Free to Good Home: Carrier USS John F. Kennedy

[Steve]

PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The U.S. Navy plans to give away the retired aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy for a museum or memorial.

The ship is currently in docked in Philadelphia with other retired warships.

The Navy says the deadline for submitting initial applications is Jan. 22. Bidders have to be a government or nonprofit group that pledges to use the ship as a museum or memorial. The winner gets the ship for free, but will be responsible for moving the 1,050-foot vessel from Philadelphia to its new home.

Known as "Big John," the ship was the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier built by the Navy. It once carried a crew of about 4,600 and 70 combat aircraft. It entered Navy service in September 1968 and was decommissioned in 2007.

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/topstories/news-article.aspx?storyid=148694&catid=3




Why not here?

[jandar]

yeah, why not?

[Ocklawaha]

Why not here?

Yeah, we could tie it up at the Landing! Or uh Potsburg Creek!  

OCKLAWAHA

[Lunican]

Would it fit at the Shipyards downtown? That land is going to be empty for a while.

[heights unknown]

Looking at that photo, a couple of the piers there seem long enough, but the question is, do those piers harbor the extra stuff and facilities needed to support a floating museum the size of the Kennedy, and is the St. John's deep enough to harbor "Big John." Would probably have to renovate and upgrade the pier or piers to support the Kennedy berthing there as a museum.

Lot of questions need to be answered before anyone in Jax attemps to accept the Kennedy and then move it and maintain it as a museum.  Would need a LOT of questions answered relative to towing, depth of the St. Johns, maintenance, etc. before even moving it.

Would love to see it at the Shipyards park; it is fitting for a retired Navy carrier ship to be berthed at the Shipyards, and downtown (along with the City of Jacksonville) would receive a significant boost in tourism and other business venues around the museum.  If anyone think I am joking, look at the economic impact the USS MIDWAY has had on downtown San Diego.  Go to http://www.midway.org

Heights Unknown

[reednavy]

It probably could, but would it fit under the bridges? My guess is no.

[heights unknown]

The below photo says it all:

http://www.midway.org/files/imagecache/display/photos/Downtown%20Location.jpg

Can you imagine "Big John" in downtown Jax?

Heights Unknown

[Dan B]

Looks like Boston wants it. Even if Jacksonville had a clue/inclination to go after it, it would be very hard to beat Boston out for it.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/11/city_councilor_1.html

[heights unknown]

Yeah with the "Kennedy Stigma" (Irish) out of Boston and Massachusetts it's pretty hard to compete with that yes, I do agree.

Heights Unknown

[Ocklawaha]

Yeah with the "Kennedy Stigma" (Irish) out of Boston and Massachusetts it's pretty hard to compete with that yes, I do agree.

Heights Unknown

Well brother, if Kennedy and his antics give Boston some advantage, just think of our own City Hall, no sweat guys, for certain we'll get the George Bush when it's retired.

Ooooh!

OCKLAWAHA

[Ocklawaha]

Just did the measurements on the Jacksonville GIS map, ha ha! Like I suspected a 1,200 foot carrier would stretch from the Shipyards Seawall, more then 2/3 of the way across the River toward the School Board, fouling the entire channel. Same story at the old Ford Assembly Plant just Northwest of the Matthews Bridge.  Oh and the smart crack about tying it up at the Landing? It would stretch from Main Street to the gazebo dock at Coast Line Drive, and STILL come close to blocking the channel. The longest of the piers at the Shipyards site is 700', meaning we could maybe squeeze an Essex Class Ship in the berth with just a few feet jutting into the river. Trouble is, even though the Essex Class was long based here with the Rosy (Roosevelt), the last of them were stricken in the early 1990's, having been built in WWII, longest service record in the Navy, and among VERY FEW ships that made the leap from bunker oil fired steam days, to the Nuclear Navy's steam systems. But as usual, these ships, Atlantic and Mediterranean Fleet staples, saw the last survivor, USS Midway, go to San Diego as a museum. The Roosevelt and sister Coral Sea were "Sold to Gillette..."

OCKLAWAHA

[Charles Hunter]

There is an effort to get an Adams class destroyer [?] here.  Thanks for doing the measurements, I was wondering about that.  What if the JFK tied up at The Shipyards, parallel to the shoreline, not perpendicular, as you measured?

[mtraininjax]

Put the ship at the base of the Matthews Bridge next to the Ford plan, use the Ford plant as the MOSH and then demo MOSH as part of the new fountain plans for more open space. Its all very simple, why do I have to think for everyone in City Hall??

[Ocklawaha]

There is an effort to get an Adams class destroyer [?] here.  Thanks for doing the measurements, I was wondering about that.  What if the JFK tied up at The Shipyards, parallel to the shoreline, not perpendicular, as you measured?

Amazing Charles, the Adams Class is 437' x 36' and would fit very well at:

Between Coast Line Drive and the foot of Hogan Street, in front of the TUCPA moored parallel.
Between the Acosta and the Boat Ramps, Friendship Park area, moored perpendicular.
Between any two piers along the Shipyards Site, moored perpendicular.
Alongside the old Ford Plant at almost the exact length of the pier, a "custom fit," perhaps saving two treasures in one swoop. If we want to take it up to 4 treasures, lets get MOSH, Maritime Museum at the old plant too. If you have never been inside it's similar to the superdome just not as tall, restored that building could house even more stuff... rail museum, 747, graf zeppelin.

Put the ship at the base of the Matthews Bridge next to the Ford plan, use the Ford plant as the MOSH and then demo MOSH as part of the new fountain plans for more open space. Its all very simple, why do I have to think for everyone in City Hall??

Mtrain, while I share your feelings on the tiny impotent MOSH (I wish it were expanded about 5 times), carrier would not fit ANYWHERE along the riverfront. Like the Super Tankers that used the river off Talleyrand and JU during the Fuel Crisis of the 1970's, anchorage would have to be parallel to the shore, just east of the channel.

OCKLAWAHA

[mtraininjax]

Ock - it can be done, it just takes some imagination. It can be done, if the city wants it to be done. No where else for it to go here in Jax, but there.