USS JohnF Kennedy

[Robert Ryan]

Looks like the Kennedy will be decommissioned. That will leave 11 Carriers left. The Kenndy Bellknapp collision was a major naval disaster. Remember seeing the movie of it, in shipboard firefithing classes.

[SparrowHawk62]

?? http://www.navytimes.com/story.php?f...25-1735723.php


Warner changes mind, backs decommissioning JFK


By Mark D. Faram
NavyTimes staff writer
April 27, 2006


The Navy is one step closer to decommissioning the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, and the green light to mothball the ship could come within weeks.The news comes as Sen. John Warner,
R-Va., tacked an amendment onto the current warfare supplemental spending bill that would allow the service to operate only 11 aircraft carriers instead of the 12 currently required by law.
The purpose of this amendment is to revise the previous legislation such that the Secretary of the Navy can retire this ship, Warner said April 26 on the Senate floor.The amendment passed by a voice vote, according to the Congressional Record.This change of heart comes a year after Warner used a similar amendment to stall the retirement of the 38-year old Kennedy by making it law that the Navy keep 12 carriers operating until six months after the Quadrennial Defense Review was released.

Still, a quick trip to mothballs is far from a done deal. The amendment requires approval of the House of Representatives and the President before becoming law. Warner based his reversal, he said, on advice from the Navy.Subsequent to the legislation by the Congress and the law enacted, the Navy has determined that the USS John F. Kennedy ... in the judgment of the Chief of Naval Operations, is not qualified to perform her primary mission of aviation operations, he said. In short, he said, the Kennedy is not safe to operate.

There are very real concerns regarding the ability to maintain the Kennedy in an operationally safe condition for our sailors at sea, Warner said. Repairing it is no longer a viable option, he said, as the price tag to restore the ship to a deployable status would cost “an inordinate amount of money.Also, it's not just the cost of refurbishment that's out of hand, he said. Simply
maintaining the ship in its current state will cost the Navy $20 million a month in operations and manpower costs money the Navy badly needs for operations and modernization programs.

The toll on the crew was also noted. Warner said JFKs limbo status ?levies an untold burden on the lives of the sailors and families assigned to the Kennedy, he said. Those families, he said, need to be able to get on with their lives.As for the ship, Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Mike Mullen told Navy Times in February he'd like to see Kennedy gone as soon as possible. His preference would be she leave her Mayport, Fla., home port before the start of hurricane season in June.

Warner said the fact the JFK can no longer serve in the fleet is painfulto him and others, mainly because of the ship's namesake, the late President John F. Kennedy.But even those who were closest to Kennedy seem resigned to the fate of the ship.It is bittersweet to know that she will be retired, said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy in a statement. But the people of Massachusetts and the Kennedy family are very proud of her service and know she holds a special place in the hearts of the Navy and the Nation.

[SparrowHawk62]

NORFOLK - The aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy will be decommissioned March 23 in a ceremony at the Mayport, Fla., Naval Station, the Navy's Air Force Atlantic command in Norfolk announced Wednesday.

After nearly 40 years of service, the carrier, named in honor of the 35th president, will be placed in an inactive status and kept at Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, the Navy said in a release.

It was built at Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, now known as Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard, and commissioned in 1968.

It will make one more port call before retirement, visiting Boston March 1-5.

Details of the decommissioning ceremony are still being finalized, but dignitaries, including members of Congress, Navy officials and possibly members of the Kennedy family, are expected to attend, the release said.

[Robert Ryan]

Another ship that served honorably fades away.

[SparrowHawk62]

WASHINGTON -- Before retiring next month, the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier will take a farewell tour that includes a brief visit to Hampton Roads and a port call in Boston to pay tribute to the Kennedy family.

The 38-year-old carrier will arrive in Norfolk on Thursday to unload a flight-deck crane and other equipment in preparation for its decommissioning, said Navy spokesman Mike Maus of Naval Air Force Atlantic Fleet.

The ship will not be open to the public during its stay at Norfolk Naval Station, a visit that lasts until Monday, Maus said. But a public celebration of the carrier's life is planned for next week in Boston - the unofficial adopted homeport of the JFK.

While details have yet to be finalized, the Navy is planning a reception for invited guests on board the Kennedy one evening next week and a visit by some members of the Kennedy family. The ship will be open to the public during its Boston visit.

Named for the nation's 35th president, the Kennedy was built by Newport News Shipbuilding - the forerunner of Northrop Grumman Newport News - and joined the fleet in 1968. Once based in Norfolk, it has been stationed in Mayport, Fla., for more than a decade.

The Kennedy - nicknamed the "Big John" - has been plagued by maintenance problems in recent years and became a target for budget cuts.

The Navy issued an order a year ago prohibiting any aircraft from landing on the Kennedy's flight deck, citing safety concerns after finding rust and corrosion in the arresting gears used to land airplanes.

The decision to retire the Kennedy ahead of schedule without a replacement ship will reduce the size of the fleet from 12 carriers to 11. The Navy fought for two years for the right to mothball the ship, saying the move would save $200 million a year that could be better spent on other programs.

Initially, stunned lawmakers from Virginia and Florida blocked the retirement, arguing it was foolish to shrink the fleet in a time of war.

But they abandoned the fight last fall after agreeing to a compromise that requires the Navy to maintain the Kennedy in good enough condition to be reactivated in case of a national emergency. The ship may be mothballed, donated to a museum or other organization, or kept in some other reserve status, according to last year's defense authorization bill.

The loss of Florida's only aircraft carrier triggered new fears that Hampton Roads might be forced to give up one of its own carriers - and the thousands of jobs that go with it - to better disperse the East Coast fleet.

When the Kennedy is finally retired in a decommissioning ceremony scheduled for March 23, all remaining East Coast carriers will be based in Norfolk, under current basing policies.

Florida lawmakers have pushed to bring one of Norfolk's five carriers to Mayport, saying it makes no sense to keep them all in a single port in an age of terrorism. But Virginia lawmakers have argued the risk is minimal because carriers are often deployed overseas and are seldom in Norfolk all at the same time.
--------------------------------------------------------
Contributed,
Don Harribine, USN(ret)

[SuperScout]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the USS Kennedy the only non-nuclear powered carrier in our fleet? The support tail required to follow her around and keepher fueled was probably a contributing factor in the decision to decommission her. Once again, the lunacy of the 'tree-hugger' crowd is amply demonstrated; it took more fossil fuel to run the Kennedy, and to fuel the support ships/oilers that kept her runnig, then she was worth.

[revwardoc]

Scout,

The only other non-nuclear powered carrier in the US fleet is the Kitty Hawk, currently stationed in Japan. It's due to be de-commissioned late next year and replaced by the USS George Washington.

[SparrowHawk62]

Originally posted by SuperScout Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the USS Kennedy the only non-nuclear powered carrier in our fleet? The support tail required to follow her around and keepher fueled was probably a contributing factor in the decision to decommission her. Once again, the lunacy of the 'tree-hugger' crowd is amply demonstrated; it took more fossil fuel to run the Kennedy, and to fuel the support ships/oilers that kept her runnig, then she was worth.

Yup, you're right on target. Just remember that the Kennedy was going to be a NUKE. Objections from the family changed these plans. Since she was set to be a NUKE and later changed to an oil burnner a lot of her structual problems have been blamed on this.

[SparrowHawk62]

Originally posted by revwardoc Scout,

The only other non-nuclear powered carrier in the US fleet is the Kitty Hawk, currently stationed in Japan. It's due to be de-commissioned late next year and replaced by the USS George Washington.

Don't be to sure on the Washington being stationed in Japan.
They don't like Nukes of any kind, and are reluctant to have them dock in port, let alone be stationed there.

[Boats]

It doesn't seem that long ago when she was commissioned. The iron lady will lay in rest until she's either cut up or put into service. There have been may great gray ladies that I was on and many have seen the torch.

I can only hope that some of the metals on them have made their was over to other ships being made.