Summary and Key Points: The U.S. Navy's aircraft carriers symbolize its unmatched naval power, with 11 active nuclear-powered carriers representing over double the combined deck space of all other navies.

-However, the cost of these carriers is staggering, exemplified by the $13.3 billion USS Gerald R. Ford.

-Interestingly, the Navy has sold some retired carriers, like the USS Kitty Hawk and USS John F. Kennedy, for just one cent each to companies that dismantle and recycle them.

-Converting carriers into museums has been considered but often proves too expensive and environmentally hazardous due to materials like asbestos and other toxic substances. The impending retirement of Nimitz-class carriers will likely face similar issues.

Why the U.S. Navy Sold Retired Aircraft Carriers for Just One Cent

The U.S. Navy’s prowess is perhaps best represented by its aircraft carriers. 

With 11 active nuclear-powered carriers, America’s fleet is certainly without match. In fact, the total combined deck space of the U.S. Navy’s carriers is over double that of all other navies combined. 

Since the Second World War, these floating airbases have served as the icon of naval power. A carrier’s ability to project power is unparalleled even in the modern age. The essential capabilities that aircraft carriers provide to their navies unsurprisingly come with a hefty price tag. The latest American carrier to be introduced, for instance. is USS Gerald R. Ford, which costs a whopping $13.3 billion to produce. 

Considering their cost, then, it is shocking that the Navy has actually sold off some of its retired carriers for as little as a single penny.

U.S. Carriers Sold for One Cent in Recent History

In 2021, Naval Sea Systems Command revealed that it had agreed to sell the USS Kitty Hawk and USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carriers to the Texas-based company Internal Shipbreaking Limited for one cent each. Years earlier, in 2014, the Navy actually paid the shipbuilding company $3 billion for the towing, dismantling and recycling of USS Constellation. 

Since towing and ship-breaking are costly processes, this was actually considered a good deal to the service, which had already decided it would cost far too much to turn the retired carrier into a museum. USS Saratoga was also sold in 2013, and it was purchased by ESCO Marine for a single penny.

Museum Life Is Expensive and Sometimes Not Worth the Cost

As detailed by the U.S. Naval Institute, the service also weighed turning Saratoga into a museum: 

“Like the Constellation, some pondered turning Saratoga into a museum. USS Saratoga Museum Foundation took a run at having its namesake preserved, but, according to the group’s final newsletter in 2010, the Navy surprised it by taking CV-60 off donation status and offering the John F. Kennedy as a potential museum instead. The Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame has taken up the Kennedy project and is still in the process of getting approval.” 

Will a Nimitz-Class Aircraft Carrier Ever Be Relegated to Museum Duty?

Another factor in the cost of retired carriers is the environmental concern. These World War II- and Cold War-era vessels are quite toxic, as they were constructed at a time when asbestos was common in insulation. Other chemicals and toxic fuels left aboard the carriers make shipbreaking companies weary of potential associated health hazards. 

As more and more Nimitz-class ships are retired to make room for the newest Ford class, the potential ramifications of removing nuclear systems will likely cause the same hesitation.

About the Author: Maya Carlin, Defense Expert 

Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.