Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Photo Library

Photo: Aerial shot of company: This aerial shot of Northrop Grumman Newport News was taken in 1997. At that time the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) was at the south end of the Shipyard for final outfitting testing before delivery while the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) was in the north yard at the start of a 12-month availability. photo by Chris Oxley	High Res
Photo: Reagan receives model of his ship: President Ronald Reagan, his wife Nancy Davis Reagan and former Newport News Shipbuilding Chairman and CEO Bill Fricks stand in front of the model of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). The aircraft carrier model was presented to President Reagan by Mr. Fricks in May of 1996.	High Res
Photo: Reagan Keel Laying: Newport News laid the “keel” for Reagan in February 1998. The unit placed in the dock was not a keel in the traditional sense, as 7,000 tons of steel for the ship were already in the dock at the time. The keel unit was a side shell weighing 730 tons. photo by Stu Gilman	High Res
Photo: Reagan Construction Progress: This photograph, taken in March 1998, shows the beginning stages of Reagan’s construction in the dry dock. photo by John Whalen	High Res
Photo: Reagan Construction Progress: Taken in January 1999, almost a year since the keel laying, this photo shows the Reagan carrier taking shape in the dry dock. photo by Chris Oxley	High Res
Photo: Reagan Construction Progress: This photograph shows construction progress on Reagan as of June 1999. photo by Chris Oxley	High Res
Photo: Reagan Stern Lift: Weighing in at nearly 900 tons, the stern for the Reagan carrier neared the capacity of Northrop Grumman Newport News' largest crane and was the largest of the many “superlifts” into the dry dock during construction of the carrier. photo by Chris Oxley	High Res
Photos: Reagan Lower Bow Lift: In March 2000 Newport News lowered the bow of the carrier Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) onto the ship. Reagan is the first Nimitz-class carrier to have the new bulbous bow design, which increases hull efficiency by reducing drag. Weighing in at approximately 722 tons, Reagan’s bow outweighs previous bows erected on Nimitz carriers, like Harry S. Truman, whose bow weighed about 602 tons. The new bulbous bow design will be incorporated into the CVN 77 design and may even be considered as a retrofit design change for all Nimitz class carriers during refueling and overhaul. The new bow adds 36 feet to the underwater length of the ship. photo by John Whalen	High Res
Photos: Reagan Lower Bow Lift: In March 2000 Newport News lowered the bow of the carrier Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) onto the ship. Reagan is the first Nimitz-class carrier to have the new bulbous bow design, which increases hull efficiency by reducing drag. Weighing in at approximately 722 tons, Reagan’s bow outweighs previous bows erected on Nimitz carriers, like Harry S. Truman, whose bow weighed about 602 tons. The new bulbous bow design will be incorporated into the CVN 77 design and may even be considered as a retrofit design change for all Nimitz class carriers during refueling and overhaul. The new bow adds 36 feet to the underwater length of the ship. photo by Jim Hemeon	High Res
Photo: Reagan Island House Painting: In October 2000 Newport News employee Kenneth Tyler painted the carrier designation “76” on both sides of the island house in preparation for its November lift onto the carrier. photo by John Whalen	High Res
Photo: Reagan Island House Transport: In preparation for its lift onto the ship, the Reagan island house makes the mile-long trip to the dry dock atop special transporters from the company’s Modular Outfitting Facility where it was built. This is the first time in Newport News history that a carrier island house was constructed in its entirety inside a construction facility rather than built out on the platen next to the dry dock. This meant the island was protected from the elements and afforded round-the-clock access to building facilities such as cranes. photo by Chris Oxley	High Res
Photos: Reagan Island House Lift: A key milestone in the construction of an aircraft carrier is the island house lift. In November 2000 Newport News placed the 650-ton island onto the Reagan carrier. The island house for Reagan is a new design from other Nimitz-class carriers and was created for the first time in a three-dimensional product model environment. Changes to the island include the addition of a new outboard weapons elevator, a new mainmast, a new aft mast and a new antennae arrangement photo by John Whalen	High Res
Photos: Reagan Island House Lift: A key milestone in the construction of an aircraft carrier is the island house lift. In November 2000 Newport News placed the 650-ton island onto the Reagan carrier. The island house for Reagan is a new design from other Nimitz-class carriers and was created for the first time in a three-dimensional product model environment. Changes to the island include the addition of a new outboard weapons elevator, a new mainmast, a new aft mast and a new antennae arrangement photo by John Whalen	High Res
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