"John F. Kennedy" is a modified version of the earlier s. Originally scheduled to be the fourth "Kitty Hawk"-class carrier, the ship received so many modifications during construction she formed her own class. The ship was originally ordered as a nuclear carrier, using the A3W reactor, but converted to conventional propulsion after construction had begun. The island is somewhat different from that of the "Kitty Hawk" class, with angled funnels to direct smoke and gases away from the flight deck. "John F. Kennedy" is also shorter than the "Kitty Hawk" class.