USS JFK to retire?

Actually…if I recall the article right, and it’s been a few weeks…they WERE gonna decommission 2 of them and add one…..so the JFK and the Kitty going and the George Bush being added would be about right….but I agree, I think we need to keep some of the carriers that we plan on decommissioning, at least one…

M

Well the USS George H.W. Bush is expected to come out by 2008. So it shouldn’t be that bad.

No, the idea is to decommission one without replacement.

Well the USS George H.W. Bush is expected to come out by 2008. So it shouldn’t be that bad.

Scrapping carriers is a very, very bad idea. There are too few anyway.

Yes, the idea is to go from 12 to 11 CVs. It still needs to get through Congress though…

Kitty Hawk is already going in 2008 whereas the JFK was to go in 2018. By moving up JFK’s decommissioning date you essentially get rid of both at the same time.

But again, why the JFK? She’s 7 years younger than Kitty Hawk. Plus the fact that Kitty Hawk is forward deployed which alot of people argue isn’t necessary nor required anymore. Instead of rebasing (which isn’t all that hard, but you know the American government), it just seems more logical that they should bring her home and mothball her.

I still don’t see it happening. Last years’ GDR did, as it has for the past 30+ years, indicate that the USN needed 12 active blue water carriers to function efficiently at the request of the DoD.

However, if they finally decide to take into account the support offered by the LHA/LHDs and their aircraft, i may yet be able to see where they’re coming from. Given the Navy and the Marine Corps force of the future having the F/A-18E/F/Gs, the HV-22s and the F-35B/Cs and the respective ships to carry them, the Marines can really take up some slack from the lack of carriers. It in effect adds 8 more to the carrier fleet. Now, if these aircraft that they’ve been waiting forever for (V-22) come online and get augmented, perhaps ships like JFK and Kitty Hawk may not be needed.

Here’s what a quick google search dredged up.

http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/real_estate/construction/2005/02/07/jacksonville/_daily10.html

The upshot is the government is looking to trim $60 billion from the defense budget and this includes the decommisioning of an aircraft carrier that is yet to be named by 2006. The Kennedy is deemed the most likely candidate because it is conventionally powered. This would remove her from service a full twelve years ahead of schedule.

Edit: The link is typed in properly but does not seem to want to post properly. The word coming up with all the dots is industries if want to see the story that I did.

JFK retire? Like, soon? Perhaps. But last i heard her decomm isn’t scheduled until 2018, when the 2nd ship of CVN/X comes online. Maybe by then the USN will be secure enough to not worry about forward basing a carrier @ Yokosuka (or convince the Japanese to let them base a nuclear carrier there{yeah, right}).

Now, i do suppose she’ll prepare to switch oceans in the near future in preparations for Kitty Hawk‘s impending retirement. Granted, that’s not until 2008 itself, but still the Navy likes to ‘get stuff ready’ as it were.

Hi Mark,

My Brother-N-Law was assign to the JFK on its last Cruise and they just spent close to 20 Million on updates so I really don’t see them DeCon her anytime soon.

If anything she would be come the Fleet Training Carrier. Also when she is retired she is already slate to go to Fall Rivers next to the USS Mass.

Cheers
RER

It’s 40 years old.

Aren’t there a couple of ports that refuse entry of Nuclear warships? I would say that in that case the JFK would still be useful.