The Aircraft Carrier Presidents Quiz

Answer:

Of the ten aircraft carriers commissioned post-war and named for US presidents, seven were members of the Nimitz-class. The first ship in the Nimitz-class was christened as USS Nimitz when she was launched in 1972. The second ship, intended to be named for former president Dwight D. Eisenhower, was intended to follow a similar naming pattern, but her name was changed prior to launching to USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. Following the commissioning of Dwight D. Eisenhower, more Nimitz-class vessels were commissioned at a rate of approximately one every 3-5 years, with another six named for former presidents - Theodore Roosevelt in 1986, Abraham Lincoln in 1989, George Washington in 1992, Harry S. Truman in 1998, Ronald Reagan in 2003 and George H.W. Bush in 2009. The commissioning of USS George H.W. Bush brought the Nimitz-class construction programme to an end, with work then concentrating on a new class of aircraft carrier.

Of the other three aircraft carriers, the oldest was USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, which was commissioned in 1945 as the second of three Midway-class ships, and served until 1977, when she was decommissioned to be replaced by USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. USS Gerald R. Ford, which entered service in 2017, is the first of her class of aircraft carriers, which have been built as the eventual replacements for the Nimitz-class The first USS John F. Kennedy was the final conventionally-powered aircraft carrier in the US Navy, entering service in 1968 and serving until 2007. A second of the same name is planned as the second Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, projected to enter service in 2027.

The majority of the other named ships were submarines, with the only surface ship being USS Lyndon B. Johnson was built as the third and final Zumwalt-class destroyer, a guided-missile platform intended as a multi-mission stealth ship focusing on the land attack mission. USS Jimmy Carter entered service in 2005 as the third and final Seawolf-class nuclear-powered attack submarine, which operates in a special mission role capable of operating remotely operated underwater vehicles and transporting US Navy SEALs. The remainder were submarines built as part of the "41 for Freedom" programme - this was the project to build the US Navy's nuclear deterrent force, with 41 boats in five classes commissioned between 1959 and 1965. Of these, USS John Adams, USS James Monroe, USS Andrew Jackson and USS Woodrow Wilson were Lafayette-class boats; USS James K. Polk was part of the Benjamin Franklin-class; USS Thomas Jefferson was a member of the Ethan Allen-class; and USS James Madison and USS Ulysses S. Grant were of the James Madison-class. Additionally, the previous USS George Washington, USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Theodore Roosevelt were all George Washington-class boats.