Former USS John F. Kennedy leaving Philadelphia Navy Yard to be dismantled
PHILADELPHIA - An aircraft carrier is leaving its home at the Navy Yard in South Philadelphia to make its final journey on Thursday morning.
The former U.S.S. John F. Kennedy will head to Brownsville, Texas, where the historic navy ship will be dismantled after 57 years.
Timeline:
Its final voyage down the Delaware River is set to begin around 7 a.m. Thursday, and will reportedly be completely out of sight of the Philadelphia area by 9 a.m.
The journey was scheduled for Wednesday, but had to be postponed due to winds.
The backstory:
The 1,407-foot ship was delivered at the height of the Vietnam War on September 7, 1968.
It was the first navy ship to be named John F. Kennedy, and was the last conventially powered aircraft carrier to be built by the U.S. Navy.
The storied ship conducted 18 deployments, including the Mediterranean, Adriatic and Ionian seas during a period of escalating tension in the Middle East and North Africa.