Although, you may not have the opportunity to witness the celebration on the major electronic news media, today is going to be a great day for the Navy. However, if you watch Fox News, they are preempting the normal news broadcast to dedicate this time to the Commission Ceremony of the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush (CVN-77). If you have never witnessed this time honored tradition, it is a very moving and patriotic moment in time. The men and women boarding their ship for the first time, the raising of the Commission Pennant above our National Flag as a new ship of the line joins the fleet of the U.S. Navy. To the best of my knowledge, this will be the first time in our history that a living past President will be present at a Commissioning Ceremony for a ship named after him.
U.S.S. GEORGE H.W. BUSH (CVN-77)
The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush is the tenth and final ship of the Nimtz Class aircraft carrier. The ninth carrier in this class is the U.S.S. Ronald Reagan which is fully operational at this time and serving in the fleet. A new classification of aircraft carriers is being developed, the first one of these will be named after President Gerald Ford. The U.S.S. Bush is powered by two nuclear reactors with an operational speed of +30 knots. The U.S.S. Bush has four bronze propellers measuring 21 feet across and weighing thirty tons. She will not need to refuel for twenty years and has a life expectancy of fifty years. Fully operational, she will carry a crew of 6,000 men and women with a compliment of +90 aircraft of a variety of models and mission capabilities. Her total length is 1,092 feet with her flight deck measuring 4.5 acres. She is fully self contained with the ability to make 400,000 gallons of fresh water per day from seawater.Historically, U.S. Navy ships of the line are named based on the type of ship. With a few exceptions, the aircraft carrier is named after famous naval battles (U.S.S. Midway, U.S.S. Coral Sea), Naval Commanders (U.S.S.Nimtz, Commander In Chief, Pacific during world War II), or Presidents of the United States.
Before someone gets the concept that the names are chosen based on politics or favoritism, this is not the case. The names are chosen by the U.S. Navy. The name of the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush was chosen when this ship was still on the drawing board and was not chosen by his son, our current President. The naming of this great ship is appropriate when you consider the man, George H.W. Bush. At age 18 he enlisted into the Navy as a seaman and following his recruit training was selected into the aviation program. Graduating from flight school, still at the age 18 he was commissioned as an officer and became a naval aviator, the youngest person to ever obtain this goal. During World War II, from August 1942 to September 1945, he flew torpedo bombers off the deck of the aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Jacinto. On September 2, 1944 he was shot down and was later rescued by the submarine, U.S.S. Finback. He returned to flight status and by the end of the war was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals.
If you think that the United States has lost the ability as a superpower in our industrial might and our ability to develop modern technology. A visit to this website would be well worth a few minutes of your time. This site has some great pictures of the construction process however there is also some great video footage. The U.S.S. George H.W. Bush was built in sections, then connected using cranes. There are several videos showing the lifting of these sections and putting them into place. Below is a still shot of the "bridge" being raised to install it in place on the flight deck.
Although, I wish I could be there in person to witness the Commissioning Ceremonies, my morning will be devoted to watching it on television.
To The Crew And To This Great Ship, I Wish You
"FAIR WINDS, FOLLOWING SEAS AND GOD SPEED"
"FAIR WINDS, FOLLOWING SEAS AND GOD SPEED"
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