Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding division has begun conducting sea trials of the future USS John F. Kennedy, the US Navy's second Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
The carrier honours the late John F. Kennedy, who was President of the United States from 1961 until his assassination in 1963. Prior to entering politics, the late president had served as a US Navy officer and was the captain of the famed patrol torpedo boat PT-109 when it saw combat in the Pacific in World War II.
The ship is the second aircraft carrier to be named after the late President. The first carrier to bear the name was commissioned in 1968 and removed from service in 2007. She was also one of the last two conventionally powered aircraft carriers to be operated by the US Navy.
The first Kennedy was brought to Brownsville, Texas, for dismantling in early 2025.
The second Kennedy is tentatively scheduled for delivery to the navy in March 2027, while fitting out is expected to be completed by July of that year.
The carrier measures 1,092 feet (332.8 metres) long and will have a displacement of 100,000 tons at full load as well as a crew complement of 4,550. Her air wing will include over 75 aircraft.
Like her sister USS Gerald R. Ford, Kennedy will be fitted with electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) catapults. EMALS eliminates the need for onboard machinery that will generate the steam needed to operate conventional launch systems.
Construction is also underway at NNS on two other sister ships, the future USS Enterprise and the future USS Doris Miller.
