Presidential Visits to Naval Ships

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER ^ | 5-3-2003

[buffyt]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Presidential Visits to Naval Ships  http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq49-1.htm

This list includes ship visits by presidents, during their terms as president, presently known to the Ships History Branch. There have undoubtedly been others; any additional information would be appreciated. Commissioned presidential yachts are included though these were not, strictly speaking, "visits to Navy ships" since these yachts were not part of the operating forces. The yacht Sequoia is listed under F.D. Roosevelt only, the only period during which she was in commission. Small craft, such as the motor boats used by a number of presidents after World War II, are not included. Individual ship histories are included in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

John Tyler (1841-45)           Steam sloop Princeton (1844)

Franklin Pierce (1853-57) Steam frigate Wabash (1856)

William McKinley (1897-1901) Yacht Sylph (1898-1901)

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) Yacht Sylph (1901-09) Battleship Illinois (1902) Yacht Mayflower (1905-09) Submarine Plunger (1905) Battleship Louisiana (1906) Battleship Connecticut (1907; 1909) Battleship Mississippi (1907)

William H. Taft (1909-13) Yacht Sylph (1909-13) Yacht Mayflower (1909-13) Battleship Arkansas (1912)

Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) Yacht Sylph (1913-210 Yacht Mayflower (1913-21) Transport George Washington (1919)

Warren G. Harding (1921-23) Yacht Mayflower (1921-23)

Calvin Coolidge (1923-29) Yacht Mayflower (1923-29) Battleship Utah (1928) Battleship Texas (1928)

Herbert C. Hoover (1929-33) Battleship Maryland (1928-29) Battleship Utah (1928-29) Battleship Arizona (1931)

F. D. Roosevelt (1933-45) Yacht Sequoia (1933-36) Cruiser Houston (1934; 1935; 1938; 1939) Yacht Potomac (1936-45) Cruiser Indianapolis (1933; 1936) Destroyer Phelps (1937) Cruiser Philadelphia (1938) Cruiser Tuscaloosa (1939, 1940) Cruiser Augusta (1941) British battleship Prince of Wales(1941) Battleship Iowa (1943) Cruiser Memphis (1943) Cruiser Baltimore (1944) Destroyer Cummings (1944) Cruiser Quincy (1945)

Harry S. Truman (1945-53) Yacht Williamsburg (1945-52) Cruiser Augusta (1945) Battleship Missouri (1945, 1947) Destroyer Lansdowne (1945) Submarine U-2513 (1946) not yet identified (1946-47)

Dwight D.Eisenhower (1953-61) Yacht Williamsburg (1953) Carrier Saratoga (1957) Submarine Seawolf (1957) Cruiser Des Moines (1959) Cruiser Saint Paul (1960) Submarine (unidentified) Submarine Patrick Henry (year?)

John F. Kennedy (1961-63) Destroyer Joseph P Kennedy Jr (1962) Coast Guard training ship Eagle (1962) Submarine Chopper (1962) Submarine Thomas A. Edison (1963) Missile test ship Observation Island 1963) Carrier Kitty Hawk (1963) Carrier Oriskany (1963)

Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69) Carrier Enterprise (1967)

Richard M. Nixon (1969-74) Carrier Hornet (1969)

James E. Carter (1977-81) Submarine Los Angeles (1977) Carrier Dwight D Eisenhower (1978)

Ronald Reagan (1981-89) Carrier Constellation (1981) Battleship New Jersey (1982) Battleship Iowa (1986)

George H. W. Bush (1989-92) Carrier Forrestal (1989) Guided Missile Cruiser Belknap (1991)

William J. Clinton (1992-2001) Carrier Carl Vinson (1993; 1995) Carrier George Washington (1994) Carrier Independence (1996) Carrier Harry S. Truman (1998)

George W. Bush (2001- ) Carrier Abraham Lincoln (2003)

5 May 2003

[NFOShekky]

"Five Navy aviators Clinton bodyguards/escorts (names not determined)"

Holy Batsh**!!! This is amazing! I met Clinton on the flightline at NAS Moffett Field!!!

Bill, If your minions of doom are reading this, I DIDN'T SEE ANYTHING!!!!!

[finnman69]

bump

[finnman69]

Bush was the only one to visit this way however.

[Texas Mom]

GOOD! I was hoping everyone would write to Pretty Pretty SHEETS Byrd today and remind him of this info. It is nothing new for a US President to visit a naval ship!!!!

While you're at it send it to Waxman as well.

[buffyt]

I had forgotten about that, yes, MANY things were LOOTED from the ship.

[buffyt]

WOWZERS, NEATO! That is animated!!!!!!!!!!!!! Too Cool!

[Nick Danger]

You forgot to check the other guys' web site for presidential visits. Don't forget this one:

[Howlin]

Excellent work, buffy!!!!!

[Howlin]

Don't you just LOVE poetic justice?????????

[Calvin Locke]

And Clinton only visited carriers (biggest ship in the fleet).

That's because they have more things to steal. Wasn't there a stink over a Clinton visit in which all the linens went AWOL
at the same time Clinton left?

[Happy2BMe]

Great info - thanks!

[cyncooper]

Makes Byrd look like a FOOL- but then we all knew that anyway!

It is becoming clear that the real reason behind the dems' and reporters' ire is that President Bush looked like a stud in the flight suit. They are beside themselves with the picture it told and the fact that it tells the tale of the risk he took.

The lot of them are complete clymers.

Now I just put on the radio and ABC news reports on Ari "defending the president's visit". Another example of the dems giving the press their marching orders and the media step lively. WANKERS AND CLYMERS.

[Happy2BMe]

Clinton's BIG DOMINO - The Rogues Gallery

Alamo Girl's Downside Legacy of The Clinton's

Beating, Threats, Killings, etc. of the Clinton Era

[Mo1]

Thanks for the ping Howlin and Great reseach Buffyt

The Dems are just in a panic mode because the libs on TV thought what President Bush did was great and even said so.

[Howlin]

They are beside themselves with the picture it told and the fact that it tells the tale of the risk he took.

REAL LEADER:

FAKE LEADER:

[OldFriend]

Call the US Capitol, ask for Byrd and let him know what you think........1-877-762-8762

[OldFriend]

Ah, the irony of it all.............

[buffyt]

TOP GUN vs. TUBBY BUBBA

[buffyt]

I HOPE YOU HAD YOURSELF STERILIZED AFTER YOU MET BUBBA! I HOPE YOU DIDN'T TOUCH HIM! YUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[aristeides]

Big hiatus in presidential visits to ships of war between Taft assuming the presidency in 1909 and Coolidge's last year in office, 1928, with only the one exception of Taft visiting one battleship in 1912. Wilson didn't even visit a warship in wartime. What was the reason for that? Were Teddy Roosevelt's many visits considered unpresidential?