The greatest military prank of all time
US Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 1st Class Jim Hampshire
Apart from its history-making service and features, the Kennedy also was the setting of one of the greatest military pranks of all time.
In 1986, the Kennedy was set to relieve the Kitty Hawk-class supercarrier USS America after a six-month deployment in the Mediterranean.
What was meant to be a common change of command quickly turned into a hilarious practical joke, as aviators aboard the America dropped off an unusual payload on the new arrivals: three greased pigs dyed with red, white, and blue food coloring.
Brian Christoff, an aircrewman with the HS-11 helo squadron aboard USS America, shared a video of the event in a since-deleted post on Facebook in 2023.
“We were at the end of a 6-month deployment to the Indian Ocean/Mediterranean Sea,” Christoff wrote. “We were being relieved by the USS Kennedy. The fighter jet jocks got with us and came up with this slant, on an age-old tradition, of releasing a greased pig, onto the deck of the relieving ship.”
“Three pigs painted with Red, White, and Blue food coloring and lathered in grease,” he continued. “The Kennedy never seen it coming!”
It’s #NationalPigDay! Dating back to the early 60s, a prank played by carriers in the Mediterranean was to surprise their relieving carrier by releasing greased pigs on the flight deck. This 1986 video is of a helicopter from USS America dropping off pigs on USS John F. Kennedy. pic.twitter.com/LL6UHnfk0V
— U.S. Naval Institute (@NavalInstitute) March 1, 2022
