as the forward-deployed carrier in Japan and it would also assume host carrier duties for forward-deployed Carrier Air Wing 5. In March 2007, the Navy announced that Captain Todd Zecchin, the captain responsible during the decommissioning of , had been tasked with overseeing the decommissioning of Kitty Hawk. Kitty Hawk left Yokosuka on 28 May 2008 to begin the decommissioning process. However, on 22 May, a fire seriously damaged George Washington, causing the ship to go to San Diego for repairs. Kitty Hawk participated in the RIMPAC exercise near Hawaii in George Washingtons place. The turnover between the two carriers was postponed and took place in August. After the turnover, Kitty Hawk arrived at Bremerton, Washington in September and was informally retired on 31 January 2009. Kitty Hawk, the USN's last diesel-fueled aircraft carrier, was finally decommissioned on 12 May 2009. Post decommissioning As the last conventional American aircraft carriers to be decommissioned, Kitty Hawk and were the last two carriers suitable for conversion into museum ships. Nuclear carriers, such as and the , require extensive disassembly to remove their nuclear reactors during decommissioning, leaving them in an unsuitable condition for donation. After Kitty Hawk was decommissioned, groups based in Wilmington, North Carolina and Pensacola, Florida lobbied to acquire the ship after her release from the Navy Inactive Ships Program. By March 2017, the USS Kitty Hawk Veterans Association had raised $5 million in pledges to preserve the aircraft carrier as a museum ship. Members sought to donate $15,000 in memorabilia for display if it came to fruition. After President Donald Trump gave a speech on board and promised to build a 12-carrier navy, US Navy officials extended Kitty Hawks stay in the reserve inactive fleet and considered the possibility of recommissioning her to help with the buildup. On 20 October 2017, Kitty Hawk was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register, and on 25 October 2017, the Navy announced its intentions to dispose of her by scrapping. On 9 March 2021, Kitty Hawk arrived at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to be put in dry dock and have the hull scraped of marine life before being towed to her final destination. On 6 October 2021, Kitty Hawk and John F. Kennedy were sold for one-cent each to International Shipbreaking Limited. On 15 January 2022, Kitty Hawk left the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, under tow, en-route to Brownsville, Texas, for scrapping. As