USS KITTY HAWK The long career of the ‘Battle Cat’
Kitty Hawk was the first of four Kitty Hawk class aircraft carriers, which followed the Forrestal class of carriers from the 1950s. Both classes were longer and larger than any previous types of aircraft carrier built for the US Navy, and were intended to be able to operate newer and more modern aircraft.
Kitty Hawk commissioned on 29 April 1961 and, unusually, went on to become not only the first of class to be built, but also the last of her class to be decommissioned. She also has the record of the second longest-serving US Naval vessel and the last conventionally powered aircraft carrier in service. During her 49 years of service, she operated around the world.
was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation in Camden, New Jersey. She was laid down on 27 December 1956 and launched on 21 May 1960. After her commissioning in April 1961, she was
