And The Next Aircraft Carrier Will Be Named...

[Ryan Ruck]

Navy Names Next Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy

May 29, 2011

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be named the USS John F. Kennedy.

The selection John F. Kennedy, designated CVN 79, honors the 35th President of the United States and pays tribute to his service in the Navy, in the government, and to the nation.

“President John F. Kennedy exemplified the meaning of service, not just to country, but service to all humanity,” said Mabus. “I am honored to have the opportunity to name the next aircraft carrier after this great sailor and inspirational leader, and to keep the rich tradition and history of USS John F. Kennedy sailing in the U.S. Fleet.”

Born in Brookline, Mass., May 29, 1917, Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 1940 and entered the Navy in October 1941.

During World War II, Kennedy took command of PT 109 at Tulagi Island in the Solomons with a mission to intercept Japanese ships attempting to resupply their barges in New Georgia. In the early morning hours of Aug. 2, 1943, Kennedy’s ship was inadvertently struck by an enemy ship and split in half. Over the course of the next six days, Kennedy led his crew members to safety and an eventual rescue. Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for the rescue of his crew and a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained when his ship was struck.

After his military service, Kennedy became a congressman representing the Boston area, he was elected to the Senate in 1953, and in 1961 became the youngest person to be elected president.

One previous ship, the USS John F. Kennedy, CV 67, was named in his honor and was decommissioned in 2007 after nearly 40 years of distinguished service, including Operation Desert Storm.

The USS John F. Kennedy and other Ford-class carriers will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and humanitarian relief and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation. The aircraft carrier and the carrier strike group will provide forward presence, rapid response, endurance on station, and multi-mission capability throughout its 50-year service life.

The USS John F. Kennedy will provide improved warfighting capability, quality of life improvements for sailors and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs. The ship will be constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding, Va., a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

Additional information about aircraft carriers is available online at http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_di...0&tid=200&ct=4. Media may direct queries to Lt. Cmdr. Tamara Lawrence at 571-289-7139.

That's right, we're going to name another carrier after Kennedy.

As though there aren't any other presidents it could be named after. What a damn joke...

[American Patriot]

I want an aircraft carrier named after me.

[American Patriot]

I take that back. I just want an aircraft carrier....

[Malsua]

I take that back. I just want an aircraft carrier....

Gas is too expensive.

[American Patriot]

Fine. I'll settle for a 40' sloop or ketch. Forget the aircraft. LOL

[Luke]

I am fairly certain there is already an aircraft named Kennedy. Maybe it is a different class, but it seems like it would be a nightmare to have more than one ship with the same name?

I know that the Navy has decommisoned the battleship Missouri. I also know there is now a submarine named the USS Missouri. Just makes no sense.

I remember at first it was Cape Canaveral, then it was Cape Kennedy,. then it was Cape Canaveral again. I suppose I need to get a new program, can't tell the players apart without a program.

[catfish]

The Enterprise has always been my favorite name of a ship. Pretty sure that one is taken though. Although, my understanding is that giving your flagship the name Enterprise is a British naval tradition. Perhaps we could give it the old spelling of Enterprize to differentiate between the two.

[Ryan Ruck]

I am fairly certain there is already an aircraft named Kennedy. Maybe it is a different class, but it seems like it would be a nightmare to have more than one ship with the same name?

There is but it was the last conventional powered carrier and is in inactive reserve.

I know that the Navy has decommisoned the battleship Missouri. I also know there is now a submarine named the USS Missouri. Just makes no sense.

The naming conventions have been modified since WWII.

See this guide.

General rule of thumb is:

Carriers = Presidents
Subs = States
Destroyers = Notable personnel

I'm not big on the current naming conventions and would like to see ship names more like Britain such as the Invincible, Dauntless, Illustrious, Ardent, etc. Would also like to see more patriotic names like Constitution, America, Lexington, Concord, and the like.

The Enterprise has always been my favorite name of a ship. Pretty sure that one is taken though. Although, my understanding is that giving your flagship the name Enterprise is a British naval tradition. Perhaps we could give it the old spelling of Enterprize to differentiate between the two.

Agreed. This new carrier should have been Enterprise since the current one is scheduled to be decommed in another tour or two (2013). Thing is 50 years old this September!