Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier

Kitty Hawk class
USS Kitty Hawk conducting sea trials in the Western Pacific Ocean, May 2006
Class overview
NameKitty Hawk class
Builders
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byForrestal class
Succeeded byEnterprise class
SubclassesJohn F. Kennedy class (variant)
In commission21 April 1961 – 31 January 2009
Completed3 plus 1 variant
Laid up1
Scrapped2 plus 1 scuttled
General characteristics
TypeAircraft carrier
Displacement
  • 60,933 long tons (61,911 t) light
  • 81,780 long tons (83,090 t) full load
Length
  • 1,069 ft (326 m) overall
  • 990 ft (300 m) waterline
Beam
  • 130 ft (40 m) waterline
  • 282 ft (86 m) extreme
Draft38 ft (12 m)
Installed power280,000 shp (210 MW)
Propulsion
  • 8 × steam boilers with Westinghouse geared steam turbines
  • 4 × shafts
Speed32 kn (59 km/h; 37 mph)
Range12,000 mi (19,000 km)
Complement5,624
Armament
Aircraft carriedUp to 90 aircraft

The Kitty Hawk-class supercarriers of the United States Navy were an incremental improvement on the Forrestal-class vessels. Three were built, all in the 1960s, Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (1961–2009), Constellation (CV-64) (1961–2003), and America (CV-66) (1965–1996), as well as the variant John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (1967–2007). All are now decommissioned.