III

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. CON. RES. 84

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the naming of aircraft carrier

CVN–77, the last vessel of the historic ‘‘NIMITZ’’ class of aircraft

carriers, as the U.S.S. Lexington.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

FEBRUARY 24, 2000

Mr. WARNER (for himself and Mr. INOUYE) submitted the following

concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed Services

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of Congress regarding the naming of

aircraft carrier CVN–77, the last vessel of the historic

‘‘NIMITZ’’ class of aircraft carriers, as the U.S.S. Lexington.

Whereas over the last three decades Congress has authorized

and appropriated funds for a total of 10 ‘‘NIMITZ’’ class

aircraft carriers;

Whereas the last vessel in the ‘‘NIMITZ’’ class of aircraft

carriers, CVN–77, is currently under construction and

will be delivered in 2008;

Whereas the first nine vessels in this class proudly bear the

following names:

(1) U.S.S. Nimitz (CVN–68).
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(2) U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN–69).

(3) U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN–70).

(4) U.S.S. Theodore Roosevelt (CVN–71).

(5) U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln (CVN–72).

(6) U.S.S. George Washington (CVN–73).

(7) U.S.S. John C. Stennis (CVN–74).

(8) U.S.S. Harry S. Truman (CVN–75).

(9) U.S.S. Ronald Reagan (CVN–76).

Whereas it is now time to recommend to the President, as

Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, an appropriate name for the final vessel in the ‘‘NIMITZ’’ class

of aircraft carriers;

Whereas over the last 25 years the vessels in the ‘‘NIMITZ’’

class of aircraft carriers have served as one of the principal means of United States diplomacy and as one of the

principal means for the defense of the United States and

our allies around the world;

Whereas the name bestowed upon aircraft carrier CVN–77

should embody the American spirit and provide a lasting

symbol of the American commitment to freedom;

Whereas for the citizens of the United States, the name

‘‘Lexington’’ has been synonymous with defense of freedom from the very first battle of the War of the American Revolution and is taught to American schoolchildren

as the place of the ‘‘shot heard round the world’’, at

which our forebears mustered the courage to gain independence;

Whereas the name ‘‘Lexington’’ has been associated with

naval aviation from its origins in the 1920s, when Presi-
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dent Harding bestowed the name ‘‘Lexington’’ on the

second aircraft carrier in United States history;

Whereas that vessel, the U.S.S. Lexington (CV–2), also

known as the ‘‘Fighting Lady’’, saw active service from

1927 until lost in 1942 during the historic Battle of the

Coral Sea;

Whereas immediately after that loss, President Franklin D.

Roosevelt saw fit to bestow the name ‘‘Lexington’’ on a

successor aircraft carrier in order to carry on the fighting

spirit to preserve freedom;

Whereas that successor aircraft carrier, the U.S.S. Lexington

(CV–16), joined the fleet in 1943 and earned 11 battle

stars during the Pacific campaigns of World War II as

she helped carry the fight to the enemy;

Whereas the U.S.S. Lexington (CV–16) continued her service

to the United States after World War II, conducting numerous deployments during the Cold War and completing

her 48 years of service as a training aircraft carrier for

student aviators; and

Whereas upon the completion of her service and in keeping

with the traditions of the Navy, the U.S.S. Lexington

(CV–16) was stricken from the Navy Vessel Register on

November 30, 1991: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives

2 concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that the air3 craft carrier CVN–77 should be named the U.S.S.

4 Lexington—

5 (1) in order to honor the men and women who

6 served in the Armed Forces of the United States
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1 during World War II, and the incalculable number

2 of United States citizens on the home front during

3 that war, who mobilized in the name of freedom, and

4 who are today respectfully referred to as the ‘‘Great5 est Generation’’; and

6 (2) as a special tribute to the 16,000,000 vet7 erans of the Armed Forces who served on land, sea,

8 and air during World War II, of whom less than

9 6,000,000 remain alive today, and serve as a lasting

10 symbol of commitment to freedom as they pass on

11 and proudly take their place in history.

Æ