We have undertaken to save this magnificent ship as a museum – a living legacy to the sailors and aviators who served her, and to the man who challenged so many of our generation to do all we can in service to our country –

“not because it is easy, but because it is hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our skills and talents, because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone and one we intend to win.“

John F. Kennedy