Retired aircraft carrier JKF arrives in Philly

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The retired aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy arrived Saturday in Philadelphia, where it will remain until the Navy decides its fate.

Spectators lined the shore as the 1,050-foot-long ship, which has a 4.6-acre flight deck, was towed slowly up the Delaware River to Pier 4 in South Philadelphia.

The carrier, built in Newport News, Va., entered service in the 1960s and was decommissioned in August after 38 years of active service. The vessel will remain mothballed at the old naval yard until the Navy decides whether to sell, scrap or use the ship for another purpose.

A group with ties to Florida has proposed converting the ship into a museum in Miami.

High winds kept the huge vessel, which started its journey in Florida, at sea for the last two days until the Coast Guard and river pilots were confident they could get it upriver and dock safely.