USS America was laid down in 1961 at Newport News, Virginia, by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Corporation. By 1965, she conducted her first catapult launch with a Douglas A-C4 Skyhawk.

The MMP, essentially an underwater hanger, can be used to deploy Navy SEALs or other special operations forces. The exact types of missions USS Jimmy Carter has conducted in the past 18 years ...