One of the most iconic American aircraft carriers, the USS Kitty Hawk, is en route to its final destination after getting sold for less than a dollar. The aircraft began its final journey in January with its pinnacle years behind it and should reach a ship-breaking facility in Texas in May.
International Shipbreaking Limited of Brownsville, Texas, secured the ship from the US Naval Sea Systems Command in 2021. The US Naval Sea Systems Command is accountable for selling retrofitted warships for less than a dollar.
The reason for the dismissal of the USS Kitty Hawk was its length. Since, the Panama Canal could not fit a 1,047-foot-long, 252-foot-wide carrier anymore, this American beauty had to travel a long way for an ultimate goodbye.
On 2nd April, the aircraft sailed through the Uruguay waters. In its golden years of service, the ship has witnessed a myriad of combats and collisions. USS Kitty Hawk was one of a kind as, unlike others, it functioned on oil and not nuclear power. Thus, it was a relic from a bygone era.
American aircraft carriers are the queens of the high seas, outperforming even America’s closest adversaries. They are the pillars of American seapower. However, they come at a high price, costing billions of dollars to build and tens of thousands of sailors to maintain.
One such American grandeur was the USS Kitty Hawk. It was launched in 1960 and acquired its name after the North Carolina area, where the Wright Brothers first flew a powered airplane. After serving relentlessly for 50 years and getting retired in 2009, it was sold at just less than a dollar.
