The John F. Kennedy was commissioned in 1963 as the lead ship of the three-unit Kennedy class and was launched in 1965 under hull number 647 in the shipyard of the Levingston Shipbuilding Company in Orange, Texas . The delivery to the operator Staten Island Ferry took place on May 14, 1965.
While her sister ships were retired in 2006 and 2007 and replaced by new ferries, the John F. Kennedy is still in active service at the age of 55. However, it is no longer in daily use, but is used on particularly busy days as a supplement to the newer ferries. In the course of 2020, the ship and other older units are to be replaced by the new Ollis class and taken out of service. The external appearance of the new class of ship is based on the John F. Kennedy , as the ferry is very popular with passengers because of its open promenades.
