USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

For other ships with the same name, see USS John F. Kennedy.

USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)
USS John F. Kennedy leaving NS Mayport, Florida in November 2003
Class overview
NameJohn F. Kennedy-class
BuildersNewport News Shipbuilding
Operators United States Navy
Preceded byKitty Hawk class and Enterprise class
Succeeded byNimitz class
In commission7 September 1968 – 1 August 2007
History
United States
NameJohn F. Kennedy
NamesakeJohn F. Kennedy
Awarded30 April 1964[1]
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding[1]
Laid down22 October 1964[1]
Launched27 May 1967[1]
Sponsored byCaroline Kennedy[2]
Christened27 May 1967
Commissioned7 September 1968[1]
Decommissioned23 March 2007[1]
Refit1984
Stricken16 October 2009[1]
Identification
Motto
Nickname(s)"Big John" (unofficially: "Bldg 67", "Can Opener", "Jack the Tin Can Killer")[4]
Badge
General characteristics
TypeAircraft carrier[5]
Displacement
  • 60,728 tons light
  • 82,655 tons full load
  • 21,927 tons deadweight
Length1,052 ft (321 m) overall, 990 ft (300 m) waterline
Beam252 ft (77 m) extreme, 130 ft (40 m) waterline
Height192 ft (59 m) from top of the mast to the waterline
Draft36 ft (11 m) maximum, 37 ft (11 m) limit
Installed power
  • 8 × Babcock & Wilcox boilers, 1,200 PSI
  • 280,000 shp (210 MW)
Propulsion
  • 4 × steam turbines
  • 4 shafts
Speed34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)[6]
Capacity5,000+
Complement3,297 officers and men (without jet commands & crews)
Armament
Aircraft carried80+

USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (formerly CVA-67), the only ship of her class, is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy. Considered a supercarrier,[2] she is a variant of the Kitty Hawk class, and the last conventionally-powered carrier built for the Navy,[5] as all carriers since have had nuclear propulsion. Commissioned in 1968, the ship was named after John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States. John F. Kennedy was originally designated a CVA, for fixed-wing attack carrier, however the designation was changed to CV, for fleet carrier.

After nearly 40 years of service, John F. Kennedy was decommissioned on 1 August 2007. She is berthed at the NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance facility in Philadelphia, formerly the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and, until late 2017, was available for donation as a museum and memorial to a qualified organization.[1][7] In late 2017, the Navy revoked her "donation hold" status and designated her for dismantling.[8]

She has been succeeded by the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier Pre-Commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), laid down in July 2015, launched in October 2019, and scheduled to enter service in 2025.

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "John F. Kennedy". Naval Vessel Register. Retrieved 9 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b "John F. Kennedy I (CVA-67)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
  3. ^ "USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67)". NavSource Online. NavSource Naval History. 17 May 2011. Retrieved 31 May 2011.
  4. ^ Riddle, Lincoln (2 March 2017). "When The Guided Missile Cruiser USS Belknap Collided with the Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy". warhistoryonline.com.
  5. ^ a b Communications, This story was written by Naval Sea Systems Command Office of Corporate. "Navy Announces Availability of ex-John F. Kennedy for Donation". navy.mil. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009.
  6. ^ "Evolution of the Aircraft Carrier". navylive.dodlive.mil. 12 April 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2018.
  7. ^ SEA 21 Navy Inactive Ships Program Feb. 3, 2010 Archived 5 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference fate was invoked but never defined (see the help page).