The MV ''John F. Kennedy'' is the last remaining ''Kennedy''-class ferry, formerly operated for the

Staten Island Ferry The Staten Island Ferry is a passenger ferry route operated by the New York City Department of Transportation. The ferry's single route runs through New York Harbor between the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, with ferry ...

carrying passengers between

Whitehall Terminal The Whitehall Terminal is a ferry terminal in the South Ferry section of Lower Manhattan, New York City, at the corner of South Street and Whitehall Street. It is used by the Staten Island Ferry, which connects the island boroughs of Manhattan ...

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

and

St. George Terminal St. George Terminal is a ferry, railway, bus, and park and ride transit center in the St. George neighborhood of Staten Island, New York City. It is located at the intersection of Richmond Terrace and Bay Street, near Staten Island Borough Ha ...

Staten Island Staten Island ( ) is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Richmond County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located in the city's southwest portion, the borough is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull an ...

. Built by the Levingston Shipbuilding Company between 1963 and 1965 for the Department of Marine and Aviation, the ''John F. Kennedy'' was delivered May 14, 1965.

History

''John F. Kennedy'' was named for the 35th President of the United States. She entered service in 1965 alongside her two sister ships, the MV ''American Legion'' and the MV ''The Gov. Herbert H. Lehman''. While ''American Legion'' was retired in 2006 as the newer ''Molinari''-class ferries entered service, and ''The Gov. Herbert H. Lehman'' was decommissioned the following year, ''John F. Kennedy'' remained in service as a favorite of both passengers and ferry operators, mainly running "as needed" on weekday schedules (when four of the six boats are needed for service). Captains considered her to be the most reliable vessel in the fleet, and riders preferred her abundant open-air deck space. ''John F. Kennedy'' was retired from service in August 2021, to be replaced by the recently completed MV ''Michael H. Ollis'', the lead ship of a new trio of ferries, collectively known as the ''Ollis''-class. The design of this new class is heavily influenced by ''John F. Kennedy'', featuring her distinctive outdoor promenades and extended foredecks. Following her retirement, ''Kennedy'' was moored at St. George Terminal to await her fate. By January 16, 2022, New York City was attempting to sell the vessel at auction for $125,000, after an earlier attempt to sell the vessel at $250,000 garnered no bids. The auction concluded on January 19, 2022, with the ferry sold "as is" and "where is" to Paul Italia, Ron Castellano and Staten Island natives Colin Jost and

Pete Davidson Peter Michael Davidson (born November 16, 1993) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member of the NBC late-night sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) for eight seasons, running from 2014 to 2022. Davidson's ...

for a final selling price of $280,100. The new owners planned on converting the ferry into an entertainment venue at the cost of several million dollars. In April 2022, ''Kennedy'' was towed to a shipyard in New Brighton, Staten Island, since her final location remained undecided.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:John F. Kennedy, MV 1965 ships Staten Island Ferry vessels Ships built in Orange, Texas

History

See also

References