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High winds keep JFK in Boston another day

ABOARD THE USS JOHN F. KENNEDY — High winds will prevent the aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy from leaving Boston Harbor for yet another day.

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The ship is hampered by nearly 45-mile-per-hour winds, which, compounded by sub-zero temperatures, led the ship to delay departing for another 24 hours.

“The winds are very, very excessive to safely transit Boston Harbor and safely get out to sea,” said Capt. Todd Zecchin, the ship’s commanding officer. “We do not want to be a permanent fixture in Boston Harbor by being out there running aground.”

The decision to delay the ship’s departure was made at the final moment, just minutes before the ship was scheduled cast off all lines. This means the JFK will stay in Boston for another 24 hours, Zecchin said, when the winds are expected to die down significantly.

What that also means is the ship’s arrival in Mayport, Fla., will be delayed yet another day and is now set for Saturday, March 10.

This is the second day the ship will remain in Boston. She was initially scheduled to leave Monday, but the decision was made to stay in Boston to bring on 1 million gallons of fuel — enough to make the transit all the way back to Florida, preventing the ship from having to make an intermediate stop in Norfolk, Va., — an option that was discussed and dismissed.

Though high winds are always a concern for ship navigation, it has become even more so for the JFK because the ship does not have an air wing or large numbers of sailors onboard, causing the ship to ride higher in the water than normal.

“Combined with the fact we are lighter, riding high in the water gives us that much extra surface area to the wind, making the ship harder to control,” said Lt. Walt Matthews, the ship’s public affairs officer. “That leaves too much doubt that we could safely navigate the channel and it’s better to wait and try it again tomorrow.”

But what that means for the crew in Boston has yet to be determined.

On Monday, no liberty was granted, and the crew maintained a status of “underway day at the pier.”