailors who call her home!
