The USS John F Kennedy was commissioned on 7 September 1968 and is over one thousand feet long and 252 feet wide with a height of 23 stories from foot to keel. The local press had the opportunity of touring the carrier and speaking with a number of senior crew members including the commander of the strike force of which the USS John F. Kennedy forms part.

For the first time, the carrier anchored at Pinto Wharf due to the improved facilities now prevalent in the area. The JFK is an East Coast carrier based in Jacksonville, Florida. Its crew complement consists of around 5,200 members of which 900 are women; a significant number are also African Americans. There are 69 planes of eight different types . The Kennedy class carriers are around 40 feet shorter than the Nimitz class and weigh around 80,000 tonnes with the latter weighing 97,000 tonnes due to its nuclear generators of which the Kennedy class has none.

The JFK recommenced its deployment in November 2003 and has been sailing almost non stop, participating in various exercises and combined operations with coalition forces united in the war on terrorism. The carrier also underwent an extensive maintenance period from 2002 to 2003 where almost US$300 million were spent to extend the carrier’s life to 2018.

Rear Admiral Don Bullard, who heads the Kennedy Strike Group, said this group consists of six vessels which are the USS Vicksburg, the USS Seattle, the USS Roosevelt, the USS Spruance, the USS Roosevelt and the USS Toledo. This force is one of seven different strike forces which can launch attacks of devastating potential against the enemy in a short period of time anywhere in the world, Mr Bullard said.

Asked by The Malta Independent on Sunday whether this new method of strike operations was related to the new ‘Shock and Awe’ methods first used in the Iraq War, Mr Bullard said the main reason was that the US military and other coalition forces would be more than prepared to mete out a potentially devastating attack in the war on terrorism.

The USS John F. Kennedy’s visit is an opportunity for the crew to relax and unwind and experience the sights of the country. For almost half of this 5,000 strong ‘city’, it is a first experience as they have never visited Malta before. The ship is not open to the general public although the Prime Minister and a government delegation visited the carrier earlier in the day via helicopter. This is the third visit by ‘Big John’ with the earlier two being in 1969, when it was on its maiden voyage and more recently, in 1999.