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USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS John F. Kennedy.

USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)
John F. Kennedy underway during sea trials in 2026
History
United States
NameJohn F. Kennedy
NamesakeJohn F. Kennedy
AwardedJanuary 15, 2009
BuilderHuntington Ingalls Industries
Cost$11.341 billion[1]
Laid downJuly 20, 2015[2]
LaunchedOctober 29, 2019[3][2]
Sponsored byCaroline Kennedy
ChristenedDecember 7, 2019[4]
IdentificationCVN-79
Motto"Serve with courage"
StatusSea trials
Badge
General characteristics
Class & typeGerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier
DisplacementAbout 100,000 long tons (100,000 tonnes) (full load)[5]
Length1,106 ft (337 m)
Beam
  • 134 ft (41 m) (waterline)
  • 256 ft (78 m) (flight deck)
Draft39 ft (12 m)
Installed powerTwo A1B nuclear reactors
PropulsionFour shafts
SpeedIn excess of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph)
RangeUnlimited distance; 20–25 years
Complement4,660
Sensors &
processing systems
Armament
Aircraft carriedMore than 80, can hold up to 90 combat aircraft
Aviation facilities1,092 ft × 256 ft (333 m × 78 m) flight deck

USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier built for the United States Navy. She was launched on October 29, 2019, and christened on December 7, 2019. She is currently scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in March 2027.

Naming

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On December 7, 2007, the 66th anniversary of the Attack on Pearl Harbor, Arizona Congressman Harry Mitchell proposed naming this ship Arizona. In 2009, Arizona Congressman John Shadegg proposed naming either CVN-79 or the subsequent CVN-80 as Barry M. Goldwater, after the late U.S. Senator, also from Arizona.[7] On May 29, 2011, the Department of Defense announced that the ship would be named for John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, who served in the Navy during World War II.[8] She will be the third navy ship named after members of the Kennedy family, and the second aircraft carrier named John F. Kennedy, succeeding USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67), which was active from 1968 to 2007.

Construction

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John F. Kennedy being constructed in September 2018

On January 15, 2009, Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding was awarded a $374-million contract for design work and construction preparation for John F. Kennedy.[9] On September 30, 2010, Northrop Grumman announced that preparations were under way to begin construction.[10] On February 25, 2011, the Navy conducted the First Cut of Steel ceremony at Northrop Grumman in Newport News, signalling the formal start of construction for John F. Kennedy.[11][12]

John F. Kennedy was originally planned to be completed in 2018. But this deadline was extended to 2020 after Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced in 2009 a shift to a five-year building program for the sake of fiscal sustainability. By late 2012, delays had occurred in construction, and the Navy Department was investigating extending the construction time of both Enterprise and John F. Kennedy by an additional two years which could delay the carrier's entry into service until 2022.[1] In September 2013, the Government Accountability Office recommended delaying the detail design and construction contract for John F. Kennedy until programmatic shortfalls are sorted out. Both the Navy and Defense Department rejected the recommendation. The Navy faces technical, design, and construction challenges to completing Gerald R. Ford, including producing systems prior to demonstrating their maturity to meet required installation dates. Gerald R. Ford had its costs increase by 22% to $12.8 billion, and additional increases could follow due to uncertainties facing critical technology systems and shipbuilder under performance. Risk is introduced in the Navy's plan to conduct integration testing of key systems at the same time as initial operational test and evaluation. One action the GAO says could be taken to ensure Ford-class carrier acquisitions are supported is conducting a cost-benefit analysis of required capabilities and associated costs.[13]

The ship's keel was laid in Newport News, Virginia on August 22, 2015.[14] As part of the traditional keel laying ceremony, the initials of ship sponsor Caroline Kennedy, daughter of President Kennedy and the sponsor of the previous John F. Kennedy, were welded into the ship's hull.[14] As of late June 2017 the ship was 50% structurally complete.[15] On February 28, 2018, HII announced that its Newport News Shipbuilding division had built 70% of the structures necessary to complete John F. Kennedy.[16] On April 30, 2018, HII announced that she was "75 percent structurally erected and more than 40 percent complete." On May 3, 2018 HII President & CEO Mike Petters reported that John F. Kennedy was to be launched three months ahead of schedule on October 29, 2019.[17] On May 30, 2019 the 588-ton bridge and island was installed. Under the island Captain Todd Marzano placed his wings and the first Kennedy half dollar, which was donated by Caroline Kennedy, was put in place. Next to these Rear Admiral Brian Antonio (former program executive officer for aircraft carriers),[18] Rear Admiral Roy Kelley (commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic),[19] and Jennifer Boykin (president, Newport News Shipbuilding)[20] placed coins each embossed with quotes from President Kennedy and parts of the ship's motto. Caroline could not be present, so the order was given via radio for the crane operator to lift the island and set it down on the deck over the ceremonial items and entombing them in the ship's superstructure.[21] The ship was fully completed on July 11, 2019 with the installation of the upper bow and launch deck consisting of the ship's two forward catapults.[22]

On October 1, 2019, the ship's crew was activated for the first time as Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) John F. Kennedy at a ceremony aboard the vessel at Newport News Shipbuilding.[23] On October 29, 2019, Newport News Shipbuilding began flooding the dry dock where John F. Kennedy has been under construction. The process of filling the dry dock with more than 100,000,000 US gallons (380,000,000 L; 83,000,000 imp gal) of water took place over several days, and it marked the first time the ship has been in water. Once the ship was afloat, she was moved to west end of the dry dock.[24] The ship was christened on December 7, 2019 by Caroline Kennedy, who reenacted the bottle bash she did when the first John F. Kennedy (CV-67) was christened 52 years earlier.[4]

In November 2020, HII received a nine-figure modification on an earlier contract to accomplish CVN 79 "single phase delivery and Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) capabilities" in Newport News, Virginia.[25] According to the contract announcement, the "single-phase delivery approach" is adopted "to meet both Fleet requirements and a congressional mandate of ensuring that CVN 79 is capable of operating and deploying Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) aircraft before completing the post-shakedown availability (PSA) as codified in Section 124 of the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 116-92)."[25] The ship first tested her Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System in 2022,[26] and her combat system in 2023.[27] In the same year, the U.S. Navy awarded a contract worth almost $400 million to HII for upgrades to the ship's flight deck, island, and weapon systems.[28] In February 2024 HII and the Navy began dead load testing and the first sleds were shot off the deck in late February until the end of April.[29] With the extra work moved into the base construction period, starting in 2023, the delivery schedule from mid-2024 to sometime in 2025, but moves up the date when she will be in full service, because less of the otherwise extensive finishing work will be left for the post-delivery post-shakedown period.[30]

On April 8, 2025, the Navy announced that the carrier's planned July delivery date would likely be missed.[31][32] The new delivery date is March 2027.[33]

On January 28, 2026, USS John F. Kennedy departed Newport News Shipbuilding for initial sea trials.[34] She successfully completed her builder's initial builder sea trials on February 5.[35]

See also

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External videos
on the official YouTube channel of HI Industries (in English)
video icon Building John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) on YouTube
video icon Bringing John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) to Life on YouTube
video icon John F. Kennedy (#CVN79) Christening Ceremony on YouTube

References

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  1. ^ a b O'Rourke, Ronald (December 22, 2017). "Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Naval Vessel Register".
  3. ^ "Huntington Ingalls Industries Floods Dry Dock in Preparation for Christening Of Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. October 29, 2019. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Christened at Newport News Shipbuilding" (Press release). Huntington Ingalls Industries. December 7, 2019. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
  5. ^ "Aircraft Carriers - CVN". Fact File. United States Navy. September 17, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. ^ a b "CVN 78 Gerald R. Ford-Class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier" (PDF). Director, Operational Test and Evaluation. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 18, 2026. Retrieved January 18, 2026.
  7. ^ "H.CON.RES.83". thomas.gov. Archived from the original on December 14, 2012.
  8. ^ "Aircraft carrier to be named for JFK". Politico. May 29, 2011. Archived from the original on September 20, 2021.
  9. ^ "Fact Sheet" (PDF). Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
  10. ^ "Photo Release -- Northrop Grumman Announces Leadership Changes at Shipbuilding Sector in Newport News". Northrop Grumman. September 30, 2010. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020.
  11. ^ "Construction Begins on Navy's Newest Aircraft Carrier". United States Navy. February 25, 2011. Archived from the original on March 1, 2011.
  12. ^ Frost, Peter (February 26, 2011). "Shipyard Cuts First Steel For Next Carrier; Funding Remains In Flux". Daily Press. Newport News, Virginia. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022.
  13. ^ Fabey, Michael (September 5, 2013). "Delay Kennedy Carrier Contract, GAO Says | Defense content from". Aviation Week. Archived from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  14. ^ a b LaGrone, Sam (August 22, 2015). "Keel Laid for John F. Kennedy Carrier". United States Naval Institute. Archived from the original on August 25, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  15. ^ "Aircraft carrier "JFK" (CVN-79) lower stern lift". Huntington Ingalls Industries. June 22, 2017. Archived from the original on August 15, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  16. ^ "Aircraft carrier JFK structural milestone". Huntington Ingalls Industries. February 22, 2018. Archived from the original on September 26, 2022. Retrieved March 10, 2018.
  17. ^ Larter, David B. (May 3, 2018). "Here's the latest on America's next supercarriers". Defense News. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019.
  18. ^ "Rear Admiral Brian K. Antonio". United States Navy. January 10, 2017. Archived from the original (Biography) on June 22, 2017.
  19. ^ "Rear Admiral Roy J. Kelley". United States Navy. 2 November 2017. Archived from the original (Biography) on 20 July 2019.
  20. ^ "Jennifer Boykin". Newport News Shipbuilding. 2017. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017.
  21. ^ Faram, Mark D. (May 29, 2019). "How the USS John F. Kennedy got her island". Navy Times. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  22. ^ "Video Release--Huntington Ingalls Industries Completes Flight Deck on Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy". Huntington Ingalls Industries. July 11, 2019. Archived from the original on October 2, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  23. ^ "Future Carrier John F. Kennedy Establishes Crew". United States Navy. October 2, 2019. Archived from the original on January 6, 2024.
  24. ^ "Video Release—Huntington Ingalls Industries Floods Dry Dock in Preparation for Christening Of Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)". Huntington Ingalls Industries. October 29, 2019. Archived from the original on October 7, 2022. Retrieved June 16, 2020.
  25. ^ a b "Contracts for November 2, 2020". U.S. Department of Defense. November 2, 2020. Archived from the original on July 23, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  26. ^ Fabey, Michael (February 11, 2022). "Carrier Kennedy to start EMALS testing later this year". Janes. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved June 19, 2022.
  27. ^ Fabey, Michael (February 15, 2023). "Carrier Kennedy set to enter combat system test programme this quarter". Jane's. Archived from the original on February 27, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2023.
  28. ^ Manuel, Rojoef (June 27, 2023). "US Navy Updates Delivery Strategy for Future USS John F. Kennedy Aircraft Carrier". The Defense Post. Archived from the original on June 27, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
  29. ^ "HII Begins Topside EMALS Testing on John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) at Newport News Shipbuilding". HII. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  30. ^ Shelbourne, Mallory (March 23, 2023). "Ford Aircraft Carrier John F. Kennedy to Deliver a Year Later". U.S. Naval Institute. Archived from the original on March 23, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  31. ^ Capaccio, Anthony (April 8, 2025). "Carrier's Delivery Date Likely to Be Missed, US Navy Says". Bloomberg.
  32. ^ Seck, Hope (April 9, 2025). "First Columbia-class Sub, Two Aircraft Carriers Face Delivery Delays, Navy Officials Tell Senate". USNI.
  33. ^ Shelbourne, Mallory (July 7, 2025). "Carrier John F. Kennedy Delivery Delayed 2 Years, Fleet Will Drop to 10 Carriers For 1 Year". USNI News. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  34. ^ Shelbourne, Mallory (January 28, 2026). "Carrier John F. Kennedy Gets Underway for First Time Ahead of Builder's Trials". USNI News. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  35. ^ HII (February 5, 2026). John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) Successfully Completes Builder’s Sea Trials. Retrieved February 6, 2026 – via YouTube.
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