USS Kitty Hawk
United States
Builders:	New York Shipbuilding New York Navy Yard Newport News Shipbuilding
Operators:	United States Navy
Preceding class:	Forrestal
Following class:	Enterprise Nimitz
Commissioned:	21 April 1961
Ships in Class
Ships in class:	4
Ships in active service:	USS Kitty Hawk USS John F. Kennedy
Ships in storage:	USS Constellation
Sunk ships:	USS America (as a target)
General Characteristics
Class type:	Supercarrier
Displacement:	83,960 tons
Length:	320 m
Beam:	39.6 m
Draught:	11.4 m
Speed:	32
Range:	12,000 miles
Complement:
Armament:	24 surface to air missiles 3-4 close-in weapons systems
Aircraft complement:	Up to 90 aircraft
Aircraft facilities:	318 m angled flight deck

The Kitty Hawk-class supercarriers of the United States Navy were an incremental improvement on the Forrestal-class vessels. Four were built, all in the 1960s: USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... The New York Shipbuilding Corporation (or New York Ship for short) was founded in 1899 and opened its first shipyard in 1900. ... The New York Naval Shipyard (NYNSY), also known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the New York Navy Yard and United States Navy Yard, New York, is located 1. ... The newly constructed USS Birmingham is launched from the Newport News yards in 1942 Northrop Grumman Newport News, formerly called Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company (NNS), is the largest privately owned shipyard in the United States and the only one that can build Nimitz-class supercarriers. ... Image File history File links US_Naval_Jack. ... USN redirects here. ... The Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were a four-ship class designed and built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. ... Enterprise Logo The supercarrier, USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is the worlds first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name. ... The Nimitz-class supercarriers are a line of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the US Navy, and are the largest capital ships in the world. ... April 21 is the 111th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (112th in leap years). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... The second USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) is an aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. ... USS (CVA/CV-67) (or Big John) is a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. ... USS Constellation (CV-64), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the new constellation of stars on the flag of the United States. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... USS , a typical supercarrier, and HMS Illustrious, a light V/STOL aircraft carrier on a joint patrol. ... A surface-to-air missile (SAM) is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. ... Phalanx CIWS A Close-in weapon system (CIWS) is a naval shipboard weapon system for detecting and destroying incoming anti-ship missiles and enemy aircraft at short range (the threat(s) having penetrated the ships available outer defences). ... USS , a typical supercarrier, and HMS Illustrious, a light V/STOL aircraft carrier on a joint patrol. ... USN redirects here. ... The Forrestal-class aircraft carriers were a four-ship class designed and built for the United States Navy in the 1950s. ...

• Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (1961–2008)
• Constellation (CV-64) (1961–2003)
• America (CVA-66) (1965–1996)
• John F. Kennedy (CV-67) (1967–)

The biggest differences from the Forrestals are greater length, and a different placement of elevators; two are forward of the island, with a third at the portside stern. The movement of the #4 elevator from the forward to the after end of the angle made it useful for aircraft movement, since the forward-end elevator was useless as it was in both the landing path and in the launch path of the #3 and #4 catapults. The second USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63) is an aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. ... USS Constellation (CV-64), a Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the new constellation of stars on the flag of the United States. ... The third USS America (CV-66), originally CVA-66, was a supercarrier of the United States Navy that served from 1965 to 1996. ... USS (CVA/CV-67) (or Big John) is a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. ... A set of elevators or lifts, in the lower level of a London Underground station. ...

Each was built at a different shipyard. Small shipyard in Klaksvík (Faroe Islands), reparing fishing vessels Dockyards and shipyards are places which repair and build ships. ...

Kitty Hawk and Constellation were later updated in an SLEP program; but America was scheduled for a few years later than her sisters, at a time of budget cuts, and was decommissioned in 1996. America was in very poor condition when she was decommissioned, and therefore despite her historical significance was not held as a donation asset. She was expended as a live-fire target and sunk on 14 May 2005. The Service Life Extension Program (abbreviated SLEP), is a program developed in the 1980s to extend the useful designed service life of the US Navys aircraft carriers. ... A M4 Carbine is in the forground and the M16A2 in the backround in the hands of these two Marines during a live fire exercise in 2003 A live fire exercise is any exercise in which a realistic scenario for the use of specific equipment is simulated. ... May 14 is the 134th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (135th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

John F. Kennedy (CV-67) is similar, but has enough differences that it is often placed in its own class. USS (CVA/CV-67) (or Big John) is a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. ...