John Stennis (CVN 74) - Naval Cruise Book

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In Washiiiglon. Senator Stcnnis had a sign on his desk that represented a part ofliis philosophy . h (iipl iVcid: l.ook Ahead. His own woixls and s arlieulated this personal eon ietion as il ap- plied to the United States Na : Our Na y has an Linehanginii mission. Many : our resotirees. tuir allies and oiu ' enemies as well. lie overseas. In most of t)Ln- wars in the last 175 ears, ineludinu the rexoliitionarv w ar. this eounirs ould not have been vietoiious w ilhoiit sLipeticM- a y powei being on its side. This mission to maintain deeisixe na al power for our global interests will remain as im- perati e for the future as the past. ()ui- global inter- ests and o erseas dependenee grow s, not lessens. with eaeh passing year. We must always remember that w hen the ehips are down and shins are fired, it will be the modern-day naval patriots w ho will risk their li es. man the ships and fire the guns. In February 1 )15. Senator Stennis refleeted: From my -(mlcii c point. f )i ' c ' lliir llw full Jacls cmd knowin i flic needs. I know then a sti ' on ' and jiowcrfiil Ncivy- ct Navv second to none - Is vital erows, not iutd cssciitiiil to the Nation ' s security. S ' yt f Navy is needed to i o into battle if war slm0d he forced upon us. Of ce ual iinportahcc. such a Na ' y is iweded in time of peace to pro- vide the evident nniscle and sinew to enforce our foreii;n policy and. if iwcessary. to call the bluff of a would-be ( sf,t, ' ' ( ' .s,sY : Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia, former Chaii ' man of the Senate Armed Seix iees Com- mittee, said of Senator Stennis. His eareer in the Senate and partieularly his leadership of the Armed Ser iees Committee were an inspiia- tion to me. As Chairman, he set a standard that all of his sueeessors strixe to meet. Senator .lohn C. Stennis was referred to b President Ronald Reagan as the father of Ameiiea s modern Navy beeause of his years of consistent and steadfast support. As Chair- man of the Senate Armed Ser iees Committee ( 1969- 1 9S()). Senatt r Stennis stood firm for U. S. military superiority. He Ibught and fen. many battles on the floor of the Senate on be- half of the American militarx men and women. A strong Na . sect nd lo none in the world, was alw a s at the top of .lohn C. Stennis ' On 19 December I9SS. then Secrt tar of the Na y. William L. Ball. ill. designated CVN 74 to be named the USS. ohn C, Stennis in honoi- of .lohn Cornelius Stennis. United States Senate)!- from Mississippi, an unwaver- ing advocate of peace lhr(.)ugh strength. Sena- tor Stennis died in April 1995.

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.- -In 1 -). . .K ' lin C. Sleniiis was apjX)inted :ill the seal of a circuit judge who had died, or the next ten years. Judge Slennis gained the pect of all and his reputation spread far be- nd his district. When U. S. Senator Theodore G. Bilho fc o ffice in 1947. Judge Slennis entered or his seat. It was a grass roots cani- gn in which Stennis promised t( plow a aight furrow right dow n to ihe end of my w. He was elected against formidable op- jsilion and began to build on a national repu- rion as the junior Senator from Mississippi. :i .J, LiialuMi for iniegrit spread quickls ion r;His colleaiiues. who learned the could .i,,MY.T,sh hat John C. Stennis said. Time and again during his 41 sears .of ser- vice, the Senate turned to Senator Stennis for guid- ance w hen ils membei-s w ere under suspicion, and when an impartial and fair assessment seemed i- tal. From the McCarth era lo W ' atergale. SenaU r Slennis applied the judicial skills and lemperamenl he acquired during his len eais on the bench in Mississippi. Senator Stennis unselfish achie emenls dur- ing his long ears ol hard w (irk did not come w iih- out great ad ersil . In 197.V he was shot iwice during a holdup altempl in his front ard in norlh- west Washington. Allhough doclois al first did not gi e much hopei)f Senator Slennis 11 ing. ihen laler ofe er walking again, he suipi-ised practical l e - er i)ne and recmered alnn sl complclel . John C. Stennis relircLl from ihe Senate in 19SS and returned home to leach al Mississippi Stale l ' ni ersil .

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' 7i(DjJ ieABiEii2af, mar While the basic mission of aircraft carriers, power projection, hasn ' t changed since Newport News Shipbuilding constructed the first aircraft carrier, USS Ranger (CV 61). in 1934, the construction process has changed dramatically. Carriers are state of the art weapons platforms, capable of launching and recovering modem jet aircraft at intervals of less than a minute. Comprised of complex electronic equipment and millions of feet of wiring 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 the art tools and the dedicated talent of literally thousands of men and women at Newport News Shipbuilding to create this magnificent ship. While USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) is preceded by six other ships of the Nimitz Class, advancements in technology have caused each ship to be increasingly more capable. Using sophisticated three dimensional computer modeling systems, engineers are able to design and update 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 design information that is sent via computer program to pipe, sheet metal and machine shop equipment. Upon command, these machines manufacture an exact number of perfect ship pieces every time. Most ship hulls are produced on this type of equipment, which precisely cuts and bends large steel plates to meet design specifications. Today ' s aircraft carriers are assembled using a process called modular construction. This process is very similar to working with building blocks, only on a gigantic scale. USS John C. Stennis was assembled with these huge building blocks , called modules. These units weighed up to 900 tons each, and some were the height of a five foot story building. Each module was pre- outfitted with machinery, electrical components 6 USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN 74)