Facts about the USS Ronald Reagan

Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier
Authorized in 1995 (on plaque)
Construction began in late 1996 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. in Newport News VA.
Christening date:  March 4, 2001  (Reagan’s 49th wedding anniversary)
Expected commissioning date:  December 2002 (on plaque)
Nine Nimitz class carriers in service, seven named after Presidents: Washington, Lincoln, T. Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan.  The other two are named after John C. Stennis and Carl Vinson.  The USS George H.W. Bush is under construction.

Information from vertical file Library chron post-pres 1996 and plaque on model