USS John F . Kennedy ( CV - 67 ) USS " John F . Kennedy " ( CV - 67 ) ( formerly CVA - 67 ) is the only ship of her class , a subclass of the " Kitty Hawk " - class aircraft carrier , and the last conventionally powered carrier built for the United States Navy . The ship is named after the 35th President of the United States , John F . Kennedy , and is nicknamed " Big John . " " Kennedy " was originally designated a CVA ( fixed wing attack carrier ) ; however , the designation was changed to CV to denote that the ship was capable of anti - submarine warfare , making her an all - purpose carrier . After nearly 40 years of service in the United States Navy , " Kennedy " was officially decommissioned on 1 August 2007 . She is berthed at the NAVSEA Inactive Ships On - site Maintenance facility in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . She is available for donation as a museum and memorial to a qualified organization . The name has been adopted by the future " Gerald R . Ford " - class aircraft carrier " John F . Kennedy " ( CVN - 79 ) . Ship history . Design & Early Years . Contracted as Ship Characteristic Board SBC - 127C , the ship ' s keel was laid on 22 October 1964 by Newport News Shipbuilding . The ship was officially christened 27 May 1967 by Jacqueline Kennedy and her 9 - year - old daughter , Caroline , two days short of what would have been Kennedy ' s 50th birthday . The ship entered service 7 September 1968 . The " John F . Kennedy " is a modified version of the earlier " Kitty Hawk " - class aircraft carrier s . Originally scheduled to be the fourth " Kitty Hawk " - class carrier , the ship received so many modifications during construction she formed her own class . The ship was originally ordered as a nuclear carrier , using the A3W reactor , but converted to conventional propulsion after construction had begun . The island is somewhat different from that of the " Kitty Hawk " class , with angled funnels to direct smoke and gases away from the flight deck . " Kennedy " is also shorter than the " Kitty Hawk " class . After an ORI conducted by Commander , Carrier Division Two , " Kennedy " left for the Mediterranean in April 1969 . The ship reached Rota on the morning of 22 April 1969 and relieved . Rear Admiral Pierre N . Charbonnet , Commander , Carrier Striking Forces , Sixth Fleet , and Commander , Carrier Striking Unit 60 . 1 . 9 , shifted his flag to " John F . Kennedy " . The turnover complete by nightfall , the carrier , escorted by destroyers , transited the Strait of Gibraltar at the start of the mid watch on 22 April . The next day , " John F . Kennedy " refueled from " Marias " ( AO - 57 ) , and acquired the company of a Soviet " Kotlin " - class destroyer ( Pennant No . 383 ) . 1970s . " Kennedy " ' s maiden voyage , and several of her subsequent voyages , were on deployments to the Mediterranean during much of the 1970s to help deal with the steadily deteriorating situation in the Middle East . It was during the 1970s that the " Kennedy " was upgraded to handle the F - 14 Tomcat and the S - 3 Viking . " Kennedy " was involved in the Navy response to the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East in October 1973 , with her actions and the larger U . S . Navy picture being described in Elmo Zumwalt ' s book " On Watch " . In 1974 , she won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet . On 20 June 1975 " Kennedy " was the target of arson , suffering eight fires , with no injuries , while at port in Norfolk , Virginia . On 22 November 1975 " Kennedy " collided with , severely damaging the smaller ship and earning itself the nicknames " Can Opener " and " Jack the Tin Can Killer . " As a result of the collision with Kennedy ' s overhanging deck , JP - 5 fuel lines were ruptured spraying fuel over an adjacent catwalk and a fire ensued claiming the life of a Yeoman 2d Class David A . Chivalette of CVW - 1 , to smoke inhalation . On 14 September 1976 , while conducting a nighttime underway replenishment 100 miles north of Scotland , destroyer lost control and collided with " Kennedy " , resulting in such severe damage to the destroyer that she was removed from service in 1977 . Earlier the same day , one F - 14 Tomcat , following a problem with the catapult , fell off of the flight deck of the John F . Kennedy , with AIM - 54 Phoenix missiles in international waters , off the coast Scotland . Both crew members ejected in the last second and landed on the deck , injured but alive . A naval race ( surface and submarine ) followed between the Soviet Navy and US Navy to get back not only the plane ( because of its weapon system ) , but also its missiles . In late 1978 " Kennedy " underwent her first , yearlong overhaul , which was completed in 1979 . On 9 April 1979 she experienced five fires set by arson while undergoing overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard , Virginia . The fires killed one shipyard worker and injured 34 others . On 5 June 1979 " Kennedy " was the target of two more fires at Norfolk Naval Shipyard , Virginia . No one was injured in the incident . In 1979 she won her second Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award . 1980s . In 1982 the ship sailed on her ninth deployment , and her first visit to the Indian Ocean after transiting the Suez Canal . During this tour " Kennedy " played host to the first visit of the Somali head of state . In October 1983 " Kennedy " was diverted to Beirut , Lebanon from her planned Indian Ocean deployment , after the Beirut barracks bombing killed 241 US Military personnel taking part in the Multinational Force in Lebanon , and spent the rest of that year and early 1984 patrolling the region . On 4 December 1983 ten A - 6 aircraft from the " Kennedy " along with A - 6 and A - 7 aircraft from took part in a bombing raid over Beirut , in response to two US F - 14 aircraft being fired upon the previous day . The Navy lost two aircraft during the raid : an A - 7E from the Independence and an A - 6E from the " Kennedy " were shot down by SAMs . The A - 7E pilot was picked up by a fishing boat , but the A - 6E pilot Lt . Mark Lange died after ejecting and the B / N Lt . Robert " Bobby " Goodman was taken prisoner and released on 3 January 1984 . In 1984 the ship was drydocked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a complex overhaul and much needed upgrades . Setting sail in July 1986 , " Kennedy " participated in the International Naval Review to help mark the Re - dedication of the Statue of Liberty . " Kennedy " served as the flagship for the armada before departing on an overseas deployment to the Mediterranean in August – highlighted by multiple Freedom of Navigation exercises in the Libya ' s Gulf of Sidra , and operations off of the coast of Lebanon as a result of increasing terrorist activities and U . S . citizens being taken hostage in Beirut . The ship returned to Norfolk , Virginia in March 1987 . In August 1988 " Kennedy " departed on her twelfth overseas deployment . During this deployment , a pair of MiG - 23 Flogger fighter aircraft from Libya approached the carrier task force , which was 130 km off the shore of Libya near the declared Libyan territorial waters of the Gulf of Sidra . " Kennedy " launched two F - 14 Tomcats from VF - 32 " Fighting Swordsmen " to intercept the incoming MiGs . The U . S . planes were sent to escort the MiGs away from the task force , but a shooting match between the U . S . and Libyan aircraft developed , and both of the Libyan aircraft were shot down . 1990s . " Kennedy " returned to the U . S . in time to participate in Fleet Week in New York and Independence Day celebrations in Boston before unexpectedly being deployed on 28 July 1990 , for Operation Desert Shield . Despite having little to no warning , " Kennedy " prepared for her deployment overseas , where she arrived on 5 August 1990 , and became the flagship for the commander of the Red Sea Battle Force . At midnight on 17 January 1991 " Kennedy " ' s Carrier Air Wing 3 commenced operations against Iraqi forces as part of Operation Desert Storm . Between the commencement of the operation and the cease - fire , " Kennedy " launched 114 airstrike s and nearly 2 , 900 sorties against Iraq , which delivered over 3 . 5 million pounds of ordnance . On 27 February 1991 President George H . W . Bush declared a cease - fire in Iraq , and ordered all U . S . forces to stand down . " Kennedy " was relieved , and began the long journey home by transiting the Suez Canal . She arrived in Norfolk on 28 March 1991 . While at Norfolk the ship was placed on a four - month selective restricted - availability period as shipyard workers carried out maintenance . Extensive repairs to the flight deck , maintenance and engineering systems were made . Additionally , the ship was refitted to handle the new F / A - 18C / D Hornet . With the upgrades completed , " Kennedy " departed on her 14th deployment to the Mediterranean , assisting several task forces with workup exercises in anticipation of intervention in Yugoslavia . When " Kennedy " returned she was sent to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , where she underwent a two - year extensive overhaul . Upon completion of the overhaul the ship was transferred to the Mayport Naval Station near Jacksonville , Florida , which remained the ship ' s home port . On 1 October 1995 , " John F . Kennedy " was designated an operational reserve carrier and reserve force ship assigned to the U . S . Atlantic Fleet . The " JFK " made a high - profile visit to Dublin , Ireland during an Atlantic deployment in 1996 . Here , more than 10 , 000 people were invited to tour the ship at anchor in Dublin Bay . The visit was also intended to honor two personalities who had made a great impact on history : John F . Kennedy , for whom the ship was named , and Commodore John Barry , a native of County Wexford , Ireland who played an instrumental role in the early years of the United States Navy . Officers and crew from the Kennedy joined local military and civilian organizations in celebrating Barry ' s achievements at his statue in Crescent Quay , Wexford , and three F - 14 Tomcat fighters flew at low level over the town . Jean Kennedy Smith , a sister of John F . Kennedy , was the U . S . ambassador to Ireland at the time , and was among those who welcomed the ship to Ireland . During her visit to Ireland , high winds in Dublin Bay caused the boarding pontoon to tear a large hole in the " JFK " s hull . " Kennedy " ' s 15th Mediterranean deployment was uneventful , and she returned in time to participate in Fleet Week ' 98 in New York City . During " Kennedy " ' s 16th deployment , she became involved in a rescue mission when the tug " Gulf Majesty " foundered during Hurricane Floyd in mid - September 1999 . The ship successfully rescued the crew of the vessel , then headed toward the Middle East , where she became the first U . S . aircraft carrier to make a port call in Al Aqabah , Jordan , in the process playing host to the King of Jordan , before taking up station in support of Operation Southern Watch . " Kennedy " was the only conventionally powered U . S . carrier underway at the end of 1999 , arriving at Mayport on 19 March 2000 . After a brief period of maintenance ( Advanced combat direction system was installed ) , the carrier sailed north to participate in 4 July International Naval Review ( see also Naval review ) , then headed to Boston for Sail Boston 2000 . 2000s . During " Kennedy " ' s last round of refits the ship became a testbed for an experimental system for the Cooperative Engagement Capability , a system that allowed " Kennedy " to engage targets beyond original range . In 2001 , during a pre - deployment trial , " Kennedy " was found to be severely deficient in some respects , especially those relating to air group operations ; most problematic , two aircraft catapult s and three aircraft elevators were non - functional during inspection , and two boilers would not light . As a result , her captain and two department heads were relieved for cause . As the 11 September attacks of 2001 unfolded , the " Kennedy " and her battle group were ordered to support Operation Noble Eagle , establishing air security along the mid - Atlantic seaboard , including Washington , D . C . " JFK " was released from Noble Eagle on 14 September 2001 . During the first six months of 2002 , " Kennedy " aircraft dropped 31 , 000 tons of ordnance on Taliban and al Qaeda targets in support of Operation Enduring Freedom . In July 2004 " Kennedy " collided with a dhow in the Persian Gulf , leaving no survivors on the traditional Arab sailing boat . After the incident the Navy relieved the commanding officer of the " Kennedy " , CAPT Stephen B . Squires . The carrier itself was unscathed , but two jet fighters on the deck were damaged when an F - 14B Tomcat assigned to VF - 103 slid into an F / A - 18C Hornet assigned to VFA - 81 damaging the wing of the F - 14 as well as the upper section of the radome and forward windscreen of the F / A - 18 as the ship made a hard turn to avoid the tiny vessel . A popular misconception is that CAPT Squires waited to make the turn at the last possible moment to recover aircraft critically low on fuel returning from airstrikes . The official review board determined this was not the case and the aircraft could have remained safely aloft until the " Kennedy " maneuvered to avoid the dhow . " Kennedy " was the most costly carrier in the fleet to maintain and was due for an expensive overhaul ; budget cutbacks and changing naval tactics prompted the U . S . Navy to retire her . On 1 April 2005 the Navy formally announced that the carrier ' s scheduled 15 - month overhaul had been cancelled . Before decommissioning she made a number of port calls to allow the public to " say farewell " to her , including a stop at her " homeport " Boston Harbor . The Kennedy also took part in the 2005 New York City Fleet Week festivities at the Intrepid Sea - Air - Space Museum . She was decommissioned in Mayport , Florida on 23 March 2007 . The ship ' s unique in - port cabin , which was decorated by Jacqueline Kennedy with wood paneling , oil paintings , and rare artifacts , was disassembled , to be rebuilt at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Naval Air Station Pensacola , Florida . The " Kennedy " was towed to Norfolk , Virginia on 26 July 2007 . She remained in Norfolk until a shoaled area near Pier 4 in Philadelphia could be dredged to enable the ship to safely dock . On 17 March 2008 at about 1700 , she was seen leaving Norfolk Naval Station under tow of the Tug " Atlantic Salvor " . On 22 March 2008 " Kennedy " arrived , with the afternoon high tide , at the Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia . She is currently laid up in the Philadelphia reserve fleet . Plans . In November 2009 , the Navy placed the " Kennedy " on donation hold for use as a museum and memorial . A report that showed up in the " Boston Herald " newspaper on 26 November 2009 mentioned the possibility of bringing the " Kennedy " to the Boston , MA area , as a museum or memorial at no cost to the city , if desired . In August 2010 , two groups successfully passed into Phase II of the U . S . Navy Ship Donation Program : On 19 January 2011 the Portland , Maine City Council voted 9 – 0 to not continue with the project to bring the ship to Maine . References . In the 2012 film " Olympus Has Fallen " , there is a brief sequence showing USS John F . Kennedy though it is clearly in error because the shot is meant to show the US 7th Fleet ( Pacific ) rather than the Kennedy .