UNITED STATES 10 January 2009 United States Navy launches nuclear aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush 

The commissioning in Norfolk, Virginia, of the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush is set for 10 Jan, just days before the son of the former United States president, President George W. Bush leaves office. It is a race against the clock. Because of construction delays, the original date for delivery to the US Navy has slipped from November to late December.

The supercarrier was christened on 7 Oct 2006.

Bush, the 41st US president and father of the 43rd and current US president, G. W. Bush, attended the ceremony at the Newport News Shipyard and became the first president in its 120-year history to participate in the christening of his namesake ship.

Another supercarrier named after a former president, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), is under construction and due to enter Navy service in 2015. Ford was the country's 38th president.

The George H. W. Bush is the nation's tenth and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. Northrop Grumman Newport News has built 11 of the U.S. Navy's 12 active carriers, including all 10 ships of the Nimitz class.

At 1092 feet in length, George H. W. Bush is nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall. Upon delivery to the Navy in late 2008, it will weigh 97,000 tons and carry more than 80 combat aircraft. Its top speed will exceed 30 knots; and powered with two nuclear reactors, it will operate for more than 20 years without refueling, according to Northrop Grumman. Oct/08

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