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US Navy - Aircraft Carrier CVN 77 - USS George H. W. Bush |
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| 12/24 | ||
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Type, class:
Aircraft Carrier - CVN; Nimitz class Builder: Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Virginia, USA (now Huntington Ingalls) STATUS: Awarded: January 26, 2001 Laid down: May 19, 2003 Launched: October 9, 2006 Commissioned: January 10, 2009 IN SERVICE Homeport: Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia Namesake: George Herbert Walker Bush (1924-2018), 41st President of the USA Ships Motto: FREEDOM AT WORK Technical Data: see: INFO > Nimitz class Aircraft Carrier - CVN |
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Deployments / Carrier Air Wings embarked / major maintenance periods: May 2009 with Carrier Air Wing 1 (CVW-1) - shakedown cruise - Atlantic Ocean June 2009 - January 2010: Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) at Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia May 2011 - December 2011 with Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) - Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea. Persian Gulf July 2012 - December 2012: Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia February 2014 - November 2014 with Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) - Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea. Persian Gulf June 2015 - July 2016: Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia January 2017 - August 2017 with Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) - Mediterranean Sea, 5th Fleet AOR February 2019 - August 2021: Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) at Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia August 2022 - April 2023 with Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) - Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea January 2024 - November 2024: Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia |
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 Atlantic Ocean - December 2024  approaching Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - November 16, 2024  departing Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia - November 12, 2024  departing Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia - November 12, 2024 January 2024 - November 2024: Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia  arriving at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  arriving at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  transferring from Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for a Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - January 11, 2024  carrier qualifications - Atlantic Ocean - June 2023  carrier qualifications - Atlantic Ocean - June 2023  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - May 2023  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - May 2023  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - May 2023  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - May 2023  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - May 2023  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - April 23, 2023  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - April 23, 2023  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - April 23, 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Strait of Gibraltar - April 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Strait of Gibraltar - April 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Ionian Sea - April 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - March 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Crete, Greece - March 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - March 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - exercise Juniper Oak, Mediterranean Sea - January 2023  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - November 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - November 2022  arriving in Split, Croatia - November 3, 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - October 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - October 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - October 2022  Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Crete, Greece - October 2022  Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Crete, Greece - October 2022  Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Crete, Greece - October 2022  Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Crete, Greece - October 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Ionian Sea - September 2022  replenishment at sea (RAS) - Ionian Sea - September 2022  replenishment at sea (RAS) - Ionian Sea - September 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - August 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Adriatic Sea - August 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Ionian Sea - August 2022  with CVW-7 embarked - Ionian Sea - August 2022  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 2022  Atlantic Ocean - June 2022  Atlantic Ocean - June 2022  Boeing MQ-25 aerial refueling drone tests - Atlantic Ocean - December 2021  Boeing MQ-25 aerial refueling drone tests - Atlantic Ocean - December 2021  Atlantic Ocean - August 2021  Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia - August 2020  departing dry dock at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia - August 2020  Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia / February 2019 - August 2020  Drydocking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) - Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Virginia / February 2019 - August 2020  Atlantic Ocean - November 2018  Atlantic Ocean - November 2018  Atlantic Ocean - August 2018  Atlantic Ocean - August 2018  Atlantic Ocean - August 2018  Atlantic Ocean - May 2018  Atlantic Ocean - May 2018  Atlantic Ocean - May 2018  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - March 2018  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - March 2018  ammunition offload - Atlantic Ocean - March 2018  Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - September 2017  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - August 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - during exercise Saxon Warrior - August 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - during exercise Saxon Warrior - August 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - June 2017  Arabian Gulf - April 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - 5th Fleet AOR - March 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - 5th Fleet AOR - March 2017  Naval Support Activity Souda Bay, Crete, Greece - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Mediterranean Sea - February 2017  with CVW-8 embarked - Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) - December 2016  with CVW-8 embarked - Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) - December 2016  with CVW-8 embarked - Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) - December 2016  with CVW-8 embarked - Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) - December 2016  with CVW-8 embarked - Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) - December 2016  with CVW-8 embarked - Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) - December 2016  Atlantic Ocean - August 2016  Atlantic Ocean - August 2016  Atlantic Ocean - August 2016  Atlantic Ocean - August 2016  departing Norfolk Naval Shipyard after PIA - July 2016  departing Norfolk Naval Shipyard after PIA - July 2016 June 2015 - July 2016: Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) at Norfolk Naval Shiyard, Portsmouth, Virginia  arriving at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) for an eight-month Planned Incremental Availability (PIA) - June 16, 2015  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - November 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Arabian Gulf - October 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Arabian Gulf - October 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Arabian Gulf - August 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Arabian Gulf - August 2014  Sailors of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) embarked assemble in formation on the flight deck in honor of the ship's namesake's 90th birthday on June 12, 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - 5th Fleet AOR - April 2014  with French Frigate D-615 FS Jean Bart - Arabian Gulf - April 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Gulf of Aden - March 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Gulf of Aden - March 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - March 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Suez Canal - March 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Gibraltar - February 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Gibraltar - February 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - Gibraltar - February 2014  Norfolk, Virginia - February 2014  with CVW-8 embarked - December 2013  with CVW-8 embarked - December 2013  with CVW-8 embarked - November 2013  with CVW-8 embarked - November 2013  with CVW-8 embarked - November 2013  with CVW-8 embarked - August 2013  departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - July 2013  Atlantic Ocean - May 2013  Atlantic Ocean - May 2013  Atlantic Ocean - May 2013  An X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstrator completes an arrested landing on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77). The landing marks the first time any unmanned aircraft has completed an arrested landing at sea. July 2013 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)   X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System tests aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System tests aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System tests aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  Northrop Grumman X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System tests aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System tests aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System tests aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System inside the hangar bay aboard USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) - May 2013  ammunition transfer - Atlantic Ocean - March 2012  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - December 2011  returning to Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - December 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - Arabian Sea - November 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - Naples, Italy - June 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - Naples, Italy - June 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - Cartagena, Spain - June 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - Cartagena, Spain - June 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - June 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - June 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - during exercise Saxon Warrior - Atlantic Ocean - May 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - during exercise Saxon Warrior - Atlantic Ocean - May 2011  March 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - January 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - January 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - January 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - January 2011  with CVW-8 embarked - October 2010  with CVW-8 embarked - October 2010  with CVW-8 embarked - October 2010  June 2010  aircraft of CVW-8 in the hangar deck - May 2010  various training aircraft in the hangar deck - April 2010  maiden port call - Mayport, Florida - March 2010  February 2010  February 2010  February 2010  February 2010  February 2010  January 2010  January 2010  April 2009  April 2009  commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - January 10, 2009  commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - January 10, 2009  commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - January 10, 2009  commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - January 10, 2009  commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - January 10, 2009  commissioning ceremony at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - January 10, 2009  christening ceremony at Newport News, Virginia - October 7, 2006  flooding the drydock - September 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding - September 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding - September 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding - September 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  placing the island in position - July 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  placing the island in position - July 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  island upper level montage - March 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction - March 2006 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction - March 2005 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction - March 2005 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction - December 2004 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS)  under construction - January 2004 (Northrop Grumman photo via NNS) |
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George H. W. Bush
  1976 as CIA director  President Ronald Reagan and Vice President George H. W. Bush - 1981  Presidential Inauguration - 1989  1989  aboard USS America (CV 66) - 1989  2003  2008  2010  with President Barack Obama - 2010 |
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George H. W. Bush (June 12, 1924 - November 30, 2018): George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924, in Milton, Massachusetts, to Dorothy Walker Bush and Prescott Bush (Republican Senator Connecticut 1952-1962). Mr. Bush graduated from Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts on his 18th birthday, June 12, 1942. That same day, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a Seaman 2nd Class. Receiving his wings and commission in June 1943 while still 18 years old, he was the youngest pilot in the Navy at that time. On active duty from August 1942 to September 1945 during World War II, Mr. Bush flew torpedo bombers off the USS San Jacinto. On September 2, 1944, Mr. Bush's plane was hit by anti-aircraft fire while making a bombing run over the Bonin Island of Chichi Jima, 600 miles south of Japan. Although the plane was afire and severely damaged, he completed his strafing run on the targeted Japanese installation before flying towards sea to bail out. Mr. Bush was able to bail out successfully and was rescued by a Navy submarine, the USS Finback. Tragically, his two crew members were killed. For his courageous service in the Pacific Theater, Mr. Bush was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals. On January 6, 1945, Mr. Bush married Barbara Pierce of Rye, New York. Today they are the parents of five children: George, John (Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy Bush Koch. Their second child, Robin, died of leukemia in 1953. The Bushes have 14 grandchildren. Following World War II, Mr. Bush entered Yale University, where he pursued a degree in economics and served as captain of the varsity baseball team. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1948. After his graduation, George and Barbara Bush moved to Texas, where he worked as an oil field supply salesman for Dresser Industries. In 1951, he co-founded a small royalty firm, The Bush-Overbey Oil Development Company. Two years later he co-founded the Zapata Petroleum Corporation. In 1954, at the age of 30, he became co-founder and president of a third firm, Zapata Off-Shore. Zapata pioneered in experimental offshore drilling equipment. Following an unsuccessful bid for a Senate seat in 1964, Mr. Bush was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1966 from Texas' 7th District. One of the few freshman members of Congress ever elected to serve on the Ways and Means Committee, he was reelected to the House two years later without opposition. Mr. Bush lost a second campaign for the Senate in 1970. During the 1970's, Mr. Bush held a number of important leadership positions. In 1971, he was named U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. He served there until 1973, when he became Chairman of the Republican National Committee. In October 1974, Mr. Bush traveled to Peking, where he served as Chief of the U.S. Liaison Office during the critical period when the United States was renewing ties with the People's Republic of China. In 1976, Mr. Bush was appointed Director of the Central Intelligence Agency. He is given credit for strengthening the intelligence community and helping to restore morale at the CIA while Director of the agency. In 1980, Ronald Reagan selected George Bush to be his running mate. On January 20, 1981, Mr. Bush was sworn in for the first of two terms as Vice President. In that office, Mr. Bush coordinated Administration efforts to combat international terrorism and wage the international war on drugs. Vice President Bush also piloted a task force on regulatory relief, aimed at reducing government and increasing American competitiveness. In 1988, George Bush became his Party's nominee and the American people's choice to be the 41st President of the United States. President Bush's leadership proved critical to the resolution of some of the most daunting conflicts of our time. After 40 years of superpower stalemate, historic events became almost commonplace: The fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany; the end of the Cold War and the flowering of democracy in Eastern Europe; the emergence of a new partnership with Russia, anchored by the historic arms reduction treaties, START I and START II -- the first-ever agreements to dismantle and destroy strategic weapons since the advent of the nuclear age. On the international economic front, President Bush sought to seize new opportunities through a policy of free trade, pushing to lower trade restrictions and tariff barriers in the GATT talks. In the hemisphere, President Bush's free trade efforts culminated in the Enterprise for the Americas initiative and the North American Free Trade Agreement. With the passing of the Cold War came new challenges. Seeking to demonstrate the post-Cold War possibilities for collective security, President Bush marshaled a 30 nation coalition to oppose Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. Desert Storm stands as a testament to Presidential leadership -- and American resolve in an uncertain and often dangerous world. On the domestic scene, the Bush Administration pushed new ideas for educational reform, home ownership, and environmental protection. The Americans with Disabilities Act paved new ground for aiding the disadvantaged, and the revision of the Clean Air Act was deemed to be the most significant environmental legislation ever passed. The President and Mrs. Bush are residents of Houston, Texas, and serve on the Board of Visitors of M.D. Anderson Hospital. They are members of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, where President Bush was a former vestryman. He is currently on the board of the Episcopal Church Foundation and serves on the vestry of St. Ann's Episcopal Church in Kennebunkport, Maine. Bush died on November 30, 2018, at the age of 94 years, 171 days, currently being the longest-lived president in American history. |
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USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77): Delivery and shakedown: USS George H. W. Bush was officially delivered to the Navy on 11 May 2009. The first fixed-wing flights were conducted on 19 May 2009 when F/A-18 Super Hornets from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland began flight deck certification, which tests a carrier's ability to conduct air operations. On 26 May 2009, Former President George H.W. Bush and his daughter, Dorothy Bush Koch, flew aboard the carrier to observe flight operations during the ship's underway period in the Atlantic Ocean. USS George H.W. Bush successfully completed her first flight deck certification on that day. Bush returned to Northrop Grumman Newport News shipyard on 18 June 2009 for post-delivery maintenance work, also known as the ship's post shakedown availability (PSA). A PSA is a typical availability in the early life of a carrier that allows the Navy and builder to resolve any items that came up during trials and delivery and make any last-minute changes and upgrades. Work includes the installation of a Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat (RHIB) handling system and a new fresh water purification system. Other changes include compartment reconfigurations, combat system and radar equipment upgrades, and minor repairs. The work was scheduled to last through early 2010. First deployment: The ship was assigned to Carrier Strike Group Two for her first deployment. Under the command of Rear Admiral Nora Tyson, George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing Eight and the four ships of her group departed on her first deployment on 15 May 2011. They sailed across the Atlantic to Britain to participate in Exercise Saxon Warrior, held in the Western Approaches and culminating in a so-called 'Thursday War'. She then moved towards Portsmouth, England on 27 May, anchoring adjacent to Stokes Bay through 31 May, because she was too large to enter the harbor, and the naval base did not have sufficient nuclear berths for the carrier to moor alongside. The carrier arrived at Naples, Italy on 10 June 2011. On 23 August 2011, she made her 20,000th arrested fixed wing aircraft recovery (landing) while operating in the Arabian Sea during Operation Enduring Freedom flight operations. This milestone was accomplished by LCDR Chris R. Swanson who was flying an E-2C Hawkeye Airborne early warning and control aircraft assigned to VAW-124 (Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 124). The carrier returned to Norfolk on 10 December 2011, following a seven-month deployment supporting operations with the U.S. Navy's 5th and 6th fleets. 2012 - 2013 On 25 July 2012, George H.W. Bush began its four-month overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard at Portsmouth, Virginia, included scheduled short-term technical upgrades. On 1 December 2012, George H.W. Bush completed its PIA maintenance cycle and began sea trials on 3 December 2012. After completing sea trials on 4 December 2012, the carrier started its training and qualification cycle in preparation for the group's 2013 deployment. During a two-week underway period beginning 14 January 2013, George H.W. Bush tested the MV-22 tilt-rotor aircraft from squadron VMX-22 as a potential carrier on-board delivery aircraft as well as operating mine-sweeping MH-53E helicopters from squadron HM-14. During another underway period, George H.W. Bush conducted at-sea tests for X-47B unmanned drone in the Atlantic Ocean, including the first time that an unmanned drone has been catapulted off an aircraft carrier on the morning of 14 May 2013. On 17 May 2013, another first was achieved when the X-47B performed touch-and-go landings and take-offs on the flight deck of Bush while underway in the Atlantic Ocean. Also during this two-week underway period, the aircraft carrier tested a new torpedo self-defense system, as well as completed more than 115 launches and landings in assessing a new precision landing system, before returning to Norfolk on 24 May 2013. On 10 July 2013, an unmanned X-47B drone completed an arrested landing on the flight deck of George H.W. Bush. The landing marks the first time any unmanned aircraft had completed an arrested landing on board an aircraft carrier operating at sea. The drone subsequently completed a second successful arrested landing on Bush, but it was diverted to the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia after an issue was detected, requiring that a planned third landing to be aborted. One of the drone's three navigational sub-systems failed, which was identified by the other two sub-systems. The anomaly was indicated to the mission operator, who followed test plan procedures to abort the landing. The Navy stated that the aircraft's detection of a problem demonstrated its reliability and ability to operate autonomously. On 15 July 2013, in a fourth attempt, a X-47B drone failed to make a successful flight deck landing on board the vessel due to "technical issues." 2014 In late February 2014, George H.W. Bush transited the Strait of Gibraltar on the way to a scheduled port stop in Piraeus, Greece, for a scheduled port visit. On 5 March 2014, George H.W. Bush arrived in southern Turkey, which is under 500 miles away from Crimea, amid developing tensions over Ukraine with Russia. On 9 March 2014, the carrier entered port in Antalya, in southern Turkey. Some news sources had speculated that the ship's stay in the Mediterranean Sea would be extended as a result of the 2014 Crimean crisis, but this proved to not be the case with Carrier Strike Group 2 proceeding through the Suez Canal. The carrier was transiting the Suez Canal on 18 March 2014. On 23 March 2014, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) officially turned over the watch to George H.W. Bush in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility conducting maritime security operations and supporting theater security cooperation efforts. On 14 June 2014, George H.W. Bush was ordered to the Persian Gulf to protect US interests in Iraq in light of the Islamic State takeover of several major cities in that country. On 8 August 2014, two F/A-18F Super Hornets launched from the ship and conducted an airstrike on Islamic State artillery shelling the Kurdish city of Erbil. The mission was launched in accordance with President Obama's announcement on the evening of 7 August that the US would begin airstrikes to protect US personnel and the Yazidis in the region from ISIS attacks. On 23 September 2014 F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets from Carrier Air Wing Eight launched from George H.W. Bush in the Persian Gulf to strike at specific targets in Syria such as command-and-control centers, training camps and weapons depots. On 15 November 2014, George H.W. Bush returned to her homeport in Norfolk, Virginia after a nine-month deployment. 2017 Following a 14-month shipyard availability at Norfolk Naval Shipyard and a compressed training cycle, George H. W. Bush and Carrier Air Wing Eight departed Norfolk on 21 January 2017 for her third deployment. She transited the Strait of Gibraltar on 2 February and after a port visit to Souda Bay Crete, she again participated in strikes against ISIS in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. In August 2017, George H.W. Bush arrived in the UK to take part in Exercise Saxon Warrior, a joint exercise involving Carrier Strike Group 2 plus elements of the Royal Navy, German Navy, Royal Norwegian Navy and Swedish Navy. This included the staff of the Royal Navy's Carrier Strike Group embarking aboard Bush as part of their preparation for the entry into service of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the first of Britain's new aircraft carriers. 2018 In May 2018, George H.W. Bush took part in the Franco-American exercise Chesapeake Mission, with twelve Dassault Aviation Rafale M and a Grumman E-2C Hawkeye from the French Navy embarked on board. 2019 In February 2019, George H.W. Bush arrived at Norfolk Naval Shipyard for a planned 28-month docking planned incremental availability (DPIA). This was the ship's first DPIA. The United States Navy announced on 24 September that there had been three suicides aboard George H.W. Bush in one week. Two previous ship suicides had taken place in November 2017 and July 2019. 2020 On 30 July 2020, Navy Times reported that a spokesperson for Naval Air Force Atlantic confirmed that a "small number" of sailors assigned to George H.W. Bush had tested positive for COVID-19 during the summer. The spokesperson declined to provide an exact number of sailors or a more precise date regarding when the virus was detected, citing US Defense Department policy, but added that the carrier was not deployed at the time, and that those infected "remain[ed] in isolation at their private residences in Virginia and receive[d] daily medical supportive care". In August 2020, George H. W. Bush left dry dock at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, after 18 months of the planned two-year overhaul. It was the vessel's most extensive maintenance period and marked its first time out of water since she was built. The overhaul was the most complex undertaken at the shipyard to date, according to the Navy. 2022 On 10 August 2022, George H W. Bush, with Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7) embarked, began a deployment as part of Carrier Strike Group 10 (CSG-10). This marks the carrier's first deployment since her 2017 deployment, after which she underwent major maintenance. CSG-10 is reportedly set to relieve Carrier Strike Group 8 (CSG-8) and its flagship, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), in the Mediterranean Sea. On 25 August 2022, George H.W. Bush and CSG-10 transited the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea. source: wikipedia |
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