_departs_Naval_Station_Mayport_on_11_November_2003.jpg)
The USS John F. Kennedy departing Mayport, Florida | |
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | 22 October 1964 |
| Launched: | 27 May 1967 |
| Commissioned: | 7 September 1968 |
| Fate: | in active service |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 75,000 t |
| Length: | 1,052 ft (321 m) |
| Beam: | 129.3 ft (39 m) |
| Extreme Width: | 249 ft (76 m) |
| Draft: | 35.6 ft (10.9 m) |
| Speed: | 30 knots (56 km/h) |
| Complement: | 3,297 officers and men |
| Armament: | 3 Mk.25 8-cell BPDMS launchers |
| Aircraft: | 80+ |
| Nickname: | Big John |
The USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (or Big John) is a United States supercarrier. The ship was originally designated a CVA, or strictly an air combat ship; however, the disignation was changed to CV to denote that the ship was capable of anti-submarine warefare (ASW), making it an all purpose carrier.
Kennedy is one of an extremely limited number of non-nuclear aircraft carriers still on active duty with the United States Navy. Kennedy is also one of the Navy's oldest carriers, making it a high prority to replace.
Ship History
The USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (or Big John) is a naval supercarrier of the United States. The ship's keel was laid on 22 October 1964, christened 27 May 1967, and it entered service 7 September, 1968. The John F. Kennedy is a modification of the earlier Kitty Hawk class aircraft carriers, and they are sometimes considered a single class.
Kennedy's maiden voyage, and several of her subsequent voyages, were on deployments to the Mediterranean during much of the 1970's to help deal with the steadily deterioating situation in the Middle East. It was during the 1970's the the Kennedy was upgraded to handle the F-14 Tomcat and the S-3 Viking. In late 1978, the ship underwent her first, yearlong overhaul, which was completed in 1979 without incident.
In 1981, the ship sailed on her nineth deployment, and her first visit to the Indian Ocean before transiting the Suez Canal. During this tour Kennedy played host to the first visit of the Somali head of state.
In 1983 the Kennedy was moved to Beirut, Lebanon to provide a U.S. prescence for a growing crisis, and spent most of that year patroling the region.
In 1984, the ship was drydocked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a complex overhaul and much needed upgrades. Setting sail in July of 1986, the Kennedy participated in the International Naval Review to help mark the Redidication of the Statue of Liberty. Kennedy served as the flagship for the armada before departing on an overseas deployment to the Mediterranean in August. The ship returned in March of 1987.
In August of 1988, the USS John F. Kennedy departed on her twelfth overseas deployment. During this deployment, a pair of MiG-23 attack jets from Libya aproached the formation in a threating manner, prompting Kennedy-launched F-14 Tomcats to intercept the targets. What developed was a shooting match between the U.S. and Libyan aircraft, which resulted in the elimination of both of Libya's MiG-23s.
Kennedy returned to the U.S. in time to participate in Fleet Week in New York and the July 4th celebrations in Boston before unexpectedly being mobilized in August of 1990 for Operation Desert Shield. None-the-less, Kennedy prepared for her deployment overseas. She arrived in September 1990, where she became the flagship for the commander of the Red Sea Battle Force. On 16 January 1991, Carrier Wing 3 commenced attacks on Iraqi forces as part of Operation Desert Storm. Between the commencment of the operation and the cease-fire, Kennedy launched 114 airstrikes and nearly 2,900 sorties against Iraq, which deliveried over 3.5 million pounds of ordiance.
With the presidential cease-fire in place the Kennedy was relieved, and began the long journey home by transitting the Suez Canal. She arrived in Norfolk 28 March 1991 and recieved the greatest homecoming celebration since World War II. While at Norfolk the ship was placed on a four month selective restriced avaliabilty period as yardworks set about fixing the ship. Extensive repairs to the flight deck were made, as well as to maintence and engineering systems. Additionally, the ship was refitted to handle the new F/A-18 Hornet.
With the upgrades completed, Kennedy departed on her 14th deployment to the Mediterranean, assisting several task forces with workups in anticipation of intervention in Yugoslavia. When Kennedy returned she was sent to the Philidelphia Naval Shipyard, where she underwent a two year overhaul. Upon the completion of the overhaul the ship was transfered to the Mayport Naval Station in Florida, which remains the ships homeport.
Kennedy's 15th Mediterranean deployment was uneventfully, and she returned in time to particiapte in Fleet Week '98 in New York City.
Kennedy's 16th deployment, however, was eventfull. The Kennedy became involved in a rescue mission when the tug Gulf Majesty foundered during Hurricane Floyd in mid-September of 1999. The ship succsessfully rescued the crew of the vessle, then headed toward the Middle East, where she became the first U.S. ship to make a port call in Jordan, in the process playing host the King of Jordan, before taking up station in support of Operation Southern Watch. During this deployment the Kennedy set a new record for bombing accuarcy.
The USS Jhon F. Kennedy had the unique honor of being the only carrier underway at the dawn of the new millenium, earning the ship the nick-name "Carrier of the New Millenium"; Kennedy arrived at Mayport on 19 March 2000. After a brief period of maintence, the carrier sailed north to particiapte in July 4th International Naval Review, then headed to Boston for Sail Boston 2000.
During Kennedy's latest round of refits the ship became a testbed for an experimental system for the Cooperative Engagement Capability, a system that allows the Kennedy to shoot at targets beyond its original range.
In 2001, John F. Kennedy was found to be severely deficient in most respects, especially those relating to air group operations, during a pre-deployment trial; most problematic, two catapults and three aircraft elevators were non-functional during inspection, and two boilers would not light.
From February to June, 2002 warplanes from the ship dropped more than 64,000 pounds (29 t) of ordnance on Taliban and al Qaeda targets. [1]
Kennedy in Fiction
- In Tom Clancy's Novel The Hunt For Red October, The Kennedy becomes America's only active carrier in the Atlantic after the Saratoga becomes disabled.
See also
- Gulf of Sidra incident (1989) in which two F-14 Tomcats from the Kennedy shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Flogger Es.