BLACKFIVE: CVN78 - USS GERALD R FORD

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CVN78 - USS GERALD R FORD

Posted By Pinch

Its official - the first in a new class of aircraft carrier will be named the USS GERALD R. FORD

Navy to name next aircraft carrier after Ford

(NAVYTIMES.COM 4 JANUARY, 2006)

Washington - The Navy will name its next aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in honor of the president who was laid to rest Wednesday, officials said.

The Navy had not planned to make the announcement yet, but Donald Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary who served in the Ford administration, divulged the news during his eulogy at the funeral.

"How fitting it would be that the name Gerald R. Ford will patrol the high seas for decades to come in defense of the nation he loved so much," he said.

Later at the Pentagon the Navy confirmed that it would make an official announcement "in a few weeks." It said it was still working on details of the ceremony with members of the Ford family.

Ford enlisted in the Naval Reserve a few months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. He served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Monterey in the Pacific theater. He began as an athletic director and gunnery-division officer and later became an assistant navigator.

Not to take anything away from President Ford, but I was hoping the new class and first ship of the next carrier family would be USS AMERICA. Notwithstanding the news headlines should some bad misfortune of war befall such a named ship ("AMERICA SINKS!") a proud nation with the seafaring and naval history and heritage of the United States should have one of its capital naval ships carry its name throughout the seas and around the world. Honoring the last carrier named AMERICA (CV 66) and a number of ships that preceded her, this would have been a beautiful tribute to our nation and what our navy has meant to us over the years.

This new class of carrier will have a number of significant changes over the current fleet of flattops. An integrated island positioned farther aft on the ship, only 3 elevators, electromagnetic catapults and an advanced arresting gear system are just a few of the significant improvements that will be going into this next behemoth of the sea. I blogged about many of these changes here - looking forward to when they finally launch that thing - I'll try to get my liberty card punched from the nursing home when that happens.

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January 05, 2007 • Permalink
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Its official - the first in a new class of aircraft carrier will be named the USS GERALD R. FORD

Navy to name next aircraft carrier after Ford

(NAVYTIMES.COM 4 JANUARY, 2006)

Washington - The Navy will name its next aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in honor of the president who was laid to rest Wednesday, officials said.

The Navy had not planned to make the announcement yet, but Donald Rumsfeld, the former defense secretary who served in the Ford administration, divulged the news during his eulogy at the funeral.

"How fitting it would be that the name Gerald R. Ford will patrol the high seas for decades to come in defense of the nation he loved so much," he said.

Later at the Pentagon the Navy confirmed that it would make an official announcement "in a few weeks." It said it was still working on details of the ceremony with members of the Ford family.

Ford enlisted in the Naval Reserve a few months after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941. He served aboard the aircraft carrier USS Monterey in the Pacific theater. He began as an athletic director and gunnery-division officer and later became an assistant navigator.