Remember, if you come by that part of the river to get a sh!tload of dimes!
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.
>>Challenger, Endeavour and Columbia are naturals.<<
Weren’t those English clippers?
If so, all I can say is, those rakish British! :)
USS Marianas Turkey Shoot
PT 109 should have been called The Minnow.
I’d prefer Constellation or Ranger I guess.
Why should anyone have TWO aircraft carriers named after them?
Especially someone who managed to get his own boat sunk by not following orders?
We already had a USS Kennedy. No need for another one.
Remember, if you come by that part of the river to get a sh!tload of dimes!
Your post #33 was a dose of sanity on this thread.
Why we have to name a second aircraft carrier after an adulterous womanizer who had to have vote fraus make him a President is beyond me.
By the time the carrier is finished, maybe we can name after someone more deserving of the honor.
Prior to going to the Pacific theater he was
sleeping with a NAZI spy in Washington DC.
Name available; the cruiser was decommissioned in 2004.
Decommissioned, 2007.
When we lived in Tulsa, I met the captain of one of the PT boats in Kennedy’s squadron. This was on government business and I talked to him for maybe half an hour.
Of course I asked him about Kennedy. He said all the other captains liked him. He was completely forthright tho that having your PT boat rammed by a destroyer was just about the worst embarrassment a PT boat commander could suffer. He did refuse to personally criticize Kennedy but I got the message.
He did say Kennedy performed well after his boat was sunk.
I suggest that you read the “Kennedys At War”, I forget the author. JFK was a brave man, as was his brother Joe.
What was your service branch?
I am embarrassed, I am old enough to remember the FIRST USS JFK...
oh, no, the first JFK is older than Carter’s presidency
Obviously a Fleet Oiler: what other class so showcases His Most Golfing Excellency’s ability to slip out from making decisions. . .
Of course, getting any oil OUT of the USS Barack Obama is going to be a chore and a half. . . . (evil grin)
the Lewinski would be a submarine.....
Me, too. I've walked her flight deck and hanger deck.
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.