USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67)

The USS John F. Kennedy departing Mayport, Florida
Career
Laid down:	22 October 1964
Launched:	27 May 1967
Commissioned:	7 September 1968
Fate:	on 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:	3x GLMS Mk 29 octuple SAM launchers NATO Sea Sparrow 3 Mk.25 8-cell BPDMS launchers 4x Phalanx CIWS System
Aircraft:	80+
Nickname:	Big John

The USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (or Big John) is a U.S. Navy supercarrier. The ship was originally designated a CVA, or strictly an air combat ship; however, the designation was changed to CV to denote that the ship was capable of anti-submarine warfare (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 priority to replace.

Ship history

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 1970s to help deal with the steadily deteriorating situation in the Middle East. It was during the 1970s that 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 ninth 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. presence for a growing crisis, and spent most of that year patrolling 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 Rededication 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 approached the formation in a threatening manner, prompting Kennedy-launched F-14 Tomcats to intercept the incoming fighters. Although the U.S. planes were sent to escort the MiGs away from the taskforce peacefully, 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. Despite having little to no warning, Kennedy prepared for her deployment overseas, where she arrived in September 1990 and became the flagship for the commander of the Red Sea Battle Force. On 16 January 1991, Kennedy's Carrier Wing 3 commenced attacks on Iraqi forces as part of Operation Desert Storm. Between the commencement of the operation and the cease-fire, Kennedy launched 114 airstrikes and nearly 2,900 sorties against Iraq, which delivered over 3.5 million pounds of ordinance.

On 27 February 1991 President George H. W. Bush declared a cease-fire in Iraq, and ordered all U.S. forces to stand down. With the presidential cease-fire in place the Kennedy was relieved, and began the long journey home by transiting the Suez Canal. She arrived in Norfolk 28 March 1991 and received the greatest homecoming celebration since World War II. While at Norfolk the ship was placed on a four month selective restricted availability period as yardworks set about fixing the ship. Extensive repairs to the flight deck were made, as well as to maintenance 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 Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where she underwent a two year overhaul. Upon the completion of the overhaul the ship was transferred to the Mayport Naval Station in Florida, which remains the ships homeport.

Kennedy's 15th Mediterranean deployment was uneventful, and she returned in time to participate in Fleet Week '98 in New York City.

Kennedy's 16th deployment, however, was eventful. The Kennedy became involved in a rescue mission when the tug Gulf Majesty foundered during Hurricane Floyd in mid-September of 1999. The ship successfully rescued the crew of the vessel, 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 to 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 accuracy.

The USS John F. Kennedy had the unique honor of being the only carrier underway at the dawn of the new millennium, earning the ship the nick-name "Carrier of the New Millennium"; Kennedy arrived at Mayport on 19 March 2000. After a brief period of maintenance, the carrier sailed north to participate 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] (http://www.navy.mil/homepages/cv67/history.html)

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.

External link

• U.S.S. John F. Kennedy official homepage (http://www.navy.mil/homepages/cv67/)