USS George H.W. Bush

History
USA
Name	USS George H. W. Bush
Namesake	George H. W. Bush
Ordered	26 January 2001
Awarded	26 January 2001
Builder	Northrop Grumman
Cost	$6.2 billion
Laid down	6 September 2003
Sponsored by	Dorothy Bush Koch
Christened	9 October 2006
Launched	9 October 2006
Commissioned	10 January 2009
Homeport	Norfolk, Virginia
Motto	Freedom at Work
Status	Template:Ship fate box active in service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
Displacement	Template:Nimitz class aircraft carrier displacement
Length	Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m) Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m)
Beam	Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m) Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m)
Draft	Maximum navigational: 37 feet (11.3 m) Limit: 41 feet (12.5 m)
Propulsion	2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors (HEU 93.5%) 4 × steam turbines 4 × shafts 260,000 shp (194 MW)
Speed	30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph)
Range	Unlimited distance; 20–25 years
Complement	Ship's company: 3,532 Air wing: 2,480
Sensors and processing systems	SPS-48E 3-D air search radar SPS-49A(V)1 2-D air search radar SPQ-9B fire control radar 2 × SPN-46 air traffic control radars SPN-43C air traffic control radar SPN-41 instrument landing system radar 3 × Mk 91 NSSM guidance systems 3 × Mk 95 radars
Electronic warfare & decoys	AN/SLQ-32A(V)4 Countermeasures suite SLQ-25A Nixie Torpedo Countermeasures
Armament	2 × Mk 29 ESSM launcher 2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile
Armor	Unknown
Aircraft carried	90 fixed wing and helicopters

USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth and last 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.

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 frigates McClusky and Thach, and destroyer Massey, all named for aviators who commanded formations in the Battle of Midway. George H.W. Bush is also the second aircraft carrier, following Ronald Reagan, to be named after a living former President (although President Reagan died in 2004). A Nimitz class ship, George H. W. Bush differs from her predecessors even more than CVNs 71–76 did from CVNs 68–70.

Early history

Construction began in 2001 by the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard, at a cost of $6.2 billion. The aircraft carrier was christened on 7 October 2006, and delivery was set for late 2008. She left Northrop Grumman Ship Building for the first time on 23 December 2008 and was commissioned 10 January 2009 at Norfolk Naval Station prior to her completion. The carrier completed her acceptance sea trials on 10 April 2009 and was delivered to the Navy on May 11. The first fixed-wing flight made history May 19, 2009, after safely landing an F/A-18F Super Hornet. The Hornet was flown by Lt. Patrick McKenna and Cmdr. Beau Duarte, from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 23 at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md. And, the first arrested landing, known as a "trap," was made at 2:07 p.m.EDT. This launch and trap is part of the flight deck certification process going on in the Atlantic Ocean.

George H. W. Bush is the final Nimitz class aircraft carrier with the Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers succeeding the Nimitz class.

Features of CVN-77

Section ref: Global

Several features differentiate CVN-77 from other ships in the Nimitz class. The island is smaller to improve flight deck access and reduce signature and electronic self-interference. Curved flight deck edges and an enclosed antenna farms also reduce radar signature. The hull is made more efficient with new coatings and a bulbous bow, which also adds buoyancy. The ship has a new propeller design. The passive jet blast deflector has been redesigned with materials that reduce maintenance. Semi-automated refueling and servicing with a new deck location provides faster, more efficient air wing pit stops and requires fewer people. The redesigned hangar bay has less clutter. New electronics and communications technology, space rearrangement, operational procedure changes, advanced sensor technologies and condition-based maintenance systems reduce manning costs. A new zonal electrical distribution system will keep problems from affecting other parts of the ship. An automation insertion plan consisting of material movement devices, semi-autonomous, gravity compensated weapons handling devices, damage control automation systems and components will reduce the ship's crew and costs. Other improvements will include Vacuum Collection / Marine Sanitation Device (VC/MSD): Most ships in the U.S. Navy utilize a Collection Holding and Transfer (CHT) system to handle sewage waste. Several ships add a vacuum collection capacity or VCHT. Septic systems, when used aboard ships, are referred to as Marine Sanitation Devices, often used in U.S. Coast Guard ships. Bush is the first and only aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy to combine the two technologies. The "VC/MSD" system onboard CVN 77 is one of a kind. The next class of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers are likely to use plasma arc waste disposal systems.

Commanding Officers

#	Name	Term of Office
		Start	End
1	CAPT Kevin E. O'Flaherty	2006	February 25 2009
2	CAPT DeWolfe H. Miller III	February 25 2009	Present

Gallery

• 
  The USS George H. W. Bush shortly after being released from dry dock for the first time
• 
  Placing the 700-ton island onto the ship’s flight deck in 2006
• 
  Former President George H.W. Bush presents a long glass to the First Officer of the Deck to set the first watch Saturday, during commissioning ceremonies for the USS George H.W. Bush
• 
  Guests and U.S. Navy personnel at the commissioning ceremony , Jan 10 2009
• 
  George H. W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara Bush depart the ship following the commissioning ceremony

External links

• Official Navy homepage for CVN-77
• CVN-77 News page on U.S. Navy website
• 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.
• USS George H.W. Bush history at U.S. Carriers
• CSPAN video of the Ship's Commissioning Ceremony