The oldest active ship in the US Navy is an aircraft carrier named the USS Kitty Hawk. It has provided nearly fifty years of service and is the last conventionally-powered aircraft carrier in the Navy’s fleet. Later this year it will be replaced by the nuclear-powered USS George Washington. Currently, the ship is on its way to Bremerton where it will be decommissioned at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

An AP story [AP/aol] gives a history of the ship for the curious.

When I was a kid, my grandparents lived for many years in Bremerton where they managed an apartment complex after injury caused my grandfather to retire from his job at the shipyard. One of my favorite activities when I was staying with them was to ride down to the shipyard to check out the mammoth vessels on display at the shipyard. These ships are huge, some with populations that dwarf many of the local towns. Being an industrial facility, the shipyard isn’t open to the public, but a drive by will get you a good glimpse of many of the ships. If you’re in the area, I highly recommend it.