US Navy's future aircraft carriers to be named after former presidents Clinton and Bush

Two new nuclear-powered aircraft carriers will enter service into the United States Navy and be named after former presidents George W Bush and Bill Clinton.

Current President Joe Biden said: "When I personally delivered the news to Bill and George, they were deeply humbled."

Mr Biden's said the two latest Gerald R Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers would begin construction "in the years ahead", so it remains unclear when both warships will ultimately join the US fleet.

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He added: "May God protect all who sail aboard USS William J Clinton, USS George W Bush and every other ship in our fleet."

When both vessels join the US Navy, they will serve alongside the USS Gerald R Ford, which was the first in the Ford class of aircraft carrier to be built and is the US's newest aircraft carrier, dwarfing all other active warships around the world.

She is nuclear-powered and measures 335m long and weighs 100,000 tonnes.

President William (Bill) J Clinton was the 42nd President of the United States of America, serving two terms from 1993 to 2001.

President George W Bush was the 43rd President, who also served two terms, from 2001 to 2009.

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin III said: "Aircraft carriers are the centrepiece of America's naval forces.

"They ensure that the United States can project power and deliver combat capability anytime, anywhere in defence of our democracy."

The latest naming of USS William J Clinton (CVN 82) and the future USS George W Bush (CVN 83) follows the US Navy's tradition of naming aircraft carriers after former US presidents.