All About The USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) Aircraft Carrier And Where Its Homeport Is

When you think of massive naval vehicles like aircraft carriers, you'd probably expect them to have a name reminiscent of one of our country's most decorated figures. For many of our Navy's aircraft carriers, this is true, with standouts being the USS Abraham Lincoln, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and George Washington. Some ships, however, bear the namesakes of figures you may not know off the top of your head, but are no less important to the history of the U.S Navy.

One such naval vehicle is the USS Carl Vinson, CVN 70, named for a former member of the United States House of Representatives. During his tenure, Vinson served as the Chairman of the House Naval Affairs and Armed Services Committee — using this authority to sponsor the Two-Ocean Navy Act of 1940 to aid in shipbuilding for World War II. 

Today, the USS Carl Vinson stands proud in that man's honor as one of the 12 active aircraft carriers of the United States Navy. After its original commissioning in 1982, the USS Carl Vinson has served the military needs of the country faithfully, deploying to conflicts all over the world such as Operation Enduring Freedom in 2010 and Operation Inherent Resolve in 2014. These efforts and more have earned the vessel several awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Most recently, the USS Carl Vinson was included amongst the participants of the 29th biennial Exercise Rim of the Pacific around the Hawaiian islands.

When it's not deployed, the USS Carl Vinson makes its home off the coast of sunny San Diego, California. Specifically, its home turf is the Naval Air Station North Island, located on the northern tip of the Coronado peninsula on the San Diego Bay. North Island is considered the unofficial birthplace of Naval Aviation because one of the very first Naval aviators, Lieutenant Theodore Ellyson, was trained here. North Island is also the home of the Naval Aviation Depot, the largest employer of aerospace workers in San Diego.

While not as massive as the legendary USS Gerald R. Ford, the USS Carl Vinson is no slouch either. It carries a massive naval crew of 3,000 men and women, all working in tandem to keep the gigantic vehicle running smoothly around the clock. In addition to the ship's main crew, it also houses a separate crew of 2,000 air wing sailors, who specifically pilot and maintain the many high-flying vehicles aboard.

Speaking of air vehicles, when the air wing is deployed on the USS Carl Vinson, the carrier hauls over 60 assorted air vehicles, including fighter attack jets, helicopters, and more. The attack jets are deployed via a catapult located on the bow of the ship, and when they return from duty, they're hooked onto the ship by a steel cable and arresting hook. With fully self-contained launching and receiving functionality, the USS Carl Vinson can serve as both a mobile airport and strike platform in times of military action.