The ex-USS John F. Kennedy, a decommissioned U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, will travel down the Delaware Bay Thursday on its way to Texas for dismantling.

The 1,052-foot-long ship, which has been housed at the U.S. Navy’s Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility since 2008, is making its final voyage on the way to the scrap heap.

The aircraft carrier, which has been docked in South Philadelphia since 2008, will make its exit through the Delaware River.

The retired USS John F. Kennedy​ aircraft carrier will embark on its final voyage after spending nearly two decades docked in Philadelphia.

Old soldiers (and old sailors for that matter) may fade away, but modern warships meet a crueler fate: they head to the scrap yard and are "broken up" after their years of service. It begins with a final transit this week.

A historic ship that's called Philadelphia home for decades is finally leaving town for good. The USS John F Kennedy will leave the Navy Yard in South Philly on Thursday. The retired aircraft carrier is going to Texas where it will be taken apart.