USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

U.S.S. John F Kennedy CV-67

USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (formerly CVA-67) is the only ship of her class (a variant of the  Kitty Hawk class of aircraft carrier) and the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy. The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, and is nicknamed “Big John.” Kennedy was originally designated a CVA (fixed wing attack carrier); however, the designation was changed to CV to denote that the ship was capable of anti-submarine warfare, making her an all-purpose carrier.

After nearly 40 years of service in the United States Navy, Kennedy was officially decommissioned on 1 August 2007. She is berthed at the NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site Maintenance facility in Philadelphia and, until late 2017, was available for donation as a museum and memorial to a qualified organization. In late 2017, the Navy revoked her “donation hold” status and designated her for dismantling. The name has been adopted by the future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

Aircraft carrier

Displacement:

60,728 tons light

82,655 tons full load

21,927 tons deadweight

Length:

1,052 ft (321 m) overall, 990 ft (300 m) waterline

Beam:

252 ft (77 m) extreme, 130 ft (40 m) waterline

Height:

192 ft (59 m) from top of the mast to the waterline

Draft:

36 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

Speed:

34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)

Capacity:

5,000+

Complement:

3,297 officers and men

(without jet commands & crews)

Armament:

2 × GMLS Mk 29 launchers for Sea Sparrow missiles

2 × Phalanx CIWS

2 × RAM launchers

Aircraft carried: 80+

Just one part of "Big John" history;

The John F. Kennedy made a high-profile visit to Dublin, Ireland during an Atlantic deployment in 1996. Here, more than 10,000 people were invited to tour the ship at anchor in Dublin Bay. The visit was also intended to honor two personalities who had made a great impact on history: John F. Kennedy, for whom the ship was named, and Commodore John Barry, a native of County Wexford, Ireland who played an instrumental role in the early years of the United States Navy. Officers and crew from Kennedy joined local military and civilian organizations in celebrating Barry’s achievements at his statue in Crescent Quay, Wexford, and three F-14 Tomcat fighters flew at low level over the town. Jean Kennedy Smith, sister of John F. Kennedy, was the U.S. ambassador to Ireland at the time, and was among those who welcomed the ship to Ireland.