USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77)

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Career (US)
Former President George H. W. Bush views a model of the aircraft carrier that has been named in his honor.
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 29 Sea Sparrow 2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile 3 × Phalanx CIWS
Armour:	Unknown
Aircraft carried:	90 fixed wing and helicopters
Motto:	Strength in the pursuit of peace
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 CVN-78, the first of a new class.

She is the second United States aircraft carrier to be named after a naval aviator (USS Forrestal (CVA-59) was the first). Other naval vessels named for aviators include the frigate McClusky (FFG-41) and the destroyer Massey (DD-778), 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.

1 Features of CVN 77
2 See also
3 Trivia
4 External links

[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 the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)

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 will officially be the "George H. W. Bush" upon christening, and then the "U.S.S. George H. W. Bush" upon commissioning. The crew make up the "Precommissioning Unit (PCU) George H. W. Bush," alternately the "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 Northrup Grumman Newport News
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.