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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

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Lieutenant Commander Gerald R. Ford, USNR

38th American President

After one year as an instructor at Navy Preflight School in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Ford applied for sea duty. In May 1943, he was sent to the pre-commissioning detachment for a new light aircraft carrier, USS Monterey (CVL-26). From the ship’s commissioning on 17 June 1943 until the end of December 1944, Ford served as the assistant navigator, athletic officer, and anti-aircraft battery officer aboard Monterey. The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is named for the 38th President. Read his biography.