The Most Iconic Aircraft Carriers in History

The Kitty Hawk-class warships, including the final variant USS John F. Kennedy, were the last U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to be powered by oil-fired boilers rather than nuclear power plants. Their propulsion systems consisted of four Westinghouse geared turbines producing 280,000 shp, connected to four shafts with eight 1,200 pounds per square inch (8,300 kPa) Foster Wheeler boilers.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these remarkable vessels:

Meet the Class

Three different shipyards were utilized to construct the four ships of the Kitty Hawk class. USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and USS Constellation (CV-64) were built at the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, and the New York Naval Shipyard in Brooklyn, respectively. Both were commissioned in 1961 and joined the fleet four years later. USS America (CV-66) and USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) were constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding and entered service in 1967 and 1970, respectively.

The first three carriers of the Kitty Hawk-class were initially equipped with the Terrier surface-to-air missile system, which replaced the traditional 5-inch guns for air defense. However, these missile systems presented several challenges, with their launchers and AN/SPG-55 radars occupying significant island space while duplicating the capabilities of the air defense escorts. Consequently, these systems were later removed.

The fourth vessel of the class, John F. Kennedy, considered a subclass, did not feature the Terrier system. Instead, it was equipped with the shorter-ranged Sea Sparrow and Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS). Eventually, all carriers were equipped with NATO Sea Sparrow (NSSM) and Phalanx CIWS for self-defense. In 2001, during Kitty Hawk’s final upgrade/refit, two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers replaced the forward Sea Sparrow and Phalanx CIWS equipment. Additionally, an SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite was added to Kitty Hawk and Constellation as part of the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP).

The third carrier to be built, USS America, featured several differences from its class predecessors. It had a slightly greater displacement and a modified anchor configuration, with no starboard anchor but an additional anchor astern to accommodate the AN/SQS-23 sonar. However, the sonar was later removed in the early 1980s. America also had a narrower smokestack compared to its first two sister carriers.

All four Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers were equipped with steam catapults and carried approximately 2,150 tons of aviation ordnance, as well as about 7.38 million liters (1.95 million U.S. gallons) of aviation fuel for their respective air groups. These quantities were similar in size and composition to those of the later Nimitz-class carriers. The tactical reconnaissance element in each air wing was typically provided by a handful of Grumman F-14 Tomcats equipped with a digital TARPS (Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System) pod. These Tomcats were later replaced in all roles by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multi-role fighters and strike aircraft.

Furthermore, all four of these U.S. Navy Cold War-era carriers were equipped with full Anti-Submarine Classification and Analysis Centers (ASCAC), Navigational Tactical Direction Systems (NTDS), and Tactical Flag Command Centers (TFCC). America was the first carrier to be fitted with NTDS. Each of these aircraft carriers was also equipped with the OE-82 satellite communications system, marking them as the first U.S. Navy carriers capable of simultaneously launching and recovering aircraft—an operation that had been considered complex and rarely performed.

Service History

During the Vietnam War, the first three Kitty Hawk-class carriers played a significant role in the air war over North Vietnam. In 1972, the crew of one of Constellation’s F-4 Phantoms, including Lt. R.H. Cunningham and Lt. (jg) W.P. Driscoll, became the first U.S. Navy aces of the Vietnam War. While the fourth carrier of the class, CV-67, was not deployed to Vietnam, it participated in operations in the Mediterranean and was in the region during the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East in 1973. Throughout the 1970s, the roles of the Kitty Hawk-class carriers were adapted to include an anti-submarine capability alongside their traditional attack role.

Continuing to serve during the latter stages of the Cold War, three of the carriers underwent a Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) to extend their operational lifetimes. Kitty Hawk underwent a $785 million overhaul from 1987 to 1991 at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, while Constellation received its $800 million service life extension in Philadelphia from 1990 to 1992. These programs were designed to add 15 years to the ships’ service lives. USS John F. Kennedy did not undergo a SLEP but received a $491 million overhaul from 1993 to 1995, marking the final project of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard before its closure.

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the downsizing of the U.S. Navy’s fleet due to budget cuts, USS America was retired on August 9, 1996, without undergoing SLEP. She was in poor condition and, despite her historical significance, was not retained as a donation asset. Instead, she was used as a live-fire target and sunk on May 14, 2005.