The White House, “Statement from President Biden Announcing the Names of CVN 82 and CVN 83.”
I am proud to announce that the next two Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will be named for two former presidents: Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled. Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief. And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.
The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W. Bush (CVN 83) will begin construction in the years ahead. When complete, they will join the most capable, flexible, and professional Navy that has ever put to sea. They will be crewed by Sailors who hail from every corner of the United States, and who will sail these ships into harm’s way, defending our interests overseas and our safety here at home.
Those Sailors will demonstrate not only the example of our power, but the power of our example. And our nation remains grateful to them, their families, and all the talented shipyard workers who will bring these ships to life.
May God protect all who sail aboard USS William J. Clinton, USS George W. Bush and every other ship in our fleet. And may God continue to bless our troops.
Heather Mongilio and Sam LaGrone, reporting for US Naval Institute News (“White House: Next Two Aircraft Carriers Named for Bill Clinton, George W. Bush“) add some important context:
Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro picked the names for the two carriers, as naming falls under the duties of the secretary of the Navy, according to two Navy officials However, the White House made the announcement.
[…]
The future USS William J. Clinton (CVN-82) and USS George W. Bush (CVN-83) are not yet under construction nor have contracts been issued to carrier yard HII’s Newport News.
HII has advocated for the Navy to utilize a block buy contracting strategy to purchase the carriers, like the service did for the future USS Enterprise (CVN-80) and USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). In a briefing with reporters last week, HII president Chris Kastner said the shipbuilder would like to see CVN-82 purchased in Fiscal Year 2028.
While of course the shipbuilder would like the Navy to order multiple ships at a time, it’s in fact far more cost effective to do so than piecemealing them. This allows HII to plan more than a decade in advance and offer at least some economies of scale to the taxpayer. The vagaries of annual budgeting, however, can be a fly in the ointment.
I don’t follow the protocols of these things closely enough to know how unusual it is, but it does seem odd for a SECNAV to name two carriers that haven’t been ordered yet on his way out the door.
Our first aircraft carrier, commissioned way back in 1922, was the CV-1 Langley (although, like all of the earliest carriers, it was converted from an existing ship of another class). While most have had rather innocuous names, many have indeed been named after politicians, notably US Presidents. The first of those, the Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) was commissioned in 1945, months after his death. The second, the John F. Kennedy (CV-67), was commissioned in 1968 under his successor’s administration. The Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) was commissioned in 1977; the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) in 1986; the Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in 1989; the George Washington (CVN-73) in 1992; the Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) in 1998; the Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) in 2003; the George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) in 2009; the Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78, the lead ship in a new class) in 2017. Those ships are all still in service.
A second John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is scheduled to launch this year and, again, the Clinton and Bush have yet to be ordered.
Trump will be the 47th President upon his inauguration but, like Grover Cleveland, it will be his second non-consecutive term and he’s taking up two numbers. So, only 45 men have held the office. A handful of others (William Henry Harrison, Zachary Taylor, James A. Garfield) died within a year or so of taking office. So that leaves 42 candidates.
The most noteworthy Presidents not honored with a carrier naming are John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Ulysses S. Grant, Woodrow Wilson, and Lyndon Johnson. We can safely write off Jackson and Wilson. But I must say, I’m a bit surprised that Ford, much less the impeached Clinton and controversial GWB, got a carrier named after them before Adams, Jefferson, and Grant.
Of the Presidents in my lifetime, only Johnson, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama (plus Trump and Biden, presumably not yet eligible) have not been honored. One presumes the USS Nixon will not be forthcoming, his undistinguished WWII Navy service notwithstanding
I’m a bit shocked that Del Toro chose Clinton and Bush over Obama (or, again, Jefferson).
It would have been fitting to announce the USS Jimmy Carter before his death. Carter was a Naval Academy graduate and rising star in the Navy before his father’s untimely passing forced a career change. But Carter has already been honored with a nuclear attack submarine, which is perhaps more appropriate.
Since impeached Presidents are apparently fair game, will we one day see a USS Donald Trump? It seems unlikely. But I’d have said the same of the Ford, Clinton, and GWB as well.
