Posted on 05/28/2008 1:57:11 PM PDT by MissouriConservative
The oldest active ship in the U.S. Navy, the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier, made its final departure from Japan on Wednesday to be decommissioned after nearly half a century of service.
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The Kitty Hawk, the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier in the Navy, is to be replaced later this summer by the USS George Washington, a nuclear-powered carrier. The decommissioning date for the ship is set for Jan. 31.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
God bless your father for serving and may he be smiling down to see that wonderful ship sail home.
She’s a regal lady who doesn’t show her age. Would love to see her as a floating memorial or museum...heard on here that North Carolina wants her.
Shame to see her in the ghost fleet or worse, a reef.
Sorta was sorta wasn't especially during Slick Willie's term. They used JFK as a trainer and for a while she was unofficially a reserve. I remember reading about it likely in the ships website itself. In the mean time her S.L.E.P. was more or less botched due to the closing of Philly Yards which didn't help matters either. She wasn't given the needed attention as a result of it. Simply meaning less funding and approved yard maintenance afterward which lead up to the post 9/11 crisis.
According to this site she went into reserve operational status in 1995 right after overhaul. In other words it was actually an active duty trainer. Still active officially but with a reserve training mission. http://navysite.de/cvn/cv67.htm
Basically if 9/11 hadn't happened she'd done been sitting in Boston Harbor as a museum.
They used KENNEDY for about 5 years beginning in 1995 after S.L.E.P. much like they did LEXINGTON in the 1970's as a trainer for reservist. Still active, still commissioned, but reservist training mission. That in turn would have effected funding for yard maintenance as well. That had more to do with her 2001 readiness crisis than anything.
You are mistaken. The last dedicated training carrier was the Forrestal, which replaced the Lexington and as the link I provided earlier confirmed Kennedy deployed for both OIF and OEF in 2004. Was she neglected towards the end of her career? Yes. Did she continue to serve as an active fleet carrier up to and including her last deployment? Yes.
Upon returning from the Med, JFK entered the Philadelphia Naval shipyard for a two-year comprehensive overhaul. JFK completed this overhaul on September 13, 1995 and began her journey to her new homeport at Naval Station Mayport in Mayport, FL. After that overhaul, JFK became the new Reserve Operational Carrier on September 30, 1995. In November 1995, the first reserve squadron, VFA-204, came aboard for a short cruise off the coast of Florida.
Technically JFK replaced Forrestal as the trainer although the hull designation did not change. Forrestal was decommed in 1993 according to a USN web site. That also fits the timeline I posted. As far as I know the Navy now does not have a designated trainer and JFK was one at least part time 1995-2000 according to what I had read in Navy sites. JFK was the last as near as I can tell.
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Thanks. I’ve resized before but I couldn’t remember exactly how to and I was too lazy to look it up last night.
As you say, let’s hope she is converted into a memorial and or museum. However, based on Iran’s near future actions she may be needed to counter the enemy.
Hello from a long time ago! -213 was my first F-4 assignment also! I flew two tours in F-8 Crusader (VF-111) before being transferred to the Black Lions spring of ‘65.
Also, your dad, shared an assignment with me at BuWepsRepStLouis where we performed FCF and other checks on all the new F-4 production. This was after he shot down the An-2. I was supposed to fly with him that day but had a head cold and no flight duties ;-)
I’m sorry to see that he passed in ‘91. Kitty Hawk was my first boat when I went to the fleeet in ‘63 and it seems hard to believe that she is now decomm’d.
I live/retired in southern California. I would like to connect with you some day if you wish. You dad was a mighty fine aviator and taught me a lot on the F-4!
Cheers,
Val Valentine
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