President To Deliver Address... Watch For TFR
Aero-News has learned
President George W. Bush will deliver the principal address at the
christening ceremony of the Navy's newest aircraft carrier -- named
for his father, former President George H. W. Bush (right) -- on
October 7 at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard, Newport News,
VA.
- Pilots, note that NOTAM 62417 is
in effect for the duration of the President's stay in Newport
News.
The last of the Nimitz-class carriers is named in honor of World
War II naval aviator and America's 41st President of the United
States, George Herbert Walker Bush. The former president was born
in Milton, MA on June 12, 1924, and began a lifetime of service to
America when he joined the Navy on his 18th birthday as a seaman.
He became the youngest pilot in the Navy at the time, receiving his
commission and naval aviator wings before his 19th birthday.
Bush flew the Avenger torpedo bomber in combat from the carrier
USS San Jacinto. During an attack on enemy installations near
Chichi Jima in September 1944, his plane was hit by enemy fire
while making a bombing run. Although the plane was on fire and
heavily damaged, he completed a strafing run on the target before
bailing out of the doomed aircraft. Bush parachuted into the sea
and was later rescued by the Navy submarine USS Finback. He was
later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals
for his Navy service in the Pacific theater during World War
II.
After his Navy service ended in September 1945, Bush served
America in a number of public service roles that included two-terms
as a U.S. congressman from Texas, ambassador to the United Nations,
chief of the U.S. Liaison Office to China and director of the
Central Intelligence Agency. He then served two terms as vice
president under former President Ronald Reagan before being elected
himself as President of the United States in 1988. As
commander-in-chief, Bush led the United States and a coalition of
nearly 30 other nations during Operation Desert Storm, which ended
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and liberated the people of the small
Persian Gulf nation.
Doro Bush Koch, daughter of former President George H.W. Bush,
will serve as ship's sponsor. The ceremony will be highlighted by
Koch breaking a bottle of American sparkling wine across the ship's
bow to formally christen the ship, which is a time-honored Navy
tradition. The former president and his wife, Barbara, are
scheduled to attend the ceremony.
Officials with the US Navy state America's carriers serve a
vital role in the defense of the American people. Deploying around
the globe in support of US interests and commitments, US aircraft
carriers are in place to immediately respond to emerging military
and humanitarian crises and in various roles ranging from peacetime
presence to full-scale war.
Capt. Kevin O'Flaherty, a native of Los Angeles, CA and a 1981
graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is the prospective commanding
officer. In that capacity, he will be responsible for more than
5,000 crewmembers, to include the embarked air wing, when the ship
is commissioned and fully operational.
Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, at 1,092 feet in length and
97,000 tons displacement, are the largest warships in the world.
Traveling at speeds in excess of 30 knots and with flight decks
encompassing 4.5 acres, they can easily support an air wing of
about 75 aircraft.
FMI: Click Here For More Information On Nimitz-Class
Carriers, www.navy.mil