The carrier that was almost named Arizona

History · Published 19 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is a marvel of modern naval engineering, but its path to the water was fraught with political debates, massive delays, and a near-miss naming. Discover how this Gerald R. Ford-class titan evolved from a contested proposal into a high-tech powerhouse.

The naming of CVN-79 was a subject of congressional debate. In 2007, Arizona congressman Harry Mitchell proposed naming the vessel Arizona to honor the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Other proposals in 2008 and 2009 suggested naming the ship or its successor after late U.S. senator Barry M. Goldwater. In May 2011, the ship's namesake was revealed by the Department of Defense to be John F. Kennedy, who joined the Navy during World War II and became the 35th president.

Construction of the carrier has been marked by significant logistical hurdles. While originally planned for completion in 2018, the deadline shifted to 2020 following a 2009 shift to a five-year building program for fiscal sustainability. By late 2012, construction delays prompted the Navy to investigate extending the timeline by two years. In 2013, the Government Accountability Office even recommended delaying the contract due to technical and design challenges faced during the construction of the Gerald R. Ford class, though both the Navy and the Defense Department rejected the advice.

The ship underwent a major modification in November 2020 to ensure 'single phase delivery.' This was a congressional mandate to ensure the carrier could operate Joint Strike Fighter (F-35C) aircraft before completing its post-shakedown availability. This shift moved extra work into the base construction period starting in 2023. Despite these efforts, the Navy announced in April 2025 that the planned July delivery date would be missed, pushing the final delivery to March 2027. The vessel successfully completed its initial builder sea trials on February 5, 2026.

The ship's construction involved significant ceremonial weight. During the 2015 keel laying, Caroline Kennedy's initials were welded into the hull. In 2019, during the installation of the bridge and island, the ship's motto and quotes from President Kennedy were 'entombed' within the superstructure as the island was lowered by a crane. On December 7, 2019, Caroline Kennedy christened the ship, reenacting a bottle bash she performed 52 years earlier for the previous John F. Kennedy (CV-67).

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