JFK could retire in Florida, backers hope

[unhappycamper]

The now-decomissioned aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy departs Naval Station Mayport, Fla., for its last underway period last February. A retired Florida businessman is working to get the JFK to return to Florida and become a tourist attraction in downtown Miami or at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.


JFK could retire in Florida, backers hope
By Mark D. Faram - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Jan 13, 2008 14:18:21 EST

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Finally, somebody wants the aircraft carrier formerly known as the John F. Kennedy.

The Navy decided in 2004 it didn’t want the ship anymore and spent two years working to convince Congress to let it go.

Once decommissioned, the ship was to leave its home in Mayport in northern Florida to go to Philadelphia. There, it would be maintained in a ready state until the next carrier hits the fleet.

But that was a no-go. The slip where the JFK was to spend its retirement was not dredged deep enough to accommodate the 38-year-old, 82,000-ton, 1,052-foot-long ship. So now it languishes in Norfolk, Va., a few piers down from today’s operational carriers.

Now, it seems, some people do want the Kennedy, and they were here in Florida the whole time.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/01/navy_jfk_080113w/



uhc comment: When you're touring the JFK, look for these -->

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=259&topic_id=8073