Philadelphia, PA -- A small contingent of Sailors from Pre-commissioning Unit John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) traveled to the Philadelphia Navy yard to visit a legend and pay homage to a legacy. This curious group of Sailors looking to explore decommissioned ship USS John F. Kennedy CVA 67 have the task of conserving the stories hidden aboard. She is a ship full of memories, art, and artifacts we intend on preserving. We are the true American pickers, looking for anything to save, salvage, and incorporate into our ship, CVN 79.
Our shipboard Sherpas are the men of the Philadelphia Navy Yard, each familiar with the layout and treasures the ship still contains. With thick Philly accents, they skillfully guide us through a never-ending maze of passageways, hatches, ladder wells, and vertical trunks; allowing us to find success in this floating city. We look for needles in a 60,000-ton haystack.
Little by little, we start a collection of items deemed necessary enough to carefully remove from their intended final resting place. We are resolute in our mission of preservation. With each mural, drawing, or divisional pride painting, we take the time to capture the details of the art with the intent of preserving or recreating the work aboard CVN 79.
While exploring the second deck with only our headlamps and handheld flashlights to show us the way, we come across a hand-painted USS John F. Kennedy ship seal still preserved on the wall just outside the crew mess decks. Like archeologists carefully unearthing relics from history, we take the utmost care to remove this most treasured item. With every inch earned removing the plaque, the ship slowly lets go of what's been a part of her hull for generations.
We continue to reclaim items from all areas of the ship. Wood from the captain’s and admiral’s areas are carefully removed to be reclaimed and reused to serve a new purpose. Our persistence pays off in spaces once housing the ship's chapel. Stunning shipboard scenes etched into custom glass and wood are identified with inventory tags and left alone until the crew can return to reclaim them.
Several decks below the Delaware river’s waterline, we are escorted to one of several weapons magazines. During the prime of the ship's life, this space would house over millions of pounds of aircraft ordnance to be built, elevated to the flight deck, and then attached to aircraft for use against our adversaries. No light has illuminated this space in over a decade. As each of us enters the area, we are taken back by the sheer volume of the space. We search to grasp size and orientation; we find a wall of vibrant colors. A mural depicting traditional Naval weapons themes grace the otherwise dull white walls painted throughout the ship. iPhones and video equipment spin into action, capturing each image, angling flashlights just right to get the best Instagramable photo.
We moved deeper into the belly of the ship to one of several engineering spaces. We were told about a wall in the main auxiliary room that displays the most iconic image recalled by the prior crew. A fifteen-foot painting of Jesus on a ship as a storm builds around him. This custom work is kin to Rembrandt and his work The Storm on the Sea of Galilee. This magnificent image was damaged over time. A black layer of a chemical agent now tampers the glow of this once-majestic image.
We slowly make our way from the depths in search of fresh air and daylight. As we move vertically within the ship, the temperature and humanity hinted our journey closer to the flight deck. A muggy atmosphere was nearby. As the watertight door opened, the light temporarily blinded us as we stepped outside. The flight deck is quiet, void of all chaos and controlled action. Once a bustling ballet of people and planes, it now hosts the ship’s anchor, and the top of the island structure is deemed too tall for transport and cut from the mast.
The city of Philadelphia can be seen off the starboard bow, directly down catapult one. She was initially built to be a nuclear-powered carrier. Due to changes in timing and funding, the idea was scrapped and converted to conventional. The island differs from the traditional Kitty Hawk class by having an angled funnel to direct smoke away from the flight deck.
Storm clouds move in from the west, lightning has signaled the end of our exploration. Our visit served many purposes. The principal acting as a connection to a ship and crew we are now intertwined with as men and women to crew a USS John F. Kennedy. Our rescued treasures will serve as a physical reminder of a ship that laid the foundation and legacy for our journey. Visiting CVA 67 left us with a more profound sense of our heritage and an overwhelming pride to be a part of a crew dedicated to service with courage.
For more information on PCU John F. Kennedy, follow the ship's fan page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CVN79JFK.
JFK
| Date Taken: | 07.20.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 07.20.2021 20:08 |
| Story ID: | 401338 |
| Location: | PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 765 |
| Downloads: | 3 |
This work, JFK Sailors visit legacy, by SCPO Jayme Pastoric, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
