USS John Stennis 17"

USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) is the seventh Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier in the United States Navy, named for Senator John C. Stennis of Mississippi. She was commissioned on December 9, 1995. Her home port is Bremerton, Washington.

Mission and capabilities

The mission of Stennis and her embarked Air Wing (CVW-9) is to conduct sustained combat air operations while forward deployed in the global arena. The embarked Air Wing consists of eight to nine squadrons. Attached aircraft are the F/A-18 Hornet, EA-6B Prowler, S-3B Viking, E-2C Hawkeye, and SH-60 Seahawk.

The Air Wing can destroy enemy aircraft, submarines, and land targets, or lay mines hundreds of miles from the ship. Stennis' aircraft are used to conduct strikes, support land battles, protect the Battle Group or other friendly shipping, and implement a sea or air blockade. The Air Wing provides a visible presence to demonstrate American power and resolve in a crisis. The ship normally operates as the centerpiece of a Carrier Battle Group commanded by a flag officer embarked upon Stennis and consisting of four to six other ships.

Stennis' two nuclear reactors give her virtually unlimited range and endurance and a top speed in excess of 30 knots (56 km/h, 34.5 mph). The ship's four catapults and four arresting gear engines enable her to launch and recover aircraft rapidly and simultaneously. The ship carries approximately three million gallons (11,000 m³) of fuel for her aircraft and escorts, and enough weapons and stores for extended operations without replenishment. Stennis also has extensive repair capabilities, including a fully equipped Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Department, a micro-miniature electronics repair shop, and numerous ship repair shops.

For defense, in addition to her Air Wing and accompanying vessels, Stennis has NATO RIM-7 Sea Sparrow and Rolling Air Missile (RAM) surface-to-air missile systems, the Phalanx Close-in Weapons System for cruise missile defense, and the SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare System.

• Sponsor: Mrs. Margaret Stennis Womble
• Contract Date: March 29, 1988
• Crew size: 5,617 (including air wing)
• Meals served daily: 16,600
• Number of compartments: 2,700
• Number of anchors: 2 (From Forrestal)
• Weight of anchors: 30 long tons (30 metric tons) each
• Number of screws: 4 (5 blades each)
• Weight of screws: 66,200 lb (30 t) each
• Number of catapults: 4
• Number of aircraft elevators: 4
• A/C plant capacity: 2,900 refrigeration tons (10.2 megawatts, enough to service 950 homes)
• Distillation plant capacity: 400,000 U.S. gallons (1,500 m³) (enough to serve 2000 homes)
• Number of telephones: 2,000
• Tons of structural steel: More than 60,000 short tons (55,000 metric tons)
• Length of cable and wiring: over 900 miles (1,500 km)
• Number of light fixtures: more than 30,000
• Required technical manuals: A stack as high as the Washington Monument at 555 feet (170 m)
• Bed mattresses: If lined up end-to-end, they would stretch more than 9 miles (14 km)
• Sheets: 28,000
• Pillow Cases: 14,000
• Cost: $4.5 billion; projected service life: 50 years

1998 Deployment - World Cruise

February 26 1998 - Left Norfolk March 11 1998 - Arrived in the Persian Gulf after travelling 8020nm in 274 hours, an average speed of 29.4 knots. Enforced the no-fly zone in Iraq until entering the Indian Ocean on July 19 1998 for port visits to Australia and Hawaii. 26 August 1998 - Arrived in San Diego, the new home port.

April 16 1999 - Began sea trials

November 30, 1999 - The Stennis ran aground in a shallow area adjacent to its turning basin as it attempted to maneuver near Naval Air Station North Island, San Diego. Silt clogged the intake pipes to the cooling systems of the nuclear reactors, causing the carrier’s two nuclear reactors to be shut down (one reactor by crew, the other automatically) for a period of 45 minutes. The Stennis was towed back to its pier for maintenance and observation for the next two days. The cleanup cost was about $2 million.

2000 Deployment - Persian Gulf/Pacific Ocean

January 7 2000 - Left San Diego to enforce the no-fly zone in Iraq and made port visits to South Korea, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Australia July 3 2000 - Returned to San Diego

2001 Deployment - Persian Gulf

November 12 2001 - Left San Diego for the Persian Gulf in support of operations in Afghanistan. May 28 2002 - Returned to San Diego

2004 Deployment - Pacific Ocean

May 24 2004 - November 1 2004 Took part in Northern Edge 2004 in the Gulf of Alaska, Rim of the Pacific Exercise off Hawaii, exercises with the Kitty Hawk off Japan and goodwill visits to Japan, Malaysia and Western Australia.

January 8 2005 - Home port moved from San Diego to Bremerton.

January 19 2005 - Began 11 month Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) at Bremerton, the first time she had been dry-docked since commissioning. Upgrades included a new mast.

December 2005 - November 2006 Sea trials and exercises.

2007 Deployment - Persian Gulf

On January 20, 2007 the Stennis set sail for the Persian Gulf as part of an increase in US military presence within the Middle East. The Stennis arrived in the area on February 19, 2007, joining the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the United States Fifth Fleet area of operations. This marks the first time since 2003 that there have been two aircraft carrier battle groups in the region.

On May 23, 2007 the Stennis, along with eight other warships including the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, passed through the Strait of Hormuz. US Navy officials said it was the largest such move since 2003.

On August 31, 2007 the Stennis returned to Bremerton.

John C. Stennis Carrier Battle Group

The JCS battlegroup (or Carrier Strike Group 3, CSG-3) is equipped and trained to work as a forward deployed force providing a deterrent force as well as serving to protect U.S. interests abroad.

The Stennis is the flagship of the battlegroup, and commands the group's air wing Carrier Air Wing 9. The Stennis is also home to the commander of Destroyer Squadron 21 (DESRON 21).

Ships of DESRON 21

• Halsey (DDG-97)
• Howard (DDG-83)
• Jarrett (FFG-33)
• Preble (DDG-88)
• Rentz (FFG-46)

Other elements of JCS Battle Group

• Antietam (CG-54)
• O'Kane (DDG-77)
• Bridge (T-AOE-10)

Squadrons of CVW-9

• Strike Fighter Squadron 154 (VFA-154) "Black Knights"
• Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA-323) "Death Rattlers"
• Strike Fighter Squadron 146 (VFA-146)"Blue Diamonds"
• Strike Fighter Squadron 147 (VFA-147) "Argonauts"
• Electronic Attack Squadron 138 (VAQ-138) "Yellow Jackets"
• Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 112 (VAW-112)"Golden Hawks"
• Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 (HSC-8) "Eight-Ballers"
• Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (HSM-71) "Raptors"
• Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 4 (VRC 30)"Providers"

Ship's seal

John C. Stennis' Seal was produced from the combined efforts of several crewmembers with historical help from Stennis Center for Public Service, John C. Stennis Space Center and United States Senate Historian. The Seal implies peace through strength, just as Senator John C. Stennis was referred to as an "unwavering advocate of peace through strength" by President Ronald Reagan, when the ship's name was announced in June 1988.

The circular shape signifies the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier's unique capability to circle the world without refueling while providing a forward presence from the sea. The predominant colors are red, white, blue and gold, the same as those of the United States and its navy. The outer border, taken from one version of a U.S. Senate crest, represents the strength through unity of the ship's crew. The four gold bands and eight ties denote John C. Stennis' four decades (41 years) in the Senate and the eight presidents he served with, from President Truman to President Reagan. The seven stars in the blue border represent his seven terms in the Senate and characterize John C. Stennis as the seventh Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The red and white stripes inside the blue border represent the American flag and the American people John C. Stennis serves. They also honor the courage and sacrifice of the United States' armed forces.

The eagle and shield is a representation of the gilt eagle and shield overlooking the Old Senate Chamber. The shield represents the United States of America. The twenty stars represent the US's twentieth state, Mississippi, the home of John C. Stennis. The three arrows in the eagle's talons symbolize the Ship and Air Wing's ability to project power. The burst of light emanating from the shield, representative of the emergence of a new nation in the United States Senate Seal, portrays the birth of over 25 major Naval Aviation programs under Senator Stennis' leadership, including all aircraft carriers from Forrestal to Harry S. Truman, and aircraft from the F-4 Phantom to the F/A-18 Hornet. The eagle is representative of John C. Stennis' stature in the Senate, where he was respected and admired as a "soaring eagle" by some of his colleagues.

The ship itself is pictured in the seal. On the edges of the flight deck are the words "Honor, Courage, Commitment" which are the United States Navy's Core Values.

The Seal, after selection by the ship's crew, was submitted to Mrs. Margaret Stennis Womble, the ship's Sponsor and daughter of Senator Stennis, and to Mrs. John Hampton Stennis, the Matron of Honor and wife of Senator Stennis' son, for their approval. In February 1995 they approved the design.

Popular culture

• In the techno-thriller novel Debt of Honor by Tom Clancy, the USS John C. Stennis, along with the USS Enterprise, is intentionally attacked by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force during an exercise, and later participates in the campaign to liberate the Mariana Islands.
• In the television series JAG, the ship played the role of the fictional carrier, USS Patrick Henry; its alphanumeric designation went unchanged.
• Some of the scenes from the movie Executive Decision were filmed aboard the carrier.
• Some of the filming for the Disney Channel Original Movie Tiger Cruise was aboard the USS John C. Stennis, though the movie is set on the USS Constellation, which was not of the same design.
• The radio show This American Life devoted an entire episode recorded aboard the USS John C. Stennis titled "Somewhere in the Arabian Sea"