The Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr Nikolaos Hardalias visited yesterday, Friday 3 February 2023, the nuclear-powered US Navy Aircraft Carrier “USS George H.W. Bush” (CVN 77), which was anchored off Faliro Bay, in the context of the VIPs Tour.
The Deputy Minister of National Defence was received by the Commander of the Carrier Strike Group 10 Rear Admiral Dennis Velez and the Commanding Officer Captain David-Tavis Pollard, who briefed him on the carrier’s operational capabilities as well as the extent of the missions it can undertake.
Furthermore, Mr Hardalias was given a tour of the main compartments of the carrier and talked with members of its crew.
The Deputy Minister of National Defence was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Mr Theoharis Lalakos and the Director of the Diplomatic Office of the Minister of National Defence Honorary Ambassador Eleftherios Angelopoulos.
USS George H.W. Bush is one of the largest carriers in the world, the tenth and final Nimitz-class supercarrier of the US Navy. It is 332.9 metres long, with a total displacement of 102.000 long tons and a crew of over 6000 individuals. It has the capacity to carry up to 90 F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft, MH-60S/R and SH-60B helicopters, but also EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft, as well as the early warning Command and Control Grumman E-2D Hawkeye aircraft, while with its 2 nuclear reactors, it can operate unceasingly for more than 20 years.
