Crew Of CVN-76 Ordered Aboard By Former First Lady

It's the ninth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the US Navy fleet, one of 13 carriers overall. It can launch and recover 80 aircraft, including F/A-18 Hornets, Super Hornets, and a bevy of reconnaissance and support planes. It's the only ship in America's fleet named for a living former president.

The USS Ronald Reagan is now on active duty.

Missing From Ceremony: The Great Communicator

Ironically, former President Reagan, 92, wasn't able to attend the ceremony and bask in the affection of so many military members. He suffers from Alzheimer's Disease and simply couldn't make the trip. However, his wife, Nancy, was at the Norfolk Naval Station (VA) Saturday to give the order for some 5,500 sailors and Marines to make preparations for getting underway.

"I only have one line," said the former actress, who co-starred with her husband before he took the political stage. "Man the ship and bring her alive." With that, the crew of the Ronald Reagan ran to their posts.

"Peace Through Strength"

The ship's motto is "Peace Through Strength," a sentiment President Reagan expressed more than once as he oversaw a dramatic boost in defense spending. His supporters say that, above all else, hastened the fall of the Soviet Union. Sen. John Warner (R-VA) told the 15,000 spectators dockside, the carrier symbolizes Reagan's "rugged spirit."

Warner led the congressional effort to change Navy tradition and name CVN-76 after the 40th president without waiting to make the honor a posthumous one. In his speech at Saturday's ceremony, the former Marine and Navy WWII veteran told Mrs. Reagan, "This is your ship. The crew knows you will watch over her and them as you have so faithfully cared for your husband."

Continuing the theme, Vice President Dick Cheney told the crowd, America's potential adversaries will certainly "take notice when word arrives the USS Ronald Reagan has been sighted offshore.... The Ronald Reagan sets sail in a world with new dangers," Cheney said, referring to the post-9/11 reality. "The war may be filled with uncertainties," he said, but "the outcome is certain. There will be victory for the United States in the cause of freedom.... In the life of this carrier, as in the life of its namesake, the enemies of freedom will fall away and the realm of freedom will expand further across the face of the Earth."

The USS Ronald Reagan will eventually be posted in San Diego, where it will replace the aging USS Constellation.

FMI: www.reagan.navy.mil