Dwight Eisenhower (CVN 69) - Naval Cruise Book

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IKE ' S HISTORY Construction of USS CWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN-69), the third nuclear carrier ever built, was author- ized by Congress in Fiscal Year 1970. Construction continued for the next five years, and on October 11, 1975, IKE was christened and launched by the ship ' s sponsor, the late Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower. Work continued, and in mid-April 1977 the precommissioning crew moved aboard ship. On July 15, 1977, IKE was officially placed in Service and was recognized as a sea-duty command, and later that month went on Builder ' s Sea Trials. After a three month post shakedown availability, IKE went back to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and Roosevelt Roads operating area for more training. In January 1979 IKE departed Norfolk for her first extended cruise, to the Mediterranean. The six month cruise saw port visits to Naples, Athens, Haifa, Venice, Livorno, and Lisbon, before returning in July 1979. On October 18, 1977, all the work of the precommissioning crew culminat- ed in IKE ' S commissioning, where-by DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER officially became a United States Ship and achieved special status in internation- al law by her placement into active service in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet. In the following month IKE departed Norfolk for training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and after the Christmas holidays, traveled to the Roosevelt Roads operating area. On March 17, 1978, IKE proclaimed United States, arriving , and Pre- sident Jimmy Carter emerged from an SH-3 helicopter for a tour of the ship and to view a Combined Weapons Training Exercise.

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After a four month inport period for stand down and repairs, workups began again in November 1979. November also brought the news that IKE had won the COMNAVAIRLANT Battle Efficiency Award for best overall carrier in the Atlantic Fleet, along with six departmental awards. A month later, IKE received the Admiral Flatley Aviation Safety Award. January 1980 brought another trip to GITMO and February and March saw the continuation of Type Training in the Roosevelt Roads operating area and the announcement that IKE would deploy in April to relieve USS NIMITZ on Gonzo Station in the Arabian Sea. This book commemorates the history of IKE from November 1979 to December 22, 1980, the date IKE returned home from a record setting Indian Ocean deployment with her second consecutive COMNAVAIRLANT Battle Ef- ficiency Award for best overall carrier in the Atlantic Fleet, along with another six depart- mental awards.