Deadly USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), Big John

Army and Weapons | Deadly USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), Big John | USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (formerly CVA-67) is a John F. Kennedy class aircraft carrier, 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 nicknamed "Big John". Kennedy was originally designated a CVA (fixed wing attack carrier), but the name was changed to CV to indicate that the ship was capable anti-submarine warfare, making them an all-purpose carrier.

After almost 40 years service in the U.S. Navy, Kennedy was officially decommissioned on August 1, 2007. She is moored at the NAVSEA Inactive Ships On-site maintenance facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She is available for donation as a museum and memorial to a qualified organization. The name was adopted by the future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN-79).

Contracted as Ship Characteristic Board SBC-127C, the ship keel laid on 22 October 1964 by Newport News Shipbuilding. The ship was officially christened by May 27, 1967 Jacqueline Kennedy and her 9-year-old daughter Caroline, two days short of what would have been the fiftieth anniversary of Kennedy's.

John F. Kennedy entered service September 7, 1968.
John F. Kennedy is a modified version of the previously-class aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. Originally scheduled for the fourth Kitty Hawk-class carrier Kennedy so many changes during construction are received, she formed her own class.

Kennedy was ordered as a nuclear carrier, using the A3W reactor, but converted to conventional propulsion after construction had begun as a result of political differences between Admiral King and Secretary McNamara. The island is different from that of the Kitty Hawk class, with a sloping funnels to smoke and gases directly away from the cockpit. Kennedy is 17 feet (5.2 m) shorter than the Kitty Hawk class.

The USS John F. Kennedy was the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier built by the U.S. Navy. Originally scheduled for the fourth class carrier Kitty Hawk became the JFK received so many changes during construction that she formed her own class. Named in honor of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, TX., The USS John F. Kennedy was the first ship in the Navy to bear the name. Transferred to the Naval Reserve Force in 1995, Kennedy returned to the active fleet again in October 2000. The Navy initially wanted the dismantling of the mid-2005 KENNEDY, as the carrier was in poor condition and was in need of costly repairs that just can not seem to be cost effective. However, Congress decided to Kennedy in service until a total of 12 active aircraft carriers have.

The John F. Kennedy was then moored at the Mayport Naval Station for several months. Her flight deck was not certified for aircraft operations and the Navy was just waiting for finally dismantling the ship. In the autumn of 2006, the decision to finally retire the Kennedy. Kennedy made a final trip to the East Coast for a final port visit to Boston, Massachusetts, in early March 2007. The decommissioning ceremony for the John F. Kennedy was on March 23, 2007 at Mayport, Fla. The official date for the decommissioning of the USS John F. Kennedy was August 1, 2007.

General characteristics: 
Awarded: April 30, 1964 
Keel laid: October 22, 1964
Launched: May 27, 1967 
Client: September 7, 1968 
Decommissioned: August 1, 2007
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Virginia 
Drive system: eight boilers 
Propellers: four 
Blades on each 
Propeller: five 
Aircraft elevators: four 
Catapults: four 
Stop Hook cables: four 
Length, overall: 1,050 feet (320 meters) 
Flight Deck Width: 267 feet (81.4 meters) 
Width: 128 feet (39.2 meters) 
Draught: 36.7 feet (11.2 meters) 
Displacement: approx. 80,950 tons full load 
Speed: 30 knots +Aircraft: approx. 78 
Crew: Ship: 3,117 
Air Wing: 2480 
Armament: two Mk 29 NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, two 20mm Phalanx CIWS Mk 15, two Rolling airframe missile (RAM) Systems

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