The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier was seen in Hong Kong on 28 April 2008. Reuters
Two US Navy aircraft carriers were sold to a ship-breaking company for one cent each.
For many years, the USS Kitty Hawk (and USS John F. Kennedy) were decommissioned.
A Texas firm will break them up and make money off the scrap metal.
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After decades of service, the US Navy sold two aircraft carriers for 1 cent each to a ship-breaking firm.
Officials stated that the cut-price fee is a reflection of the fact that the company will make a profit selling ship metal for scrap.
Naval Sea Systems Command, an US Navy sub-organization said that it had reached an agreement to sell USS Kitty Hawk, USS John F. Kennedy, to International Shipbreaking Limited (ISL), a Brownsville, Texas-based company USA Today reported.
The process of towing and breaking ships is expensive. ISL has paid the Navy large amounts of money in the past to recycle its vessels, according the Brownsville Herald.
"The contract values reflect the fact that the contracted company will profit from the subsequent sale scrap steel, iron and non-ferrous metals ores," stated Alan Baribeau (a spokesperson for the Naval Sea Systems Command) in a statement quoted by USA Today.
Both ships were built in 1960 and could carry dozens of aircraft. The Kitty Hawk served in Vietnam War, while the John F. Kennedy was used in the Gulf War.
In 2017, USS Kitty Hawk and USS John F. Kennedy were decommissioned. They have both spent their time in naval yards.
According to an ISL spokesperson, the ships will be towed to Brownsville in Texas for scrapping in the next months.
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