Last Thursday, various Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) reports confirmed that the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) began its final journey to Brownsville, Texas, where it will be dismantled. The vessel is the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier of the Kitty Hawk class built for the United States Navy. Following this class, all subsequent carriers—from the first Enterprise class to the modern Gerald R. Ford class—have featured nuclear propulsion.

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The USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), nicknamed “Big John,” was the first U.S. Navy ship named after the 35th president of the United States, John F. Kennedy. Although classified within the Kitty Hawk class, the extensive modifications it underwent, including plans to make it nuclear-powered, placed it within its own subclass.

With a full-load displacement of nearly 82,000 tons, a length of 326 meters, and a beam of 40 meters, the carrier entered service on September 7, 1968, and remained active until its official decommissioning on January 31, 2009, completing 39 years of service. While it did not participate in the Vietnam War, it saw significant action in subsequent conflicts involving the United States. These include the Gulf War in 1991, combat air patrols conducted by its embarked Air Wing during the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and its later involvement in the early stages of the War in Afghanistan.

After its retirement in 2009, the carrier remained at the U.S. Navy’s Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, awaiting its final fate. Despite efforts by various groups to convert it into a museum, these initiatives were unsuccessful. Eventually, its sale was confirmed for the symbolic price of one cent to International Shipbreaking Limited for dismantling.

Credits: Brian W. Schaller

As detailed by the specialized site The War Zone, selling a vessel of such size for a symbolic amount highlights the difficulties and challenges involved in dismantling these types of units. According to the portal, this challenge will only grow over time as the U.S. Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers also face decommissioning. A 2018 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) estimated that dismantling the USS Enterprise, the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, would cost $1.55 billion.

Returning to the subject of this story, the CV-67 is currently being towed to Brownsville, Texas, following a route that will take it across the Atlantic Ocean, around the Florida peninsula, and through the Gulf of Mexico. It is expected to arrive at the facilities of the company responsible for its dismantling in February.

WarshipCam (@WarshipCam)

Finally, looking to the future, the second aircraft carrier of the new Gerald R. Ford class will also bear the name of President John F. Kennedy. According to various documents, it is expected to be delivered to the U.S. Navy in July.

Cover images used for illustrative purposes.

Publicidad

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