2009 UNITED STATES - Supercarrier USS Ronald Reagan at Pearl Harbor on 28 June 2010

USS Ronald Reagan is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier, the ninth ship of her class, named in honor of former President Ronald Reagan. Upon her christening in 2001, she was the first ship named for a then-still living former president. In January 2014, the U.S. Navy announced that the Ronald Reagan will replace the  USS George Washington as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group Five, the only forward-based carrier strike group home-ported at Yokosuka, Japan, as part of the United States Seventh Fleet. On 1 Octomber 2015 it docked at its new home.

The Nimitz-class carriers have an overall length of 333m and a full-load displacement of about 100,000-104,000 long tons. They have a beam at the waterline of 41m, and the maximum width of their flight decks is 76.76m to 78.41m (depending on the variant). The ships' companies can number up to 3,200, not including an air wing of 2,480. As a result of the use of nuclear power, the ships are capable of operating for over 20 years without refueling and are predicted to have a service life of over 50 years. They can reach a maximum speed of over 30 knots (56 km/h).

This carriers can accommodate a maximum of 130 F/A-18 Hornets or 85-90 aircraft of different types, but current numbers are typically 64 aircraft. Although the air wings are integrated with the operation of the carriers they are deployed to, they are nevertheless regarded as a separate entity. As well as the aircrew, the air wings are also made up of support personnel involved in roles including maintenance, aircraft and ordnance handling and emergency procedures. Each person on the flight deck wears color-coded clothing to make his role easily identifiable.

About the stamps

The stamps are part of the series Classic American Aircraft, issued on July 19, 1997. As stated on the back of the sheet, "The aircraft chosen for this Classic Collection are representative of the first fifty years of powered flight in America. They are a chronicle of our aviation history from the days of wood-framed, fabric-covered contraptions to high-flying, supersonic vehicles." Descriptive text about the aircraft is included on the back of each stamp. All the 20 stamps have the same face value (32 cents):
• North American P51 Mustang fighter - It's on the postcard 2009
• Wright Model B Flyer - It's on the postcard 2390
• Piper J-3 Cub
• Lockheed Vega - It's on the postcard 2009
• Northrop Alpha - It's on the postcard 2009
• Martin B-10 Bomber - It's on the postcard 2390
• Chance Vaught Corsair F4U fighter- It's on the postcard 2137
• Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber - It's on the postcard 2612
• Gee Bee Super-Sportster - It's on the postcard 2009
• Beech Model C17L Staggerwing - It's on the postcard 2105
• Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber - It's on the postcard 2131
• Stearman PT-13 training aircraft - It's on the postcard 2612
• Constellation
• Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter - It's on the postcard 2009
• Boeing P-26 Peashooter fighter - It's on the postcard 2105
• Ford Tri-Motor - It's on the postcard 2135
• Douglass DC-3 passenger plane - It's on the postcard 2133
• Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat - It's on the postcard 2390
• Curtiss JN-4 Jenny training aircraft - It's on the postcard 2134
• Grumman F4F Wildcat fighter - It's on the postcard 2137

References
USS Ronald Reagan - Wikipedia
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier - Wikipedia
USS Ronald Reagan - Official website
USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Story Archive - America's Navy
USS Ronald Reagan - US Carriers

Sender: Denise
Sent from Greenvale (New York / United States), on 09.02.2015