George H. W. Bush-class

The USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier constructed for the United States Navy. The Navy awarded the construction contract to Northrop Grumman Newport News in 2001, and the vessel was commissioned on January 10, 2009. Named for the 41st President of the United States, it is the second U.S. aircraft carrier named in honor of a naval aviator.

The vessel incorporates design modifications that distinguish it from earlier Nimitz-class ships. The hull includes a bulbous bow to increase buoyancy and curved flight deck edges intended to reduce the ship’s radar signature. The island is smaller than those of preceding vessels, features an enclosed radar tower, and is positioned further aft to increase flight deck space. Internal systems include a zonal electrical distribution system and a vacuum collection/marine sanitation device for waste management. Aviation facilities include semi-automated refueling and servicing stations and updated aviation fuel distribution systems.

Service history began with a maiden deployment in 2011 with Carrier Strike Group Two, which included participation in Exercise Saxon Warrior and operations in the 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. In 2013, the carrier conducted the first catapult launch and arrested landing of an unmanned combat air vehicle, the X-47B, at sea.

The carrier deployed to the Persian Gulf in 2014 to support operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), launching airstrikes in Iraq and Syria. Following a 2017 deployment, the vessel underwent a 28-month maintenance period at Norfolk Naval Shipyard starting in 2019. This period included the first time the ship was removed from the water since its construction. The vessel returned to operations in 2022, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea as part of Carrier Strike Group 10 to relieve the USS Harry S. Truman before returning to its home port in April 2023.