Big question is what will be the ships nickname, we have the Big Stick, Honest Abe, I cant wait to hear what the USS Ford is going to be better known as.

Somehow I think the "Accidental Carrier" is not a ship I would want to be on.

It will trip over Hawaii and fall down on Fiji

I have to agree with GATOR, the recent naming of Carriers only after Republican Presidents looks like polishing their own apples. I can accept the George Bush and the Gerald Ford but the USS RONALD REAGAN? Who was guy who was never in the Navy, never saw combat in any branch, and was a pretty lousy president to boot! Then again neither Bush nor Ford were not that great either. How come nobody suggestions either LBJ or Nixon? They both served as Navy combat vets.

As for the CVN 21. I would defiantly re-use USS ENTERPRISE. After that I use names from Historical ships, especially in memory of the crews that went down with their ships. USS Lexington, USS Yorktown, USS Wasp, USS Hornet, USS Bonhomme Richard, USS Franklin (not sunk but over 1/2 her crew KIA), USS Northhampton, USS Houston, USS Indianapolis, USS Cumberland, USS Congress, USS Monitor, USS Juneau, USS Princeton, etc...

I do belive that John F. Kenedy was a navy veteren.

The Navy tends to name ships after presidents who gave them big budgets perhaps??

this is very good.

Originally Posted by bigcanada813

when you're getting a ship named for you, that means you had an impact on the world.

RIP President Ford.

Not to bag on my American president or anything, but I really don't know anything Ford did that was monumental...

Originally Posted by Gator

What ever happened to names like America and Independence?

America sounds too generic, and I think Independence is the name of a space shuttle in development.

Originally Posted by Padre

Although I am not a US citizen, and therefore ineligible to comment on US related posts on this International Forum according to some civilian posters, I too would be saddened to see no Aircraft Carrier named after the great John F. Kennedy.

I agree. JFK deserves an aircraft carrier. I may not be too fond of his family members, but he was a great man.

Ford got the contry back on track and in a stroke of genious he pardoned President Nixon for any wrong doing so that the country could move forward. This move cost Ford any chance at re-election, it was unpopular and spurred resentment from Congress and the public but it was the right move to make. Ford and Carter will both always be remember for not doing anything great, not going anything spectacularly wrong, and just doing what needs to be done. Compared to the rest of the Presidents in the latter half of the 20th century that is the same as being great.

Originally Posted by ASTRALdragon

America sounds too generic, and I think Independence is the name of a space shuttle in development.

USS America (CV66)

was a in my opinion a very proud and distinguished Aircraft Carrier.
http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/carriers/cva66.htm Her Ship history includes 5 Battle Stars for service on Yankee Station during the Vietnam War.
USS America was sunk sadly off North Carolina, by the United States Navy, in 2005.

.... and, Enterprise (OV-101)

was the first Shuttle built for NASA in 1976.

While the USS Enterprise (CVN 65)

was commissioned in 1961 and is due to serve through 2013.

Never Liked the name USS America, it just didn't ring well. As for Enterprise you forget that by the time CVN-21 is launched the USS Enterprise will be retired, so the name will be free to use once again. Perhaps not the first ship of the class but by the 2nd or 3rd CVN65 should be decommissioned.

She would be over 50 years old, by then I would say her service to her nation would be completed.

BTW the Shuttle Enterprise wasn't the first shuttle, that was Columbia. The Enterprise was only a prototype and did not have any engines (look at the tailcone in the photo, thats where her engines would have been), she was only used for aerodynamic and landing tests. She never flew a space mission.