CVN-77 George Bush aircraft carrier christened.

news.yahoo.com...

Bush father and son and several relatives joined hundreds others at the Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard, where the $6 billion, 1,092-foot-long carrier is being built. It is not yet finished and is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in late 2008.

The 10th of the Nimitz-class carriers — the largest warships in the world — features technological advancements that make it a bridge to the next generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers.

On Sunday, the carrier was to be launched from its dry-dock into the James River and taken to an outfitting berth, where work on interior systems will continue.

The former president was the youngest pilot in the Navy when he joined, receiving his commission and naval aviator wings before age 19.

Bush flew torpedo bombers off the aircraft carrier USS San Jacinto. In 1944, he was on a mission over the Pacific when Japanese anti-aircraft fire hit his plane. Bush parachuted into the sea and was rescued by a Navy submarine. He later was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals for his Navy service in the Pacific theater.

Capt. Kevin O'Flaherty, the carrier's prospective commanding officer, is in charge of about 330 sailors now attached to the ship. He said he eventually will be responsible for about 3,000 crew members when the ship is put into service. It is not known where the carrier is to be stationed.

en.wikipedia.org...

Features of CVN 77
Bulbous bow design: Improves hull efficiency and reduces drag. This feature is 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.

Another carrier added to America's arsenal. I notice that the article says 3,000 member crew complement. Previous carriers handle about 5,000, so this is a big leap in crew reduction. Unless the article forgot to include the pilots and other personnel.

Misleading title should be christening.


[edit on 7-10-2006 by deltaboy]

i think the reduction in crew size can only be a good thing - If it means that the crews can either be shared amongst more ships, or decrease the amount of supplies needed for any given length of mission.

What I would like to know though, if this beast is for 2008, what a/c are going to be on board? far too early for the JSF (naval), so is it going to be a Hornets nest??

Its a miserable day here in Virginia. The weather is not very accomodating but it didnt slow down the Christining. This was already factored in for the event.

I did not go as I will be working on this ship as it is being outfitted. I have already worked on it sufficiently enough not to be thrilled by such events.

Mind you now it is not often that a living person has a ship named for them as the tradition is usually carried out after they are deceased.

I am just not into alot of this hoopla ..never was. The only launching to which I have ever been to is the USS Cheyene as it was the last of the 688 class boats to be built here. I figured I had better go at least once. That will suffice for me.

As to the crew compliment there is more automation on this Nimitz class ship than the previous generations. Some of this updating as per usual..is being retrofitted into the older Nimitz class carriers when they go into the yards for scheduled maintnenance/dockings. This automation means that they do not need as many people standing watchs as previously done on older ships of this class. Many of the readings previously taken by roving watchs can be taken from a common terminal. Quite an improvement if you have ever seen some of the areas to which the watchstanders must traverse to get to these compartments and take readings for thier logs.
Mind you now ..this does not mean the watchstanders don't need to know how to do it the olde fashioned way..manually ..but it is just that alot of this tedium is replaced by automation. You still need to know how to get to these compartments and something about how the systems work...especially if these systems go down or malfunction.
Operations too can be done from a common terminal..verses having more personel stationed at different posts throughout these operations. Less people needed.

Thanks,
Orangetom

Orange thats actually a really cool job you have there! Working on the biggest floating weapons platform on earth wouldn't spoil my day and thats for sure - I could look at and walk around ships all day if i was allowed to - Just watching them go from the bare skeleton to battle ready systems is amazing..

But i guess a little bit of blase is allowed if you seen it all before....

Originally posted by D4rk Kn1ght
Orange thats actually a really cool job you have there! Working on the biggest floating weapons platform on earth wouldn't spoil my day and thats for sure - I could look at and walk around ships all day if i was allowed to - Just watching them go from the bare skeleton to battle ready systems is amazing..

But i guess a little bit of blase is allowed if you seen it all before....

D4rk Knight,

I never took to aircraft carrier work per se. I know a bit about it after doing it for so many years but my heart and soul has always been in submarine work. Way to much walking on a flattop for me. You can literally wear out shoes ..quickly working on them. I have worked them from the island houses to the innerbottoms...fore and aft...drydocks as well as pierside.

None the less my heart is in subs. I always liked the work much better.

As to the types of airplanes they are using. I believe ,just recently, the last active squadrons of F14s have been retired from the carriers and returned to Virginia Beach, Oceana for dispersal. Some, a small number, will be kept active but I dont think for use on the carrier fleets. I expect they will have a mountain of parts stored somewhere as these aircraft find thier ways to the boneyards.

The bulk of the F14 tasks are to be done by the super hornets. I believe they also plan to carry the S3 Viking series of aircraft on board as well as the C2 Greyhound series of aircraft..both in the radar picked versions as well as the Cargo Carrier onboard delivery versions, COD. Also a compliment of helicopters.

The plans for the new generation of carriers on the drawing boards ..is for careful computer control of the design with the ability of carrying a maximum of aircraft on board. Computers are helping them figure this out beforehand as concerns the designing. This way designs and modifications can be designed in to a more advanced planning stages than was possible before the advent of the computer. In otherwords the modifiations and updates are partially planned in before the carrier is even delivered to the navy. THe computers help them to design the various compartments and equipment/machinery with this goal in mind ..more aircraft carried on board plus the modifications and updates. It is Wild how far we have come in this arena. Not just the carriers but the submarines and other surface ships too.

Thanks,
Orangetom