- Two future Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named for Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
- It’s the US Navy convention to name nuclear-powered flattops after presidents, with some exceptions.
- USS Doris Miller and Enterprise are the only two Ford-class vessels not named after presidents.
President Joe Biden announced Monday that two future Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will be named after former US presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
“Each knows firsthand the weight of the responsibilities that come with being Commander-in-Chief,” Biden said in the White House announcement. “And both know well our duty to support the families and loved ones who wait and worry for the safe return of their servicemember.”
US Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro said the future Ford-class carriers “will serve as lasting tributes to each leader’s legacy in service of the United States.”
The newly named flattops follow the sea service’s tradition of naming the nuclear-powered carriers after US presidents. The trend has many exceptions, including first-in-class USS Nimitz, USS Carl Vinson, USS John C. Stennis, and future Ford-class ships USS Doris Miller and USS Enterprise.
Here are the names of the first six supercarriers in the Ford class, poised to become the backbone of America’s naval power for the rest of the 21st Century.
