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Navy Cancels Overhaul For Carrier Kennedy
WASHINGTON — The Navy underscored its intention Friday to proceed with mothballing the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, announcing that plans for a $350 million overhaul of the ship later this year have been formally canceled.
Plans to move the 37-year-old flattop from its home port in Mayport, Fla., to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, where most of the repair and refurbishing were to be conducted, also have been scrapped, the Navy said.
Virginia and Florida lawmakers are trying to save the ship, co-sponsoring legislation that would require the Navy to keep at least 12 active carriers.
But Navy leaders say they can meet the service’s obligations around the world with a fleet of 11 flattops, the smallest force in decades, and argue that retiring the Kennedy will free up $300 million annually for investment in more modern ships and weapons.
The Kennedy is one of just two oil-burning carriers in the U.S. inventory. Navy leaders say their nuclear-powered ships can be run far more cheaply and cleanly than oil-burners.
The Navy expects to direct additional repair work on other ships to the Norfolk yard to make up for loss of the Kennedy contract.
But the service also is exploring the relocation of a Norfolk-based carrier to Mayport, a shift that would siphon an estimated 5,000 jobs and $188 million in wages and benefits from the Hampton Roads economy.
WASHINGTON — The Navy underscored its intention Friday to proceed with mothballing the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy, announcing that plans for a $350 million overhaul of the ship later this year have been formally canceled.
Plans to move the 37-year-old flattop from its home port in Mayport, Fla., to the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, where most of the repair and refurbishing were to be conducted, also have been scrapped, the Navy said.
Virginia and Florida lawmakers are trying to save the ship, co-sponsoring legislation that would require the Navy to keep at least 12 active carriers.
But Navy leaders say they can meet the service’s obligations around the world with a fleet of 11 flattops, the smallest force in decades, and argue that retiring the Kennedy will free up $300 million annually for investment in more modern ships and weapons.
The Kennedy is one of just two oil-burning carriers in the U.S. inventory. Navy leaders say their nuclear-powered ships can be run far more cheaply and cleanly than oil-burners.
The Navy expects to direct additional repair work on other ships to the Norfolk yard to make up for loss of the Kennedy contract.
But the service also is exploring the relocation of a Norfolk-based carrier to Mayport, a shift that would siphon an estimated 5,000 jobs and $188 million in wages and benefits from the Hampton Roads economy.
