THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 3, 1995 TAG: 9502030577
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 43 lines
They are years away from sea trials, much less active service, but on Thursday the Navy's two newest aircraft carriers were steered through a tricky political strait.
The White House disclosed that the ships, one under construction at Newport News Shipbuilding and one approved by Congress last fall, will be named, respectively, for former Presidents Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan.
The decision by Navy Secretary John H. Dalton produced bipartisan delight on Capitol Hill, where Republicans and Democrats had competed to have the newest carrier named for Reagan and Truman.
Clinton, who referred glowingly to both ex-presidents during his State of the Union speech last week, said Thursday that ``the courage and wisdom of President Truman's decisions . . . provided the foundation for 40 years of peace and stability.''
Clinton called Reagan ``an American leader unsurpassed in his boundless patriotism and love for the armed forces.''
The ships now are known as CVN-75 and CVN-76. The Navy had announced that CVN-75 would be called the United States, but the ship has not been christened and Dalton has the authority to make the change to Truman.
This is the second time a carrier slated to be known as the United States has run afoul of Truman. As president, Truman approved the cancellation of a flattop that was to carry the name. The decision triggered the resignation of then-Navy Secretary John Sullivan.
The Truman is slated for completion in 1998. The Reagan, also to be built at Newport News, is expected to be completed in 2002. Five other carriers are named for presidents - the George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy. ILLUSTRATION: Photos
The carrier now under construction will be named for Truman; one
approved last fall will be for Reagan. by CNB