The Navy yesterday took delivery of its newest and last Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77), from Northrop Grumman [NOC] Shipbuilding, the service said.
George H.W. Bush is the 10th Nimitz-class aircraft carrier.
“George H.W. Bush has been eight years in the making, with its keel laid in 2003, followed by christening in 2006 and today’s delivery. It’s a testament to the dedication and professionalism of both the Navy and our industry partners,” Capt. Frank Simei, Navy program manager for in-service aircraft carriers, said.
Bush is the nation’s 10th Nimitz-class aircraft carrier built at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding’s shipyard in Newport News, Va., and is the most advanced ship of its class., the Navy said
Relative to the last aircraft carrier, USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) substantial design features were modified and new technologies inserted, the Navy added.
New design features for the Bush include new propellers, a new underwater hull-coating system, an updated aviation-fuel distribution system, and modernized aircraft launch and recovery equipment. Environmental upgrades have also been designed into the ship, including a new marine sewage system. It is the second carrier to have a modernized island and a new bulbous bow design that provides more buoyancy to the forward end of the ship and improves hull efficiency. The ship’s keel was laid Sept. 6, 2003, it was christened Oct. 7, 2006, and was commissioned Jan. 10, 2009, the company reported.
“George H.W. Bush‘s delivery completes the construction of Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, but their legacy will continue” Simei said. “This ship will be an important part of our maritime forces for the next 50 years.”
Northrop Grumman has already begun building the Navy’s next generation aircraft carrier, the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).
Work is expected to be completed by September 2015, according to the Navy.
CVN-78 is the Navy’s first major investment in aircraft carrier design in more than three decades and features many improvements over the 1960’s Nimitz-class design. CVN-78 includes a new flight deck with an improved weapons handling system, advanced arresting gear, a completely re-engineered Electro-Magnetic Aircraft Launch System, new and simplified nuclear propulsion plants, a new electrical power generation system and reconfigurable design architecture, the Navy said (Defense Daily, Sept. 11).
On Monday, the Navy awarded Northrop Grumman a $77.2 million contract modification for long lead time materials in support of construction preparation efforts for the unnamed CVN-79.