CVN-78
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This article or section contains information about scheduled or expected future events. It may contain information of a tentative nature and the content may change dramatically as the event approaches and more information becomes available. |
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Laid down: | |
| Launched: | |
| Status: | |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 100,000 tons |
| Length: | 1,092 feet |
| Beam: | 134 feet |
| Propulsion: | 2 nuclear reactors |
| Speed: | 30+ knots |
| Range: | Essentially unlimited |
| Endurance: | Limited only by food |
| Complement: | 4,660 |
| Armament: | Surface-to-air missiles Close-in weapons systems |
| Aircraft carried: | More than 75 |
CVN-78 is to be the lead ship of her class of United States Navy supercarriers. When completed, she will be the first of the CVN-21 series of aircraft carriers.
CVN-78 is currently scheduled to be laid down in 2009, concurrently or nearly so with the commissioning of USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77). Construction work has already begun; on August 11, 2005, Northrop Grumman held a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate that will form part of a side shell unit of the carrier. If construction of the carrier remains on schedule the new ship should join the U.S. Navy’s active fleet as a fully commissioned warship sometime in 2015. CVN-78 is slated to replace the current USS Enterprise, ending her 51—53 years of service with the United States Navy.[1]
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[edit] Naming CVN-78
[edit] Congress: USS Gerald R. Ford
Senator John Warner of Virginia originally proposed an amendment to a defense spending bill declaring that CVN-78 "shall be named the U.S.S. Gerald Ford," after former President Gerald Ford.[2] When signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 17, 2006,[3] the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 declared only that "[it] is the sense of Congress that ... CVN-78 should be named the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford."[4] Since such "sense of" language is typically non-binding and does not carry the force of law,[5] the ultimate decision for the name rests with the Department of the Navy.
In 2000, Senator Warner attached a similar amendment to the same defense spending bill,[6] using the same "sense of" language to request that CVN-77 be named the USS Lexington, after two aircraft carriers that fought in World War II (CV-2 and CV-16).[7] As a non-binding resolution, the Navy chose instead to name the carrier after former President George H. W. Bush, officially naming it the USS George H. W. Bush on December 9, 2002.[6]
[edit] Navy Veterans: USS America
The USS America Carrier Veterans Association, an association of sailors who served aboard the recently scuttled USS America (CV-66), has advocated that CVN-78 also be named America. Walter Waite, vice president of the CVA, has declared that it is "appalling that the name of our country has been pushed aside in favor of living politicians."[8] The group has organized a letter-writing campaign to Secretary of the Navy Donald C. Winter through a companion website, CVN78.com, encouraging him to adopt the name USS America despite Congress' recommendation.
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ Navy CVN-21 Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress Retreived 8 December 2006
- ^ United States Library of Congress. Congressional Record, S5815PDF, Senate Amendment 4211. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
- ^ Defense Link News Article. President Signs 2007 Defense Authorization Act. Retrieved December 1, 2006
- ^ United States Library of Congress. House Resolution 5122, Section 1012 (p. 292). Retrieved December 1, 2006.
- ^ C-SPAN's Capitol Questions. Sense of Congress. Retrieved December 5, 2006.
- ^ a b GlobalSecurity.org George H.W. Bush Pre-Commissioning Unit. Retrieved December 8, 2006.
- ^ Department of Defense. Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act For Fiscal Year 2001, Section 1012 (p. 252). Retrieved 8, 2006.
- ^ Dujardin, Peter, Skirmish erupts over naming of new carrier, Newport News Daily Press, October 25, 2006. Retrieved December 5, 2006
