CVN 77 - USS George H.W. Bush

USS George H. W. Bush

U.S. sailors walk alongside Pre-Commissioning Unit George H.W. Bush, docked in Norfolk, Va., Jan. 7, 2009, during a rehearsal for the aircraft carrier's commissioning ceremony. The ship is scheduled to be commissioned Jan. 10 at Naval Station Norfolk. U.S. Navy photo by Navy Seaman Joel S. Kolodziejczak

On Saturday, President George W. Bush came to visit today the aircraft carrier named after his father and former president George H.W. Bush. Finally on the ocean, the $6.2 billion nuclear-powered ship is running smoothly. In honor of our former President, the ship was called the CVN 77 USS George H.W. Bush, this aircraft carrier is in the class of Nimiz and is one big bad ship.

CVN 77 USS George H.W. Bush Aircraft Carrier Video: George W Bush Speech

http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212198868.shtml

US Navy pilot George Bush in the cockpit of an Avenger, 1942–1945.

George H.W. Bush, USNR, WW2 service at the Naval Historical Center website.)

George H.W. Bush Construction
Contract awarded January 26, 2001
Seven-year construction timeframe
Keel Laid September 6, 2003
Christened October 7, 2006
Delivery first quarter 2009
47,000 tons of structural steel and about a million pounds of aluminum
Modular construction process forms large individual units of the ship much like interlocking building blocks
Units welded together to form a module or superlift weighing up to 900 tons

Capability
Top speed exceeds 30 knots
Powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling
Expected to operate as Navy warship for about 50 years
Typical Nimitz-class ship carries 80-plus combat aircraft
Three two-inch diameter arresting wires on the deck bring an airplane going 150 miles per hour to a stop in less than 400 feet

Size
Towers 20 stories above the waterline with a 4.5-acre flight deck
1,092 feet long: nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall
Four bronze propellers, each 21 feet across and weighing more than 30 tons
Steering accomplished by two rudders, each 29 feet by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
Four high speed aircraft elevators, each more than 4,000 square feet, bring planes to the flight deck from the hangar below

Capacity
Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel
Enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days: 18,150 meals served daily
Distillation plants providing 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes
Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,600 miles of cable and wiring
1,400 telephones, 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets

Related Links:

-http://pal2pal.com/BLOGEE/index.php?/site/90000_tons_of_diplomacy_uss_george_herbert_walker_bush_cvn_77/

-http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/george-h-w-bush/

-http://www.marinebuzz.com/2009/01/05/uss-george-hwbush-cvn-77-aircraft-carrier-to-be-commissioned-before-sea-trials/

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_George_H._W._Bush_(CVN-77)