USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) is the ninth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. It was built at Northrop Grumman Newport News (formerly Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry dock Company) in Virginia. The keel was laid in 1998 and the ship was launched in 2001, though it required two more years to finish building.

The ship displaces over 97,000 tons fully loaded and has a top speed of over 30 knots, powered by two nuclear reactors driving four screws. It is nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall at 1,092 feet (333m) and is 134 feet (41m) at its widest point. The flight deck covers over 4.5 acres. When deployed, it will be the home of nearly 6,000 sailors and over 80 aircraft.

Ronald Reagan is one of the very few US Navy ships to be named for a living person. (The first was USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70); others include USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51)[?], USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 709)[?], USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23)[?], and USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR-300)[?].)

External Links

• CVN-76 Homepage (http://www.reagan.navy.mil/)