PHILADELPHIA – The ex-John F. Kennedy (CV 67) began its final journey this morning as it departed from the U.S. Navy’s Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia, PA for transit to Brownsville, Texas where it will be dismantled.
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Commissioned on Sept. 7, 1968, CV 67 was the first Navy ship to be named John F. Kennedy. The ship conducted multiple tours in the Mediterranean, Tyrrhenian, Ionian, Ligurian, Aegean and Adriatic seas, during a period of escalating tension in the Middle East and North Africa, often while under the surveillance of Soviet ships.
In the wake of the September 2001 terrorist attacks, the John F. Kennedy and her battle group established air security along the mid-Atlantic seaboard, “to help calm a fearful and shocked nation,” in support of Operation Noble Eagle. In February 2002, the ship deployed in support of Operations Anaconda and Enduring Freedom, followed by support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in July of 2004. The ship was decommissioned in 2007 after 39 years of service.
“Ex-John F. Kennedy will always be remembered as a symbol of enduring freedom and a beacon of hope and peace during difficult times in our nation,” said Rear Adm. Bill Greene, Director, Surface Ship Maintenance, Modernization and Sustainment. “The countless members of the ship’s crew and all who sustained it during its lifecycle should be proud of the exceptional work that kept the ship sailing and supporting our fleet for many years. Fair Winds and Following Seas.”
The nation’s aircraft carriers and embarked carrier air wings project power, sustain sea control, bolster deterrence, provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and maintain the nation’s enduring commitments all over the world.
For more about the ship’s historic contributions, please visit: USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67/CV-67)
