Posted on 05/29/2011 5:36:19 PM PDT by Tatze
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.
Midway, Coral Sea, Yankee Station.
The USS Hober Mallow?
1/2 joke — there should be something named after Asimov.
All good.
>>Franklin was a WWII carrier, and Thomas Jefferson was a submarine decommissioned in 1985.<<
Then why is there even a discussion? Especially since there has already been a Kennedy — and named after him a scant year after his passing, no less?
JFK ? NAw, Theyc ould have called it the USS Marilyn Monroe , since Jack had weighed her anchor.
Or maybe the USS Monica Lewinski, instead of the USS Clinton.
Either would be appropriate IMHO.Both women suffered horribly because of them.
Correct me if I am wrong, but do we not already have a carrier named after JFK in the U.S. Fleet?
They seem to name everything after politicians now. It must be like living in Stalin’s time.
I would like to see a new Yorktown even though I served on the first Big John.
HE DOESN’T DESERVE THAT.
What? He lost the only ship he ever commanded and failed in his attempt to free Cuba from a Communist takeover. The USS Benedict Arnold would be less offensive. IMHO
Lamh Foistenach Abu!
“My earlier joke notwithstanding — how about a new USS Constitution?”
That one is sunk!
Wow THAT is impressive.
Kennedy deserves a Carrier. He did after all stop the Soviet Missles from being installed in Cuba. I mean he had a lot of personal problems but I don’t think we can be too hard on his Presidencial performance. And ofcourse the biggie. He was ASSASINATED after all. That should count for SOMETHING.
>>> It breaks my heart to think that our country’s namesake, USS America (CV-66) was towed out to sea and used for Tomahawk practice.
That’s not precisely the way it went. USS America wasn’t expended simply as a convenient target. She was tested to destruction.
As part of the design process for the new carrier class, the Navy took the wornout carrier and put her design to the ultimate test. For several days the true strengths and weaknesses of modern American supercarrier design was tested as demolition crews set off monitored charges to explore what her actual limits were. The results to be applied to strengthen the Ford design.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.