A Bittersweet Final Voyage Took Place for the USS John F. Kennedy

Updated: February 12, 2025

By Mike Villarreal

The USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) completed its final journey to the Brownsville Scrap Yard on Sunday, February 2nd, after navigating the scenic waters off South Padre Island. The decommissioned aircraft carrier began this poignant voyage earlier in the week, attracting crowds of spectators to Isla Blanca Park, who eagerly awaited its arrival. The ex-USS Kennedy was carefully towed to Brownsville for dismantling. It approached the jetties at South Padre Island around noon, where it paused briefly before continuing on to the Port of Brownsville. Once there, it will be dismantled by International Shipbreaking Limited, a specialized recycling facility that has a contract with the U.S. Navy for the responsible scrapping of military ships.

Having been moored at the Navy’s Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia for nearly 19 years, the Kennedy was sold to scrap dealers for just one cent—a symbolic amount that reflects the somber reality of the vessel’s decommissioning. On October 6, 2021, both the USS John F. Kennedy and the USS Kitty Hawk were sold to International Shipbreaking Limited in Brownsville, Texas, as part of a broader effort to recycle military vessels that are no longer in service.

The USS John F. Kennedy had a distinguished service life of nearly 40 years before it was officially decommissioned on August 1, 2007. After spending 17 years at the decommissioned ship facility, the vessel—fondly nicknamed “Big John” by many—set sail on its bittersweet final voyage to the International Shipbreaking Limited scrap metal yard. Notably, the ex-Kennedy is a unique variant of the Kitty Hawk-class carriers, which were originally designed for a nuclear propulsion system but were ultimately outfitted with a conventional system. The USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63), another storied aircraft carrier, also arrived at ISL for dismantling in June 2022.

The Kennedy’s journey began with its departure from the Philadelphia naval facility, where it navigated the tranquil waters of Delaware Bay. It then ventured into the North Atlantic Ocean, making its way southward around the Florida peninsula and across the expansive Gulf, marking the end of an illustrious chapter in U.S. naval history.
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