A long-serving aircraft carrier, one that started its life in Hampton Roads, is in its final days.
The former USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) left Philadelphia Thursday for its final voyage. The ship will sail down the Delaware River and along the East Coast, on its way to Brownsville, Texas, where it will be dismantled.
The Kennedy, which sailors came to know as “Big John,” started its life at what was then called Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company. Workers laid down the keel of the ship in October 1964. Just under three years later, the ship was launched and commissioned. The late president’s daughter, Caroline Kennedy, served as the ship’s sponsor…