HII launches USS John F. Kennedy ahead of further construction, testing(UPI) Huntington Ingalls Industries launched the USS John F. Kennedy into the James River for the first time on Monday [Dec. 16th]. The Kennedy is the second of the new Ford-class aircraft carriers, with the launch coming nine days after the Kennedy’s christening and three months ahead of schedule. Officials say they’ve applied lessons from the troubled production of the first-in-class Ford that have sped up production of the Kennedy.