Oldest U.S. Carrier Makes Last Voyage
Associated Press | May 23, 2007
TOKYO - The USS Kitty Hawk, the U.S. Navy's oldest ship in full active service, embarked on its last major maneuvers Wednesday before being decommissioned next year.

The 46-year-old vessel - the only American aircraft carrier permanently deployed abroad - eased out of its berth at the U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, just south of Tokyo, escorted by a carrier strike group of cruisers and guided missile destroyers, Naval spokesman John Nylander said.

The voyage, to last several months in the western and central Pacific Ocean, was expected to be the last major mission for the ship before it is replaced next year by the USS George Washington and sent back to the United States for decommissioning, said Rear Adm. Richard B. Wren, commander of the Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group.

"This is the last trip for USS Kitty Hawk," Wren told reporters.

The Kitty Hawk, with a crew of more than 5,500, was commissioned in 1961 and has served in Vietnam and Iraq.

The diesel-powered ship was deployed to Yokosuka in 1998, and will be replaced with the nuclear-powered George Washington as part of the U.S. military's effort to modernize its forces in East Asia - an area of potential flashpoints with North Korea or China.

But the vessel's replacement sparked a backlash in Japan, where critics oppose the basing of a nuclear-powered warship in domestic waters. Japan's government backed the idea, however, saying the George Washington would boost regional stability.

Nuclear-powered warships have visited Japanese ports hundreds of times since 1964, and the United States has provided firm commitments to Tokyo regarding the safe use of Japanese harbors by the nuclear-powered vessels.

Thanks Dave for this great story.

Dave this article makes her sound ancient, and she's younger than US. Makes you feel old, don't it?




Diesel-powered? Is that right?

I knew the Japanese had a big issue with nuclear weapons being aboard warships, I didn't realize it also extended to the power generating system.

I think they have an issue with anything atomic. (Must have been all those atomic powere monsters that destroyed Tokyo. )

Roger, come on, it's a copy and paste from the Associated Press, do you honestly expect them to get everything right?

8 boilers= steam powered, originally burned good old #6 or "bunker C"
later changed to burn ND(Naval Distillate Fuel) or as it's called these days Naval Marine Diesel. So she burns a form of diesel fuel in her boilers to make the steam to turn the turbines to turn the shafts to turn the screws. If you have oil heat- you are using just about the same fuel- #2 oil. So in a sense it could be called diesel powered as a form of diesel fuel is burned to make the steam but them again you house could be called diesel powered also if you are burning #2 oil, but it would never be called that by anybody in the engineering field.

NUCLEAR POWERED= nuclear reactor make the steam (replacing the conventional boilers) to turn the turbines that turn the shafts, that turn the screws. In all reality they are still steam powered as the turbines really do not care what makes the steam. (One of thereason subs as are so successful, is it is a completely closed system, and needs no out side air to operate to make the steam, also why they can stay under water for so long, and go so fast)

Not to be confused with Diesel-Electric which uses diesel engines to turn generators, to make electricity for the motors that turn the shafts that turn the screws.

Gas Turbine Powered= gas turbines (Jet Engines) turning the shaft, that turns the screws.

Inbetween the power sourse (Turbine) and the shaft is a thing called----


Marine Engineering 102 will start next week.
I do charge tuition.

Hey all,

Give me a tank the rest of ya can have the turbins.....LOL!!!

Interesting discourse about engines Dave. You forgot the most important fuel in the Navy though. Coffee! Don't they call all the coffee pots on the ships the "13th Boiler?"

That is pretty cool!!! who would think that they would have a ship in service from 46 years ago. A definite guess is that they overhauled that sucker many times to bring it up to par with new technology. I tell you what I could use a thirteenth boiler in my room at boarding school so I can at least get up in the morning... LOL .