USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

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
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
Laid down22 October 1964
Launched27 May 1967
Sponsored byCaroline Kennedy
Christened27 May 1967
Acquired31 August 1968
Commissioned7 September 1968
Decommissioned23 March 2007
ReclassifiedCV-67, 1 December 1974
Refit1984
Stricken16 October 2009
Identification
Motto
Nickname(s)"Big John" (unofficially: "Bldg 67", "Can Opener", "Jack the Tin Can Killer")
FateScrapped
Badge
General characteristics
TypeAircraft carrier
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)
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, was an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy. Considered a supercarrier, she was a variant of the Kitty Hawk class, and the last conventionally-powered carrier built for the Navy, 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 was 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. In late 2017, the Navy revoked her "donation hold" status and designated her for dismantling.

On 16 January 2025, John F. Kennedy left the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and started the voyage to Brownsville, Texas where she will be scrapped. She arrived in Brownsville, TX on 2 February 2025 for her final arrival.

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.