Neil Armstrong and made his first flight in a jet, a Grumman F9F Panther, on January 5, 1951. He was promoted to ensign on June 5, 1951, and made his first jet carrier landing on two days later. On June 28, 1951, "Essex" had set sail for Korea, with VF-51 aboard to act as ground-attack aircraft. VF-51 flew ahead to Naval Air Station Barbers Point in Hawaii, where it conducted fighter-bomber training before rejoining the ship at the end of July. On August 29, 1951, Armstrong saw action in the Korean War as an escort for a photo reconnaissance plane over Songjin.
RV Neil Armstrong (AGOR-27) constructed by Dakota Creek Industries of Anacortes, Washington and scheduled for completion in 2014 for entry into service in 2015. It was launched on 29 March 2014, christened by Carol Armstrong, passed sea trials 7 August 2015 and delivered to the Navy on 23 September 2015. A sister ship, , was launched 9 August 2014 to be operated by Scripps Institution of Oceanography under a renewable charter-party agreement. "Neil Armstrong" is a commercially designed mono hull research vessel, capable of coastal and deep ocean operations, and equipped with cranes and winches for over-the-side loading of research equipment and supplies, as