The USS John F. Kennedy, a huge aircraft carrier that was for decades a symbol of the US naval world, is about to bid farewell to the sea on its last voyage. Its final destination is Brownsville, Texas, where it will be decommissioned. This ship has served for almost 40 years of this country’s history and now, with this farewell, it marks the end of an era.
What is an aircraft carrier and what is it used for?
We are talking about a type of military ship that is used to launch and land aircraft from the sea, as if it were a floating military airport with which the armed forces can operate their aircraft from any part of the ocean (without having to reach a land airport). Among the main tasks of this type of ship are military operations (logically), displays of power in geostrategic places (because it could respond quickly to international crises) and to provide humanitarian support to areas where there are emergency situations.
The USS John F. Kennedy
Named after President John F. Kennedy, a giant ship that is more than three football fields long and weighs 82,000 pounds, it was first launched in 1968. Although it did not participate in the Vietnam War, it was key in the Gulf War (1991) and the military operations that took place after the attacks of that fateful September 11, 2001 that will never fade from our memory.
This ship, affectionately nicknamed “Big John,” was not only a means of transportation for airplanes, but also the home of the thousands of sailors who have served our country during these sixty years.
And why not turn it into a museum?
In 2009, this ship was decommissioned and has remained since then at the Navy’s Inactive Ship Maintenance Center in Philadelphia, awaiting its final verdict. But, although many dreamed of turning it into a floating museum that people could visit and learn about its history and the hundreds of anecdotes housed within its walls, maintaining a ship of this tremendous size was extremely difficult and the necessary funds could not be raised, so, instead of letting it fill with moisture, they decided to sell it to a company that, for the symbolic price of one dollar, would dismantle it forever.
Saying goodbye to a great ship is never easy
The USS John F. Kennedy is being towed to Texas. The company International Shipbreaking Limited will be in charge of dismantling it piece by piece. Although it is not a nuclear ship, its dimensions will make it a long and slow process.
Goodbye to an era
This was the last aircraft carrier in the Navy that ran on conventional engines, and its retirement marks the end of a naval era for our country, but not everything is a goodbye, the Navy will not be left without aircraft carriers, a new, more modern aircraft carrier with more advanced technology will continue its legacy and with the same name.
The new aircraft carrier will have the difficult task of building its own history (hopefully, for the sake of all humanity, not through wars…), but the history of thousands of soldiers who continue to walk its corridors will continue to be recorded on that new aircraft carrier.
As we say, it is a goodbye but one that opens the way to new generations of progress and innovation, almost like life itself!