Commendation for USS George H.W. Bush Builder

The shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NSYE:NOC) were honored by the Virginia House of Delegates during a ceremony held on April 8 at the start of the Reconvened Session.

The 2009 General Assembly adopted a resolution commending the employees of the company's Shipbuilding sector on the completion of the USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), the 10th and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier built in Virginia.  During a ceremony on the floor of the House of Delegates, the final signed copy of the resolution was presented to a delegation of shipbuilders who worked on USS George H. W. Bush and other ships in the Nimitz class. The resolution, sponsored by Delegate Glenn Oder of Newport News, was adopted unanimously by both the House of Delegates and the State Senate.

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 806
Commending the shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding.
WHEREAS, the shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding are recognized for their delivery in 2009 of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), the tenth and final ship in the Nimitz class, to the United States Navy; and
WHEREAS, Northrop Grumman is the nation's sole designer, builder, and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and has built every single ship of the class since the keel was laid for the USS Nimitz (CVN 68) in 1968; and
WHEREAS, the Newport News shipyard built the first United States Navy ship designed as an aircraft carrier, the USS Ranger (CV 4), which was launched in 1933; and 27 years later in 1960 the same company launched the world's first nuclear aircraft carrier, the USS Enterprise (CVN 65); and
WHEREAS, for more than 30 years, the Virginia-built Nimitz carriers and their air wings have given the United States and her allies an unchallenged ability to defend freedom and protect American interests on every ocean and continent, and Nimitz-class carriers will remain with the fleet for the next 50 years; and
WHEREAS, tens of thousands of Virginians and thousands of North Carolinians have spent five decades designing, building, and refueling Nimitz-class carriers, both inside the Newport News shipyard and at the hundreds of Virginia firms providing parts and supplies for the ships; and
WHEREAS, the next aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), will mark the start of a new class of warship that will include an enhanced flight deck, improved weapons movement, a new nuclear power plant, allowance for future technologies, and reduced manning; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, that the General Assembly commend and congratulate the thousands of shipbuilders, suppliers, and associates of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Virginia on the delivery of the USS George H.W. Bush and the completion of the historic Nimitz class; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, that the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the shipbuilders of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding as an expression of the General Assembly's gratitude for the shipbuilder's many contributions to the nation's defense and best wishes for continued success in the future.