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Published on January 16, 2025
Retired USS John F. Kennedy Sets Sail on Final Voyage to Texas from Philadelphia for DismantlementSource: Wikipedia/U.S. Navy photo by Photographer's Mate 1st Class Greg Curry., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The retired USS John F. Kennedy, known as "Big John," is set to leave the Philadelphia Navy Yard for Brownsville, Texas, where it will be dismantled. The departure, originally planned on Wednesday, was delayed by high winds and is now scheduled on Thursday morning. The carrier will travel down the Delaware River and begin its two-week journey to its final destination, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The USS John F. Kennedy, decommissioned in 2007 after nearly 40 years of service, was the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier in the US Navy. It completed 18 deployments, including missions following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks and during Operations Anaconda, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom. The ship will be dismantled in Texas, as reported by 6abc.

After being docked at Pier 82 since 1996, it was purchased by Okaloosa County, Florida, with plans to sink it as an artificial reef. Despite delays, "positive progress has been made" on its relocation. Meanwhile, a new John F. Kennedy-named aircraft carrier is set to join the Navy later this year, continuing the legacy of the USS John F. Kennedy, as stated by CBS News.