USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77)
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 Former President George H. W. Bush views a model of the aircraft carrier that has been named in his honor. |
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| Career (US) |  |
|---|---|
| Ordered: | 26 January 2001 |
| Laid down: | 6 September 2003 |
| Launched: | Unknown |
| Christened: | 7 October 2006 |
| Status: | building |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 101,000 to 104,000 tons full load |
| Length: | Overall: 1,092 ft (333 m) Waterline: 1,040 ft (317 m) |
| Beam: | Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m) Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m) |
| Draught: | Maximum navigational: 37 ft (11.3 m) Limit: 41 ft (12.5 m) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors 4 × steam turbines 4 × shafts 260,000 shp (194 MW) |
| Speed: | 30+ knots (56+ km/h) |
| Range: | Essentially unlimited |
| Complement: | Ship's company: 3,200 Air wing: 2,480 |
| Sensors and processing systems: | SPS-48E 3-D air search radar SPS-49A(V)1 2-D air search radar Mk 23 target acquisition radar 2 × SPN-46 air traffic control radars SPN-43B air traffic control radar SPN-44 landing aid radars 3 × Mk 91 NSSM guidance systems 3 × Mk 95 radars |
| Electronic warfare and decoys: | SLQ-32A(V)4 Countermeasures suite SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures |
| Armament: | 2 × Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow 2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile 3 × Phalanx CIWS |
| Armour: | Unknown |
| Aircraft carried: | 90 fixed wing and helicopters |
| Motto: | Freedom at Work |
| Nickname: | N/A |
USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth Nimitz class supercarrier of the United States Navy. She is named for former President George H. W. Bush, who was a naval aviator during World War II. George H. W. Bush is to be the final Nimitz class aircraft carrier constructed; her successor will be Gerald R. Ford, the first of a new class.
She is the second United States aircraft carrier to be named after a naval aviator (Forrestal was the first). Other naval vessels named for aviators include the frigate McClusky and the destroyer Massey, both named for aviators who flew in the Battle of Midway. While still a Nimitz class ship, George H. W. Bush differs significantly from her predecessors, even more so than the differences between CVN 68-70 and CVN 71-76.
Construction began in 2001 by the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard. The aircraft carrier was christened on October 7, 2006, and delivery is set for 2008. She is scheduled to be commissioned in 2009. When commissioned George H. W. Bush will replace Kitty Hawk, ending her 48 year service with the United States Navy.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Features of CVN 77
Several features differentiate CVN-77 from other ships in the Nimitz class. These include:
- Bulbous bow design: Improves hull efficiency and reduces drag. This feature was not included in the model used for the announcement ceremony, and was first used on Ronald Reagan
- Passive jet blast deflector: Redesigns and new materials mean reduced maintenance costs.
- Island designs: Improve flight deck access and reduce signature and electronic self-interference.
- Signature reduction: Curved flight deck edges, enclosed antenna farms, smaller islands and internal aircraft elevators add up to maximum stealth.
- Aircraft pit stop: Semi-automated refueling and servicing in a new configuration and deck location provides faster, more efficient airwing pit stops and requires fewer people.
- Hangar bay: New designs reduce clutter.
- Manpower reductions: Technology, space rearrangement, operational procedure changes, advanced sensor technologies and condition-based maintenance systems all allow for a smaller, specially-trained crew.
- Reconfigurable spaces: Life-of-the-ship modular construction designs provide flexibility and reduce cost.
- Expanded bandwidth: More onboard and offboard capability gives the ship a communications edge.
- Zonal electrical distribution systems: Isolate the potential for problems and minimizes the effect on the rest of the ship.
- Automation insertion: Material movement devices, semi-autonomous, gravity compensated weapons handling devices, damage control automation systems and components will reduce the ship's crew and costs.
[edit] See also
[edit] Trivia
- The carrier was officially "George H. W. Bush" upon christening, and then "USS George H. W. Bush" upon commissioning. The crew make up "Precommissioning Unit (PCU) George H. W. Bush," alternately "PCU 77."
- Traditionally, very few ships of the United States Navy were named after a person who was alive at the time of the christening, but recently the number began increasing rapidly; the list includes
Carl Vinson (CVN-70), Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709), Arleigh Burke (DDG-51), John C. Stennis (CVN-74), Bob Hope (T-AKR-300), Ronald Reagan (CVN-76), Nitze (DDG-94), Jimmy Carter (SSN-23), and George H. W. Bush (CVN-77).
[edit] External links
- Shipyard: CVN 77 section of the Northrop Grumman Newport News site
- Crew: The Navy's Pre-Commissioning Unit for CVN 77
- Global Security's entry for CVN 77
- 1998 Article "Front Loading the CVN 77..." which analyzes how the DoD's changes to initial funding affect long range savings in procurement
- A video on how the CVN-77 was made.
| Nimitz-class aircraft carrier |
| Nimitz | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Carl Vinson |
Modified Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (Theodore Roosevelt-subclass) |
| Theodore Roosevelt | Abraham Lincoln | George Washington | John C. Stennis | Harry S. Truman | Ronald Reagan |
Modified Nimitz-class aircraft carrier (George H. W. Bush-subclass) |
| George H. W. Bush |
List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy |
