Kitty Hawk leads list of ships going away

[unhappycamper]

Kitty Hawk leads list of ships going away
By Zachary M. Peterson - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 11, 2008 16:23:08 EST

The Navy plans to say goodbye to an aircraft carrier and three amphibious ships in the next fiscal year.

The Austin-class amphibious transport dock ships (LPDs) Juneau and Nashville, amphibious assault ship Tarawa (LHA 1) and the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk are slated to leave the fleet in fiscal 2009.

Based in Yokosuka, Japan, Kitty Hawk was built by New York Shipbuilding Corp. in New Jersey and commissioned in April 1962. The carrier was the first of three super carriers and is the last conventionally-powered carrier in the fleet.

The Japan-based Juneau was constructed by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Co. in Seattle and commissioned in 1969. The ship went on five separate deployments to Vietnam in the early 1970s and earned five battle stars for efforts during the Vietnam War, according to the ship’s Web site. The “Mighty J” was the first ship on station after the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, supported the deployment of Marines to Somalia, made multiple Persian Gulf deployments and helped in cyclone relief efforts in Bangladesh.

The Norfolk, Va.,-based Nashville was also built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction. The ship was commissioned in 1970. The Navy is now building San Antonio-class ships to eventually replace the older LPD ships.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/02/navy_shipdecom_080211w/

[Sherman A1]

1. It's a shame. but

she is getting old and it's a scheduled replacement.. There are two new carriers building now with the G.H.W. Bush (or as I call it the pandering to the boss, by naming a ship after his dad) & Gerald Ford both under construction. I really wish the Navy would get over the idea of naming ships after political leaders and stick to the historical names we have always used. At the very least we shouldn't use a name of a leader for some 50 years until we can figure out their legacy.(that goes for Republicans and Democrats).