The decommissioned aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy started its final voyage this week with an end destination set for Brownsville, Texas. The ship had been out of service since 2007 and spent the past nearly 18 years at the Navy’s Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in Philadelphia.

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.

"Big John," as it was affectionately nicknamed, was decommissioned in 2007 and has been in Philadelphia ever since.

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

The retired U.S. Navy vessel will head to Brownsville, Texas, on a two-week journey that will end with the aircraft carrier's dismantling.

Goodbye Big John; Ex- John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier on its final voyage

The former USS John F. Kennedy is leaving Philadelphia for the final time before being dismantled in Texas. After a weather-related delay, the aircraft carrier is set to leave the U.S. Navy’s Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility in South Philadelphia on Thursday,