Posted on 01/16/2007 10:24:22 AM PST by Sub-Driver
Navy Names Next Aircraft Carrier For Gerald Ford
(AP) WASHINGTON The Navy said Tuesday its next aircraft carrier will be named the USS Gerald R. Ford in honor of the late president, a tribute to his love of the Navy.
Ford, who served in the Navy during World War II, died Dec. 26 at his home in Rancho Mirage, Calif., at age 93. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld had said the Navy was planning the honor during a eulogy at Ford's funeral.
"President Ford will always be an example to us of personal kindness, loyalty and coolness under pressure," said Vice President Dick Cheney, who served as Ford's chief of staff, during a Pentagon ceremony.
Susan Bales Ford said her father had mentioned the impending honor in a letter to a friend shortly before his death. He wrote, "In my life, I received countless honors, but none was greater than the opportunity to wear the uniform of lieutenant commander of the United States Navy."
Betty Ford did not attend the ceremony but planned to watch it on a Pentagon broadcast, said Bales Ford, who was joined by her three brothers. She said the family was grateful to the U.S. service branches for accompanying them during the services honoring their father.
(Excerpt) Read more at wcbstv.com ...
Wiki also states that the USS JFK will be decommissioned this September. The USS Kitty Hawk will be decommissioned at the same time the USS George H. W. Bush is activated in 2008. If I'm reading this right, since nothing new is replacing the USS JFK, we're dropping a carrier group?
From that article: "Nimitz (CVN-68), the lead ship of the class, was commissioned in 1975. As of 2006, George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), the tenth and last of the class, was built by Northrop Grumman Newport News and will enter service in 2008. Bush will be the first transition ship to a new class of carriers (CVN-21) to start construction in 2007 and will incorporate new technologies including a new multi-function radar system, volume search radar and open architecture information network, and a significantly reduced crew requirement. To lower costs some new technologies were incorporated into Ronald Reagan, though not nearly as many as will be involved with Bush."
Course this all depends on future defense spending...
All Hospital ships are currently run by MSC , Military Sealift Command . Civilian Sailors .The Hospital Ship would be USNS Bill Clinton .Bankok ? I am putting in for the crew . I did 15 years with MSC , Mostly tankers .
CVN-78
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