Gerald Ford was clumsy even as a sailor - and now the aircraft carrier that bears his name has a statue immortalizing it

Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Gerald Ford had a reputation for being clumsy.

As we learned during our tour of the new USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, the former president's clumsiness almost cost him his life as a young sailor.

During World War II, Ford served as a navigation officer on the USS Monterey.

There's now a statue immortalizing that moment in the hangar bay of the USS Ford, which even features the drain that saved his life.

Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Statue of Gerald R. Ford's foot caught on a drain in the hangar bay of the USS Ford.

The statue, however, is removed when the ship is deployed. 

One of the president's most famous falls came on a rainy day in December 1975. Ford was walking down the stairs of Air Force One when he slipped and fell down the remaining steps.

Unfortunately for Ford, who was actually a decorated college football player, that wasn't the only stumble he made as president.

He also once tripped going up the stairs of Air Force One, and reportedly fell while skiing.

Chevy Chase routinely mocked him on Saturday Night Live, and there was even apparently a running joke at the time that Ford's vice-president was just a banana peel away from the presidency. 

Here's the infamous slip: