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Thursday, March 1, 2007
(George Rizer/Glove Staff)
People crowded a pier in South Boston this morning to welcome the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy as it made Boston its final port of call.
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
Hundreds of spectators lined the shore of Castle Island this morning with cameras and binoculars, watching as the massive USS John F. Kennedy lumbered into Boston Harbor through sparkling water that shimmered under a blue, cloudless sky.
People sat on benches or brought their own folding chairs and stood on top of Fort Independence, lining up as if they were watching a parade, all hoping to catch a glimpse of the 1,052-foot-long aircraft carrier affectionately known as "Big John" as it docks for the final time in Boston.
When the ship came closer to shore, it became clear that sailors were standing in perfect rows on the deck, holding their arms stiffly at their sides. Helicopters hovered overhead. Several tugs boats led the carrier into the harbor. Two boats sprayed arcs of water in the air that formed a red, green, and yellow rainbow in the bright sun.
The JFK is making its final stop in Boston before it is decommissioned after nearly 40 years of service that included several deployments in the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. The ship will be docked at the North Jetty in South Boston's Marine Industrial Park from today through Sunday.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to take a final tour of the ship this weekend. Guests are expected to include members of the Kennedy family, political dignitaries, and former sailors.
The carrier will be open to the public from 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. On the vessel's last visit to Boston in May 2005, about 60,000 people lined up as early as 2 a.m. in queues that grew to a half-mile long.
Globe photographer Mark Wilson traveled aboard the USS JFK as it made its final journey to Boston. It left Norfolk, Va., on Monday. To view photographs from the trip, click here
(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)
This morning, a team of State Police divers scanned the hulls of tug boats for bombs and searched other parts of Boston Harbor for hazards this morning to prepare for the arrival of the JFK.
Posted by the Boston Globe City & Region Desk at 09:52 AM
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