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See aboard the ex-supercarrier John F. Kennedy, the scene of one of the greatest military pranks of all time

See aboard the ex-supercarrier John F. Kennedy, the scene of one of the greatest military pranks of all time
Sailors from the future aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) tour the decommissioned flattop John F. Kennedy (CVA 67) at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.US Navy Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jayme Pastoric
  • The ex-USS John F. Kennedy was the last conventionally-powered carrier built for the Navy.
  • The aircraft carrier was also the site of one of the greatest military pranks.

The ex-USS John F. Kennedy, the retired first-in-class aircraft supercarrier, is headed to the scrapyard following a nearly 40-year service.

Its legacy will live on in a new supercarrier and stories of the insane prank that once happened on its decks.

First-in-class

First-in-class
USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) underway during carrier air wing qualifications in the northern Puerto Rican operations area.      Naval History and Heritage Command

The Kennedy was a variant of the Kitty Hawk-class carrier and designated CVA-67 for attack aircraft carrier.

After undergoing a series of modifications, the Kennedy's classification was changed to CV-67, the only ship of its class, denoting that the carrier was capable of supporting anti-submarine warfare aircraft like the S-3 Viking.

The last conventionally powered carrier built for the US Navy

The last conventionally powered carrier built for the US Navy
A side view of the decommissioned ship USS John F. Kennedy moored at the Philadelphia Navy Yard.      US Navy Photo by Senior Chief Mass Communication Specialist Jayme Pastoric

It was the last conventional aircraft carrier built for the Navy, which the Navy has replaced with the nuclear-powered Nimitz- and Ford-class carriers.

The Kennedy was propelled by eight conventional boilers and four steam turbines, allowing it to reach speeds of 34 knots.

As tall as a 25-story building from keel to mast

As tall as a 25-story building from keel to mast
An HH-60H Seahawk helicopter crosses the bow of John F. Kennedy as the carrier battle group arrived in the Mediterranean Sea.      US Navy photo by Photographers Mate 1st Class Jim Hampshire

The massive carrier measured nearly 200 feet in height and more than 1,000 feet in length — if stood on end, it would reach the 84th floor of the Empire State Building.

As wide as a World War I destroyer was long

As wide as a World War I destroyer was long
Two F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft are being readied for launch from the flight deck of USS John F. Kennedy in the Mediterranean Sea.      National Archives & Records Administration

The flight deck was as wide as a World War I destroyer was long: more than 250 feet at its widest point.

Armament

Armament
A NATO RIM-7 "Sea Sparrow" missile leaves its launcher during a live fire exercise aboard USS John F. Kennedy.      US Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Jim Hampshire

Its armament included two launchers for Sea Sparrow missiles, an automated close-in weapon system, and two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers.

Deployment

Deployment
Laser-guided bombs line the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) in preparation for air strikes against Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.      LCDR Dave Parsons/Released

After its maiden voyage to the Mediterranean, the Kennedy participated in 18 official deployments in its 38 years of service.

Notably, the warship participated in Operation Desert Storm after Carrier Air Wing 3, then aboard the Kennedy, carried out airstrikes against Iraqi forces in 1991.

During a six-month deployment supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, aircraft aboard the Kennedy directed more than 64,000 pounds of firepower at Taliban and al Qaeda targets in October 2001 following 9/11.

The greatest military prank of all time

The greatest military prank of all time
Aircrewmen, not the ones involved in the prank, are lifted from the flight deck of USS John F. Kennedy by an HH-60H "Seahawk" helicopter.      US Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Jim Hampshire

Apart from its history-making service and features, the Kennedy also was the setting of one of the greatest military pranks of all time.

In 1986, the Kennedy was set to relieve the Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier USS America after a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean.

What was meant to be a common change of command quickly turned into a hilarious practical joke, as aviators aboard the America dropped off an unusual payload on the new arrivals: three greased pigs dyed with red, white, and blue food coloring.

Brian Christoff, an aircrewman with the HS-11 helo squadron aboard USS America, shared a video of the event in a since-deleted post on Facebook in 2023.

"We were at the end of a 6-month deployment to the Indian Ocean/Mediterranean Sea," Christoff wrote. "We were being relieved by the USS Kennedy. The fighter jet jocks got with us and came up with this slant, on an age-old tradition, of releasing a greased pig, onto the deck of the relieving ship."

"Three pigs painted with Red, White, and Blue food coloring and lathered in grease," he continued. "The Kennedy never seen it coming!"

Plagued by budget cuts

Plagued by budget cuts
A 25-foot Defender-class safe boat from Coast Guard Station Little Creek maintains a security zone around the USS John F. Kennedy.      US Coast Guard Photo by PA2 John D. Miller

In 2005, the Kennedy was proposed to retire due to upkeep costs, freeing up more than $1 billion in the Defense Department's budget at the time.

Two years later, the ship was formally decommissioned "with dignity and honor" and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in October 2009.

Sold for a cent

Sold for a cent
Coast Guard Station Boston crewmembers, aboard a 25-foot Defender Class boat, enforced the Naval Protection Zone and provided a security umbrella as USS John F. Kennedy transited into the port of Boston.      USCG photo by PA3 Lisa Hennings

In 2021, years after it had been decommissioned, the iconic warship was sold to a Texas-based ship-breaking firm for just a cent due to how costly it is to tow and recycle the vessel.

USS Kitty Hawk, which was also sold to International Shipbreaking Limited for a cent, arrived at the scrapyard in Brownsville, Texas, in 2022.

The Kennedy was set to follow in mid-December 2023, but Robert Berry, vice president of International Shipbreaking Limited, said the ship has yet to make an appearance — and he has no idea why.

"I wish I did. I really do. I have a few thousand people poking at me about it, and I just don't have a date," Berry told local Texas newspaper, The Monitor, in late December. "Until the Navy puts out something and tells us something, I don't have anything."

"Anything I say is probably going to be wrong," he added. "By contract, I can't say that much anyway. I really thought we were going to see it in December, but it didn't happen."

'Crying over a rusted piece of metal'

Officers render honors during a 19-gun salute at the decommissioning ceremony of USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67).      Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Regina L. Brown

A group of veterans who sailed on the Kennedy during the Vietnam War mourned the ship's impending scrapping. Don Russo, one of the group's founding members, recalled his time serving aboard the supercarrier.

"We were on the same ship at the same time, same division. We worked together, drank together," Russo told local newspaper Grant County News. "I can't tell you all the other stuff — our wives are here."

The group, dubbed "Our Division," toured the decommissioned carrier in an emotional final visit last year.

"Five of us, crying over a rusted piece of metal," they said.

The next JFK

The next JFK
The aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy is the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, the Navy's newest class of nuclear aircraft carriers.      US Navy photo illustration courtesy of Newport News Shipbuilding/Released

Though CV-67 is destined for the scrap yard, another ship of its name is already at sea. USS Kennedy (CV-79) is the second in the Gerald R. Ford class of nuclear power aircraft carriers.

Officially launched in 2019, the Navy's newest warship touts a hefty $11 billion price tag — albeit $2 billion shy of $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford.

The carrier recently tested its new electromagnetic aircraft launch system last month, launching heavy cars into the James River to make sure it can handle catapulting actual fixed-wing aircraft.


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