Aircraft Carrier USS Kennedy Decommissioned

I am quite fond of the aircraft carriers, so it's a bit sad to see another one of these grand ships being retired.

Today marks the end of 40 years of service this ship has given to the U.S. Navy. The Kennedy (CV-67) launched aircraft into hot spots around the globe during its service, including both Iraq wars. At 1,050 feet long, it carried a crew of about 4,600 and 70 combat aircraft.

The retirement of this conventional aircraft carrier will leave only the USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), the lone conventional carrier. Unfortunately, it is also scheduled for decommissioning in 2008.

This will reduce the active carrier deployment to 10. In 2009, the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) will be commissioned, followed by the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) in 2015.