A New Destroyer

Discussion in 'Postwar' started by jacobtowne, Sep 19, 2006.

  1. jacobtowne

    jacobtowne Senior Member

    In case anyone's interested in the commissioning of new warships, here are photos of the newest addition to the U.S. Navy. I was on vacation in Georgetown (Maine) last week, and visited Bath.

    A new Arleigh Burke class Aegis guided missile destroyer was christened on Saturday morning, Sept. 16th, at the Bath Iron Works, DDG 102, USS Sampson.

    Since I did not wish to listen to politicians gas for two hours, I didn't attend the christening, but took pictures before and after.

    These ships are built (and I think were designed) here in sections inside large buildings. The sections are then moved outside for assembly.

    After christening, the ship moves on rails (no more sliding into the water on ways) into the floating drydock, which is then moved out into the Kennebec River over a spot that has been dredged. The drydock is then sunk to float the ship.

    There are several other Burke class destroyers under construction.


    Photo 1 - The floating drydock. It was made in China, along with two of the blue cranes, and floated half way around the planet to Maine.


    Photo 2 - Sampson the day before, with bunting on the gunwales but no flags. The bridge of another destroyer is behind it.

    3. Here she is Saturday afternoon, halfway into the drydock.


    5. Monday morning, and the drydock is sunk.


    4. Here's the next in line, showing the attachment lines of the modules.

    6. And here's a company shot, a birdseye view with a little snow and ice, early or late winter.


    JT
     
  2. lancesergeant

    lancesergeant Senior Member

    Somewhere stateside they're building USS George Bush - a carrier as well aren't they. I thought the person the ship was named after had to be deceased until the Carl Vinson came along. Wonder if this will now be the norm???.
     
  3. spidge

    spidge RAAF RESEARCHER

    Somewhere stateside they're building USS George Bush - a carrier as well aren't they.

    Let's hope it has a good guidance system.:eek:
     
  4. Herroberst

    Herroberst Senior Member

    Sat in the Captains Chair of an Arleigh Burke Destroyer, Too bad I wasn't her captain.
     
  5. Gerard

    Gerard Seelow/Prora

    Great Pictures Jacob!!! Looks like a fantastic ship!
     
  6. jacobtowne

    jacobtowne Senior Member

    As of 2006, George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), the tenth and last of the class, is being built by Northrop Grumman at Newport News, Virginia, and will enter service in 2008. Bush will be the first transition ship to a new class of carriers (CVN-21) to start construction in 2007.

    Ships in class
    USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
    USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)
    USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)
    USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)
    USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)
    USS George Washington (CVN 73)
    USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74)
    USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75)
    USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76)
    USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77)

    Difficult to comprehend, but the operating cost of a Nimitz class carrier is $3,000,000 a week.:eek:

    JT
     
  7. Gibbo

    Gibbo Senior Member

    Somewhere stateside they're building USS George Bush - a carrier as well aren't they. I thought the person the ship was named after had to be deceased until the Carl Vinson came along. Wonder if this will now be the norm???.

    I also thought that the USN had such a rule but according to the Wikipedia article linked below it's been breached on numerous occasions. It does seem that it was stuck to from 1918-61 & that the only vessel named after a living person from 1918-80 was the USS Richmond K. Turner. Admiral Turner died just after she was laid down so depending on his health it may have been known that he'd not survive until the launch. Since the USS Carl Vinson was launched in 1980, a further 8 USN ships have been named after living persons.

    USN ships named after living people
     
  8. lancesergeant

    lancesergeant Senior Member

    Yes, but bear in mind it is a small city on water! Two or three thousand crew. Electric bill would be negligible with the nuclear reactors.
     
  9. lancesergeant

    lancesergeant Senior Member

    I also thought that the USN had such a rule but according to the Wikipedia article linked below it's been breached on numerous occasions. It does seem that it was stuck to from 1918-61 & that the only vessel named after a living person from 1918-80 was the USS Richmond K. Turner. Admiral Turner died just after she was laid down so depending on his health it may have been known that he'd not survive until the launch. Since the USS Carl Vinson was launched in 1980, a further 8 USN ships have been named after living persons.

    USN ships named after living people
    Thanks for that Gibbo, something else I am now up to speed on.
     
  10. Gibbo

    Gibbo Senior Member

    I've had a closer look at the list that I linked from Wikipedia in my previous post. It lists a number of ships up to 1839 as being named after living persons up to 1839 & then none for the rest of the 19th century & the following during the 20th & 21st centuries;

    USS Holland (SS-1) was commissioned in 1900; John Philip Holland died August 1914.
    USS Cleveland (PG-33) was launched in 1901 and commissioned in 1903; Stephen Grover Cleveland died in 1908.
    USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156) was laid down in July 1918,Joshua Frederick Cockey Talbott died October 1918. The ship was not launched until that December, and not commisioned until June 1919.
    USS Richmond K. Turner (CG-20) was laid down in January 1961, Richmond K. Turner died in february. The ship was not launched until 1963 and commissioned until 1964.
    USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) was named in 1980; Carl Vinson died in 1981. (died before commissioning)
    USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN-709) was named in 1983, Hyman Rickover died in 1986
    USS Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) was named in 1989; Arleigh Burke died in 1996.
    USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) was named in 1993; John Stennis died in 1995 before his namesake ship was commissioned.
    USNS Bob Hope (T-AKR-300) was named in 1997; Bob Hope died in 2003.
    USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) was named in 2001; Ronald Reagan died in 2004.
    USS Nitze (DDG-94) was named in April 2004, Paul Nitze died in October 2004 before his namesake ship was commissioned.
    USS Jimmy Carter (SSN-23) was named in 2004; Jimmy Carter is still alive.
    USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is scheduled to be named in 2006; George H. W. Bush is still alive.

    However, USS Cleveland was a Denver class cruiser so I'd guess that she was named after the place, not the man. USS Holland may have been named as a Holland type boat rather than directly after John Holland. Talbott & Turner died soon after their namesake ships were laid down so it could have been that they were terminally ill & wouldn't survive until the ships were launched. Thus, there may be special reasons for the ships apparently named after living persons in 1839-1980 so there probably was a rule for many years until it was breached by the naming of the USS Carl Vinson in 1980.
     
  11. jacobtowne

    jacobtowne Senior Member

    Yes, but bear in mind it is a small city on water! Two or three thousand crew. Electric bill would be negligible with the nuclear reactors.

    City indeed. There are 6,000 people aboard including ship's complement and aircrew. That's 18,000 meals a day. Yikes!

    Gibbo:
    Interesting that you mention Denver. One of my uncles served on that ship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

    They're all beautiful vessels. I could look at these magnificent things all day.

    JT
     
  12. von Poop

    von Poop Adaministrator Admin

    City indeed. There are 6,000 people aboard including ship's complement and aircrew. That's 18,000 meals a day. Yikes!
    We used to go and see the big American carriers when they came to Pompey, Completely shocking. Hi-racker forklifts looking like tiny yellow dots as they moved about the ship.
    Are US ships still 'dry'?
     
  13. morse1001

    morse1001 Very Senior Member

    Are US ships still 'dry'?

    Yes! That is why they are grateful for working with other navies who are not!
     
  14. jacobtowne

    jacobtowne Senior Member

    Yes! That is why they are grateful for working with other navies who are not!


    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    JT
     
  15. lancesergeant

    lancesergeant Senior Member

    City indeed. There are 6,000 people aboard including ship's complement and aircrew. That's 18,000 meals a day. Yikes!

    Gibbo:
    Interesting that you mention Denver. One of my uncles served on that ship during the Battle of Leyte Gulf.

    They're all beautiful vessels. I could look at these magnificent things all day.

    JT
    Ooops, I thought it was only 3 at tops - 6,000 takes some taking in. Takes 4 years to build it as well!!!!
     
  16. jacobtowne

    jacobtowne Senior Member

    The number of servicemen aboard is listed variously. Usually it's about 3,200 for ship's complement and 2,500 to 2,800 for air crew.

    JT
     

Share This Page