John Stennis (CVN 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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ang the full facts and knowing the needs, know that a strong and powerful Navy - a Navy second to none - is vital and essential to the Nation ' s security. Such a Navy is needed to go into battle if war should be forced upon us. Of equal importance, such a Navy is needed in time of peace to provide the evident muscle and sinew to enforce our foreign policy and, if necessary, to call the bluff of a would-be aggressor. Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, former Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said of Senator Stennis, ' ' His career in the Senate and particularly his leadership of the Armed Services Committee were an inspiration to me. As Chairman, he set a standard that all of his successors strive to meet ' Senator John C. Stennis was referred to by President Ronald Reagan as ' ' the father of America ' s modern Navy be- cause of his years of consistent and steadfast support. As Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (1969-1980), Senator Stennis stood firm for U. S. military superiority. He fought and won many battles on the floor of the Senate on b ehalf of the American mili- tary men and women. A strong Navy, second to none in the world, was always at the top of John C. Stennis ' agenda. I On 19 December 1988, then Sec- I retary of the Navy, William L. Ball, III, designated CVN 74 to be named the USS JOHN C. STENNIS in honor of John Cornelius Stennis, United States Senator from Mississippi, an unwa- vering advocate of peace through strength. Senator Stennis died in April 1995. USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74)

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Time and again during : years of service, the Sen- ate turned to Senator Stennis for guidance wlien its members were under suspicion, and when an impartial and fair assess- ment seemed vital. From the McCarthy era to Watergate, Senator Stennis applied the ju- , dicial skills and temperament he I Hl I E 9 acquired during his ten years I N SSi Mfc the bench in Mississippi. ■ c:pn;.tnr Stennis ' unselfish achievements during his long years of hard work ' dlS noTcore thrt great adversity. In 1973 he was shot tw.ce dunng a holdup attempt in his front yard in northwest Washington. Although doctors at first did not give much hope of Senator Stennis living, then later of ever walking again, he surprised practically every- one and recovered almost completely. John C. Stennis retired from the Senate in 1988 and re- turned home to teach at Mississippi State University. In Washington, Senator Stennis had a sign on his desk that represented a part of his philosophy. It simply read: Look Ahead. His own words and deeds articulated this personal conviction as it ap- plied to the United States Navy: Our Navy has an unchanging mission. Many of our resources, our allies and our enemies as well, lie overseas. In most of our wars in the last 175 years, including the revolutionary war, this country would not have been victorious without superior Navy power being on its side. This mission to maintain decisive naval power for our global interests will remain as imperative for the future as the past. Our global interests and overseas dependence grows, not lessens, with each passing year. We must always remember that when the chips are down and shots are fired, it will be the modern-day naval patriots who will risk their lives, man the ships and fire juruary 1975, Senator Stennis re- Hrxie - ' ' om my vantage point, forgetting

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' ' 9t € Jt miiliilOOUIC { Wh ' :? the basic | %f mission of aircraft car- |W%I Tiers, power projection, m hasn ' t changed since mmmmm a Newport News Ship- building constructed the first aircraft carrier, USS RANGER, in 1934, the construction pro- cess has changed dramatically. Carriers are state of the art weapons platforms, capable of launching and recover- ing modern jet aircraft at intervals of less than a minute. Comprised of complex elec- tronic equipment and millions of feet of wir- ing they take 40 million man hours and nearly 5 years to build. But, it takes more than just time. It takes the blend of state of the art tools and the dedicated talent of literally thousands of men and women at Newport News Shipbuilding to create this magnificent ship. While JOHN C. STENNIS is preceded by six other ships of the NIMITZ Class, advance- ments in technology have caused each ship to be increasingly more ca- pable. Using sophisticated three dimensional computer modeling systems, engineers are able to design and up- date in a single data base all the vast and complex structures and systems associated with JOHN C. STENNIS. They can see how various ship systems interact in a hull long before the ship is built. Employees at more than 400 CADAM (computer-aided design and manufacturing) terminals generate de- •qn information that is sent via com- .ler program to pipe, sheet metal and inachine shop equipment. Upon com- hese machines manufacture an of perfect ship pieces osr. ship hulls are pro- tgr. r --. 1 .