#24: USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) ("Ike") is a nuclear powered aircraft carrier currently in service with the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1977, the ship is the second of the ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers currently in service, and is the first ship named after the 34th President of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The vessel was initially named simply as USS Eisenhower, much like the lead ship of the class Nimitz, but the name was changed to its present form on 25 May 1970. The carrier, like all others of her class, was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia, with the same design as the lead ship, although the ship has been overhauled twice to bring her up to the standards of those constructed more recently.

Since commissioning, Dwight D. Eisenhower has participated in deployments including Operation Eagle Claw during the Iran hostage crisis in 1980, as well as the Gulf War in the 1990s, and more recently in support of US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The U.S. Navy Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier, USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) (foreground), and the Military Sealift Command Sirius Class, Combat Stores Ship USNS SPICA (T-AFS 9) conduct a Replenishment At Sea exercise on December 16, 2006. The U.S. Navy Ticonderoga-Class Guided Missile Cruiser, USS ANZIO (CG 68) is visible in the background. The Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing 7 are underway in the Persian Gulf on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations. 12/16/2006.  Like it? Buy it! 

The USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) eases into the port of Jabel Ali, United Arab Emirates, to begin a port visit in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH 2000, 07/15/2000.  Like it? Buy it!

Aerial port view of the the U.S. Navy Nimitz Class Aircraft Carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) as it steams across the waters of the Arabian Sea on Nov. 15, 2006. EISENHOWER is currently deployed in support of maritime security operations in the region. 11/14/2006.  Like it? Buy it!

An aerial view of the US Navy (USN) NIMITZ CLASS: Aircraft Carrier USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN 69) showing Sailors gather on the flight deck to spell out "IKE 2000" referring to their successful deployment to the Mediterranean Sea in the new millennium. CVN 69 is underway in the Mediterranean Sea while on a routine six-month deployment, 08/01/2000.  Like it? Buy it!