Spectacular New USA Aircraft Carrier Commissioned (USS Ronald Reagan)

[David Copeland]

<center>http://us.news1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/rids/20030712/i/1058025200.2885886043.jpg

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030709/capt.1057785794.reagan_commissioning_vagk101.jpg
The carrier, nearly 1,100 feet long and standing 20 stories above the waterline,
is the first to be named for a living president. The flight deck
covers 4.5 acres.

The Reagan, expected to serve the Navy for more than 50 years,
will be based in San Diego, be home to 6,000 sailors and carry
more than 80 aircraft. With two nuclear reactors, the carrier can
travel faster than 30 knots and operate for 20 years without refueling.

Construction took about five years. It is the ninth, and second-to-last,
Nimitz-class carrier to be built at the Northrop Grumman shipyard
in nearby Newport News.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20030712/capt.1058037339.uss_reagan_vagk101.jpg
Nancy Reagan, right, wife of former President Ronald Reagan,
waves to the crowd at the commissioning ceremony of the Navy's
newest aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan, Saturday, July 12,
2003, at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Va. </center>

[Robert Smith -]

This is an honarary event. It must be really nice to have a Naval Ship named after you because of your service to the country.

[Rod Elliott]

Robert,

It also would be quite an honor to have the fleet class named after you, as they did for Chester Nimitz. It's amazing something that large can go for 20 years without refueling. My car won't go much past a week! :D

Rod Elliott

[William Brassfield]

Originally posted by Rod Elliot
It's amazing something that large can go for 20 years without refueling. My car won't go much past a week! :D

It would if it was powered by a nuclear reactor. ;)

[William Brassfield]

Originally posted by Robert Smith
This is an honarary event. It must be really nice to have a Naval Ship named after you because of your service to the country.

One of our Submarines is named for Former President Jimmy Carter. (SSN-23)

[Mr Jose Bonavich Jr]

Hey everyone,

I've never "served" in the armed forces, but I was an "army" brat and my brother was the WEPS Officer on a nuclear sub in the Navy, so I have developed a very strange habit of naming my pets after different Navy vessels :D

Reagan would be a good dog's name, since I already have a cat named Nimitz and another dog named Carter :D ..of course my other dog's name is Marishka which is Russian, from a fairytale my mother used to tell me...so she's the odd one out. ;)

[Kathleen Padgett]

I briefly saw the ceremony broadcast on the news on Saturday. It was an impressive event, and an incredibly high tech ship.

[Byron Burke II]

A few years ago while coming back from a deployment on the USS Enterprise, I watched the shipyard workers put the Island (superstructure) on the boat (ship). It is all one piece and they use a really big crane! (I could only see one from across the bay) It was an awsome site.

[Byron Burke II]

I wrote this same thing last night, but it never made it somehow, so if it shows up twice we know why. After I came home from a deployment on the USS Enterprise, I watched the Shipyard but the Island (superstructure) on the boat or (as it properly knows the ship). The Island was or at least looked complete, and they used one really super larger crane. Well, from across the bay I could only see one crane at my angle but it was very impressive to watch.

[Michael Harris]

It was an impressive ceremony. I hope she is a good ship.

[Jeff Creedon]

That is an impressive ship thanks for the patrotic posting.

[Mark Aloise]

[iThe carrier, nearly 1,100 feet long and standing 20 stories above the waterline,
is the first to be named for a living president. The flight deck
covers 4.5 acres.

The Reagan, expected to serve the Navy for more than 50 years,
will be based in San Diego, be home to 6,000 sailors and carry
more than 80 aircraft. With two nuclear reactors, the carrier can
travel faster than 30 knots and operate for 20 years without refueling.



I know a retired Ensign that says the newer Nimitz class ships actually go 50 knots. Regardless, imagine one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center laying on it's side, and flying by you at 30 mph. And the Reagan would be taller in the water!!

[Dragos Sfinteanu]

"The carrier......is the first to be named for a living president..."

USS Ronald Reagan broke a tradition. I have read in the media that another carrier under construction will be named "George Bush" (the first president Bush).

[David Wayne Cash]

Just for information.....

In my Navy days, (assigned to a carrier), I heard the nuclear subs can do circles around a carrier moving at full speed.

That's a "WOW" folks.

[Michael Harris]

David,

I assume you mean the attack boats, not the boomers.