Key Points and Summary – The USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth and final vessel of the legendary Nimitz-class of nuclear-powered supercarriers, marking the end of an era in U.S. naval aviation.
-The ship is named in honor of the 41st President, a decorated WWII naval aviator who flew 58 combat missions before being shot down.
-Commissioned in 2009, the carrier was first “blooded” in combat against ISIS, launching strikes in both Iraq and Syria.
-As the last of its kind, the Bush represents a bridge between a storied past and the new Ford-class carriers.
The USS George H.W. Bush: The End of a Supercarrier Era
In the post-World War II era, a considerable number of the United States Navy’s aircraft carriers have been named after US Presidents.
Mind you, a fair number of these Presidents thusly commemorated weren’t themselves naval officers. For example, George Washington and Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower (namesakes for CVN-73 and CVN-69, respectively) were both Army generals, whilst Abraham Lincoln (namesake of CVN-72) had a rather brief and lackluster military career as a militia captain in the Black Hawk War of 1832.
Then you have USS John F. Kennedy, named after a POTUS who did serve as a US Navy officer in World War II, but not on an aircraft carrier, instead serving as the skipper of a lowly PT (patrol torpedo) boat, namely the PT-109.
However, at least two carriers have been named after former Presidents who indeed served on aircraft carriers during World War II. You have the supercarrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), named for former Lieutenant Commander (USNR) Gerald R. Ford, who had served as the assistant navigator, athletic officer, and anti-aircraft battery officer aboard the light carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26). And then there’s our current subject, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77); the CVN-77’s namesake had been a naval aviator during World War II.
Naval Career of the Carrier’s Human Namesake (In Brief)
Four and a half decades before being elected the 41st President of the United States, George Herbert Walker Bush enlisted in the Navy on his 18th birthday, June 24, 1942. Upon earning his wings, he became the youngest pilot in the Navy at the time (age 19).
LTJG Bush ended up flying the TBF Avenger torpedo bomber with Torpedo Squadron 51 (VT-51) aboard the Independence-class light carrier USS San Jacinto (CVL-30), embarking on 58 combat missions before being shot down on September 2, 1944, getting rescued by the submarine USS Finback (SS-230), and earning a Distinguished Flying Cross for his troubles.
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) Initial History
CVN-77 holds the distinction of being the tenth-to-last ship of the illustrious Nimitz-class of supercarriers. Built by Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), she was ordered and awarded on January 26 2001 (coincidentally a mere six days after her namesake’s son was inaugurated as the 43rd POTUS), laid down on September 6 2003, christened on October 7 2006, launched on October 9 2006, and commissioned on January 10 2009 (coincidentally a mere 10 days before Bush 43 left office).
(To provide some historical perspective, the first ship of the class, USS Nimitz [CVN-68], was commissioned on May 3, 1975.)
The warship’s motto is “Freedom At Work.” Her Vision is to “Develop Warriors to be Teachers, Leaders, and Ambassadors of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Carrier Strike Group and the United States of America, embodying the legacy of service, grit, humility, and resilience of our namesake.”
USS George H.W. Bush Technical Specification and Vital Stats
–Displacement: 104,000 tons
–Overall Hull Length: 1,092 ft
–Beam Width: 252 ft
–Draught: 41 ft
–Primary Propulsion: 2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors
–Max Speed: 30 knots
–Range: Unlimited distance (thanks to nuclear power); 20-25 years endurance
–Crew Complement: 3,532 commissioned officers and enlisted seamen in the ship’s company; 2,480 in the air wing
–Aircraft Carrying Capacity: 90 fixed-wing and rotary-wing assets
–Armament: 2 × RIM-162 Mk 29 ESSM (Evolved SeaSparrow Missile) launchers; 2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles; 3 × Phalanx CIWS (Close-In Weapon System)
Operational History In Brief
The Bush was first “blooded” in combat on August 8 2014, when, in support of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR), two F/A-18 Super Hornets launched from her flight deck to strike at the Islamic State/ISIS/ISIL/Da’esh terrorist group in Iraq; the specific target was an artillery piece that the ISIS goons were using to shell Kurdish forces near Erbil, and the ordnance used for the mission was 500-pound (230 kg) laser-guided bomb.
A month and a half later, the carrier’s Hornets and Super Hornets struck at terrorist targets within Syria (thus marking the first US military intervention in Syria since that country’s civil war had started).
In February 2017, the Bush carried out additional strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, launched from the Mediterranean.
Between January and November 2024, the George H.W. Bush underwent a major upgrade under the auspices of the Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) modernization program at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
The Way Forward
The Nimitz-class carriers are slated to be eventually replaced by the Ford-class ships.
Indeed, USS Nimitz is expected to be retired sometime in 2027. However, to the best of our knowledge, no official decommissioning date for USS George H.W. Bush has been announced yet.
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU).
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