Editing USS Kitty Hawk (CV-63) (section)

===Retirement===
[[File:USS Kittyhawk at Pearl Harbor.JPG|thumb|''Kitty Hawk'' in port at [[Naval Station Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]] after participating in [[RIMPAC]] exercises in place of the damaged ''George Washington'']]
[[File:USS KittyHawk CV-63 InacShips 1.2017.jpg|thumb|In February 2017, Ex-USS ''Kitty Hawk'' moored at [[Puget Sound Naval Shipyard]]]]
On 1 December 2005, the United States Navy announced that ''George Washington'' would replace ''Kitty Hawk'' in 2008 as the forward-deployed carrier in Japan and it would also assume host carrier duties for forward-deployed Carrier Air Wing 5.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21248 |title=USS ''George Washington'' to Replace USS ''Kitty Hawk'' as U.S. Navy's Forward Deployed Carrier |date=2 December 2005 |website=U.S. Navy |access-date=21 February 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061025231742/http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21248 |archive-date=25 October 2006}}</ref>

In March 2007, the Navy announced that Captain Todd Zecchin, the captain responsible during the decommissioning of {{USS|John F. Kennedy|CV-67|2}}, had been tasked with overseeing the decommissioning of ''Kitty Hawk''.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032300290.html |title=Carrier USS Kennedy Decommissioned |last=Word |first=Ron |date=23 March 2007 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=19 February 2019}}</ref>

''Kitty Hawk'' left Yokosuka on 28 May 2008 to begin the decommissioning process.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/28/japan.kitty.hawk.ap/index.html |title=USS ''Kitty Hawk'' says Sayonara |date=28 May 2008 |website=CNN |access-date=19 February 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080531030825/http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/05/28/japan.kitty.hawk.ap/index.html |archive-date=31 May 2008}}</ref> 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 Washington''{{'}}s place. The turnover between the two carriers was postponed and took place in August.<ref name="starbulletinRIMPAC"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Damaged Aircraft Carrier To Stay In Port For Repairs |last=Liewer |first=Steve |date=21 June 2008 |newspaper=The San Diego Union-Tribune}}</ref> After the turnover, ''Kitty Hawk'' arrived at Bremerton, Washington in September and was informally retired on 31 January 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kitty Hawk Ceremony To Be Held Saturday |date=28 January 2009 |newspaper=[[The Seattle Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008694101_webkittyhawk31m.html |title=2,000 say goodbye to USS Kitty Hawk |last=Clarridge |first=Christine |date=1 February 2009 |newspaper=The Seattle Times |access-date=19 February 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090307144906/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008694101_webkittyhawk31m.html |archive-date=7 March 2009}}</ref> ''Kitty Hawk'', the USN's last diesel-fueled  aircraft carrier, was finally decommissioned on 12 May 2009.<ref name="USN45202">{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=45202 |title=Navy Decommissions USS Kitty Hawk |date=12 May 2009 |website=U.S. Navy, Kitty Hawk Public Affairs |access-date=13 May 2009 |archive-date=20 March 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320020918/http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=45202 |url-status=dead }}</ref>