The Kitty Hawk-Class: The Best Conventionally Powered Carriers Ever Built

Built and developed in the post-World War II era, the United States Navy’s Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers were originally designed to improve upon the previous Forrestal-class carriers.

These four completed vessels represented three sub-classes, easily distinguishable from their predecessors by their increased length, elevator placement, and a smaller island positioned further aft.

This larger size was necessary to accommodate the take-off and landing requirements of heavy attack aircraft of the era, including the A-3 Skywarrior and A-5 Vigilante.

One notable change was the repositioning of the number four elevator, which allowed for greater aircraft movement compared to the Forrestal-class carriers.

The Kitty Hawk-class ships, including the final variation USS John F. Kennedy, were the last U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to be powered by oil-fired boilers rather than a nuclear power plant.

Propulsion was provided by four Westinghouse geared turbines generating 280,000 shp, connected to four shafts and eight 1,200 pounds per square inch (8,300 kPa) Foster Wheeler boilers.

Meet the Class

The construction of the four ships of the Kitty Hawk-class involved three different shipyards. USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) and USS Constellation (CV-64) were built at New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey, and the New York Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn, respectively.

They were commissioned in 1961 and joined the fleet four years later. USS America (CV-66) and USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) were both constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding and entered service in 1967 and 1970, respectively.

The first three carriers of the Kitty Hawk-class initially featured a Terrier surface-to-air missile system, which replaced the traditional 5-inch guns for air defense.

However, these systems were later removed due to their consumption of limited island space and duplication of air defense capabilities of the escort ships.

The fourth vessel, John F. Kennedy, was not equipped with the Terrier but instead featured the shorter-ranged Sea Sparrow and Basic Point Defense Missile System (BPDMS).

All ships were eventually equipped with NATO Sea Sparrow (NSSM) and Phalanx CIWS for self-defense. USS Kitty Hawk received two Rolling Airframe Missile launchers during her final upgrade in 2001, replacing the forward Sea Sparrow and Phalanx CIWS equipment.

Additionally, an SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite was added as part of the Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) on Kitty Hawk and Constellation.

USS America, the third vessel of the class, had several differences from its predecessors. In addition to having a slightly greater displacement, her anchor configuration was modified to accommodate the AN/SQS-23 sonar.

USS America was the only post-World War II U.S. carrier to be built with sonar, although it was removed in the early 1980s. She also had a narrower smokestack compared to her first two sister carriers.

All four Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carriers were equipped with steam catapults and carried around 2,150 tons of aviation ordnance and about 7.38 million liters (1.95 million U.S. gallons) of aviation fuel for their respective air groups.

These figures were similar in size and composition to those of the later Nimitz-class carriers.

The tactical reconnaissance element in each of the air wings was usually provided by a handful of Grumman F-14 Tomcats equipped with a digital TARPS (tactical airborne reconnaissance system) pod.

The Tomcats were later replaced in all roles by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet multi-role fighters and strike aircraft.

Advanced Features

All four U.S. Navy Cold War-era carriers were further equipped with full Anti-Submarine Classification and Analysis Center (ASCAC), Navigational Tactical Direction System (NTDS), and tactical flag Command Center (TFCC) facilities. America was the first carrier to be fitted with NTDS.

Additionally, each of the aircraft carriers was equipped with the OE-82 satellite communications system, allowing them to simultaneously launch and recover aircraft, a challenging operation that was rarely performed.

Service History

During the Vietnam War, the first three Kitty Hawk-class carriers played crucial roles in the air war over North Vietnam.

In 1972, a 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.

Although the fourth carrier of the class, CV-67, was not deployed to Vietnam, it participated in the Yom Kippur War in the Middle East in 1973 while deployed in the Mediterranean.

Throughout the 1970s, the role of the Kitty Hawk-class carriers was adapted to include an anti-submarine capability in addition to their traditional attack role.

Continuing to serve during the latter stages of the Cold War, three of the carriers underwent Service Life Extension Programs (SLEP).

From 1987 to 1991, Kitty Hawk underwent a $785 million overhaul at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, while Constellation received her $800 million service life extension in Philadelphia from 1990 to 1992. These programs aimed to extend the ships’ operational lives by 15 years.

USS John F. Kennedy did not undergo SLEP but received a $491 million overhaul from 1993 to 1995. This project was the final undertaking of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard before its closure.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and budget cuts leading to a downsizing of the U.S. Navy’s fleet, USS America was retired on August 9, 1996, without undergoing SLEP.

Despite its historical significance, she was not preserved as a donation asset but instead was used as a live-fire target and sunk on May 14, 2005.

Constellation was decommissioned in August 2003, while John F. Kennedy was decommissioned in March 2007.

USS Kitty Hawk remained in service until early 2008 when she was replaced by USS George Washington (CVN-73) as the forward-deployed carrier in Japan.

Kitty Hawk subsequently returned to the United States and was decommissioned on January 31, 2009, marking the end of conventionally powered carriers in the U.S. Navy.