USS Gerald R. Ford CVN-78 after departing Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia - May 2, 2023 | |
History | |
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United States | |
Name | Gerald R. Ford |
Namesake | Gerald R. Ford |
Awarded | 10 September 2008 |
Builder | Newport News Shipbuilding |
Cost | $12.8 billion + $4.7 billion R&D (estimated) [1] |
Laid down | 13 November 2009 [2] |
Launched | 11 October 2013 [3] |
Sponsored by | Susan Ford [4] |
Christened | 9 November 2013 [5] |
Acquired | 31 May 2017 [6] |
Commissioned | 22 July 2017 [7] |
Homeport | Norfolk |
Motto | Integrity at the helm |
Status | in active service |
Badge | |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier |
Displacement | About 100,000 long tons (100,000 tonnes) (full load) [8] |
Length | 1,092 ft (333 m) [9] - 1,106 ft (337 m) [10] |
Beam |
|
Height | 250 ft (76 m) |
Decks | 25 |
Installed power | Two Bechtel A1B PWR nuclear reactors, HEU 93.5% [11] [12] |
Propulsion | Four shafts |
Speed | In excess of 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph) |
Range | ≈25 years before mid-life refuel [13] [14] |
Complement | 4539 (including air wing) [15] |
Sensors and processing systems |
|
Armament |
|
Aircraft carried | 75+ [16] |
Aviation facilities | 1,092 ft × 256 ft (333 m × 78 m) flight deck |
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the lead ship of her class. The ship is named after the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater. [17]
Construction began on 11 August 2005, when Northrop Grumman held a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate that forms part of a side shell unit of the carrier. [18] The keel of Gerald R. Ford was laid down on 13 November 2009. [2] She was christened on 9 November 2013. [5] Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet replacing the decommissioned USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which ended her 51 years of active service in December 2012. [19] [20] Originally scheduled for delivery in 2015, [21] Gerald R. Ford was delivered to the Navy on 31 May 2017 [6] and formally commissioned by President Donald Trump on 22 July 2017. [7] [22] [23] Her first deployment departed 4 October 2022. [24] As of 2024 [update] , she is the world's largest aircraft carrier, and the largest warship ever constructed. [25] [26]
In 2006, while Gerald Ford was still alive, Senator John Warner of Virginia proposed to amend a 2007 defense-spending bill to declare that CVN-78 "shall be named the USS Gerald Ford." [27] The final version, signed by President George W. Bush on 17 October 2006, [28] declared only that it "is the sense of Congress that ... CVN-78 should be named the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford." [29] Since such "sense of" language is typically non-binding and does not carry the force of law, the Navy was not required to name the ship after Ford. [30]
On 3 January 2007, former United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that the aircraft carrier would be named after Ford during a eulogy for President Ford at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids, Michigan. [31] Rumsfeld indicated that he had personally told Ford of the honor during a visit to his home in Rancho Mirage a few weeks before Ford's death. This makes the aircraft carrier one of the few U.S. ships named after a living person. Later in the day, the Navy confirmed that the aircraft carrier would indeed be named after the former president. [32] On 16 January 2007, Navy Secretary Donald Winter officially named CVN-78 USS Gerald R. Ford. Ford's daughter Susan Ford Bales was named the ship's sponsor. The announcements were made at a Pentagon ceremony attended by Vice President Dick Cheney, Senators Warner (R-VA) and Levin (D-MI), Major General Guy C. Swan III, Bales, Ford's other three children, and others. [33]
The USS America Carrier Veterans Association (CVA) had pushed to name the ship USS America. The CVA is an association of sailors who served aboard USS America (CV-66). The carrier was decommissioned in 1996 and scuttled in 2005 in the Atlantic, as part of a damage test of large deck aircraft carriers. [34] The name "America" was instead assigned to USS America (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship commissioned in 2014. [35] [36]
On 10 September 2008, the U.S. Navy signed a $5.1 billion contract with Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, to design and construct the carrier. Northrop had begun advance construction of the carrier under a $2.7 billion contract in 2005. The carrier was constructed at the Huntington Ingalls (formerly Northrop Grumman) Newport News Shipbuilding facilities in Newport News, Virginia. [21]
The keel of the new warship was ceremonially laid on 14 November 2009 in Dry Dock 12 by Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales. In a speech to the assembled shipworkers and DoD officials, Bales said: "Dad met the staggering challenges of restoring trust in the presidency and healing the nation's wounds after Watergate in the only way he knew how—with complete honesty and integrity. And that is the legacy we remember this morning." [37]
The ship's crest was developed jointly by the ship sponsor and first commanding officer, Captain John F. Meier. [38]
In August 2011, the carrier was reported to be "structurally halfway complete". [39] In April 2012, construction was said to be 75 percent complete. [40] On 24 May 2012, the important milestone of completing the vessel up to the waterline was reached when the critical lower bow was lifted into place. [41] This was the 390th of the nearly 500 lifts of the integral modular components from which the vessel is assembled. Huntington Ingalls reported in an 8 November press release construction had "reached 87 percent structural completion". [42] By 19 December 2012, construction had reached 90 percent structural completion. "Of the nearly 500 total structural lifts needed to complete the ship, 446 have been accomplished." [43]
The island was landed and accompanying ceremony took place on 26 January 2013. [44] [45]
On 7 May 2013, the last of 162 superlifts was put in place, bringing the ship to 100 percent structural completion. [46] [47]
On 11 July 2013, a time capsule was welded into a small room just above the floor, continuing a long Navy tradition. The time capsule holds items chosen by President Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, and includes sandstone from the White House, Navy coins, and aviator wings from the ship's first commanding officer. [48]
The ship was originally scheduled for launch in July 2013 and delivery in 2015. [39] Production delays meant that the launch was delayed until 11 October 2013 and the naming ceremony until 9 November 2013, [49] with delivery in February 2016. [50]
On 3 October 2013, Gerald R. Ford had four 30-ton, 21 ft (6.4 m)-diameter bronze propellers installed. The installation of the propellers required more than ten months of work to install the underwater shafting. [51]
On 11 October 2013, the ship's drydock was flooded for the first time in order to test various seawater-based systems. [52] Her launch date was set to be on the same day as her naming ceremony on 9 November 2013. [53]
On 9 November 2013, the ship was christened by Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, with a bottle of American sparkling wine. [5] [54] [55]
As of 2013, construction costs were estimated at $12.8 billion, 22% over the 2008 budget, plus $4.7 billion in research and development costs. Because of budget difficulties, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert warned there might be a two-year delay beyond 2016 in completing Gerald R. Ford. [56] The GAO reported that the price cap would be met by the Navy accepting an incomplete ship for that cost. [57]
On 23 September 2015, the Navy announced that several weeks of testing delays would likely slip the delivery date into April or May 2016. In addition, construction was 93% complete as of September 2015. [58]
In July 2016, a memo was obtained by CNN from Michael Gilmore, the US Department of Defense's Director of Operational Testing and Evaluation indicating that problems with four major flight systems would further delay combat readiness of the ship. The ship was not expected to be delivered until November 2016 and these issues were suggested to further delay that goal. Construction of the ship was described as 98% complete, with 88% of testing finished. [59]
By March 2018, due to issues with the nuclear propulsion system and munitions elevators, construction costs had reached $13.027 billion, making the Gerald R. Ford the most expensive warship ever built. Planned delivery to the Navy was delayed by three months, to October 2019. [60] [61]
A video documentary of the construction was released by Newport News Shipbuilding in 2017. [62]
Gerald R. Ford is intended to be the first of a class of aircraft carriers that offer significant performance improvements over the previous Nimitz class. Gerald R. Ford is equipped with an AN/SPY-3 and AN/SPY-4 active electronically scanned array multi-function, multi-band radar, [63] with the Ship Self-Defense System (SSDS) Mk2 Baseline 10 of the Mod 6 variant command and control system. [64] Its island, shorter in length and 20 feet (6.1 m) taller than that of the Nimitz class, is set 140 feet (43 m) farther aft and 3 feet (0.91 m) closer to the edge of the ship. Replacing traditional steam catapults, the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) will launch all non-VTOL carrier aircraft. This innovation eliminates the traditional requirement to generate and store steam, freeing up considerable area below-deck. With the EMALS, Gerald R. Ford can accomplish 25% more aircraft launches per day than the Nimitz class and requires 25% fewer crew members. The Navy estimates it will save $4 billion in operating costs over a 50-year lifespan. [65] According to an Associated Press story:
"She is truly a technological marvel," Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said in a webcast ceremony at the Newport News, Va., shipyard where Gerald R. Ford is being built, "She will carry unmanned aircraft, joint strike fighters, and she will deploy lasers." [66]
These performance enhancements were problematic in Pentagon tests, and final software fixes for some of the problems were delayed until after the ship's post-shakedown availability in 2019. [67] [68] [69]
In January 2014, the annual Director, Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) report recorded that critical ship systems in lab and test environments (including the EMALS, Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), Dual Band Radar, and weapons elevators) were not reliable enough and needed more testing and improvements. The Navy implemented a rigorous testing program to ensure performance issues would be resolved before the systems were installed on the aircraft carrier.[ citation needed ] Major problems with the main turbine generators were found in June 2016. [70] The fix, requiring design changes, was installed and was verified during acceptance trials in May 2017. [71] The Initial Operational Test & Evaluation milestone was achieved in April 2017. [72] On 8 April 2017, Gerald R. Ford got underway under her own power for the first time as she headed to sea for builder's trials. [73] She completed the trials and returned to port at Naval Station Norfolk on 14 April 2017. [74] On 24 May 2017, she departed for acceptance trials and completed them on 26 May 2017. [75] [6]
In 2018, the Navy requested to delay shock trials for at least six years in order to speed up the ship's deployment, but this request was denied. [76] On 18 June 2021, Gerald R. Ford completed her first Full Ship Shock Trial 87 nautical miles (100 mi) off Ponce Inlet, Florida to ensure that she is able to withstand battle conditions. [77] [78] 40,000 lbs. (18 tonnes) of TNT was detonated underwater, measured as a 3.9 magnitude earthquake by USGS. [79] Additional tests were conducted in July and August, with the test detonations set off closer to the hull. The ship was determined to have passed the tests and this concluded the trials. [80]
On 31 May 2017, Newport News Shipbuilding delivered Gerald R. Ford to the U.S. Navy and her status was changed to Special, in service. [6] [16] Gerald R. Ford was formally commissioned into the United States Navy on 22 July 2017. [7]
On 28 July 2017, Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) performed the first arrested landing and catapult launch from Gerald R. Ford in an F/A-18F Super Hornet. [69] [81] [82]
According to a GAO report in mid-2020 the Gerald R. Ford was still reporting significant problems with the operation of her weapons elevators, [83] while a DoD report in early 2021 stated that the ship was still not combat-ready, citing continuing problems with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS). Designed to achieve 4,166 aircraft launches between operational mission failures, it instead accomplished only 181. [84] [85]
On 20 March 2021, Gerald R. Ford and Italian aircraft carrier Cavour conducted Ready for Operations (RFO) by the Italian Navy while transiting the Atlantic Ocean. [86] In September 2022, Rear Adm. James Downey described the ship as "fully delivered" and has "met her initial operating capability". [87]
Gerald R. Ford left Naval Station Norfolk for Task Force Exercise (TFEX) on 4 October 2022. The carrier was to conduct operations and training exercises alongside NATO allies and partners throughout the Atlantic Ocean. Gerald R. Ford's Carrier Strike Group 12 included Carrier Air Wing 8, USS Normandy, Destroyer Squadron 2 with USS Ramage, USS McFaul and USS Thomas Hudner, auxiliaries USNS Joshua Humphreys and USNS Robert E. Peary, and the United States Coast Guard cutter USCGC Hamilton. [88] Among the first NATO ships assigned to CSG-12 was the German frigate Hessen. [89]
Gerald R. Ford's first port visit outside of her home country was on 28 October 2022, to Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia, home of CFB Halifax, Canada's largest military installation and home port of the Royal Canadian Navy's Atlantic fleet. [90] [91] [92] On 14 November 2022 the ship arrived in United Kingdom waters, for a four day visit anchored in Stokes Bay near Gosport. [93] She returned to Norfolk on 26 November 2022. [94]
On 3 May 2023, Gerald R. Ford departed Naval Station Norfolk on her first full length deployment and was scheduled to be operating in the 2nd and 6th Fleet's Area of Responsibility (AOR). [95] On 24 May 2023 the ship arrived just outside Oslo, Norway for NATO exercises, [96] [97] hosting a visit from Norway's Crown Prince Haakon. [98] She was scheduled to head towards the Arctic later for further drills. [99] On 26 June 2023 the ship sailed to the Mediterranean and arrived in Split, Croatia for crew rest. [100] In early October 2023, Gerald R. Ford conducted naval exercises with the Italian navy in the Ionian Sea. [101]
On 8 October 2023, the day after the Hamas attack on Israel, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, directed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean "to bolster regional deterrence efforts." Along with the carrier, the group includes the cruiser Normandy, and the destroyers Ramage, Carney, Roosevelt and Thomas Hudner. [102] The U.S. later also sent the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower-led CSG-2 to the Mediterranean to supplement CSG-12 in the same mission. [103] While the carrier remained in the Mediterranean, several of the escort ships were sent into the Red Sea, where they repeatedly intercepted missiles and drones fired from Yemen. [104]
The U.S. 6th Fleet announced on January 1, 2024, that the Gerald R. Ford CSG would return to Norfolk after being relieved by an Amphibious Ready Group consisting of USS Bataan, USS Mesa Verde and USS Carter Hall. [104] [103]
On 17 January 2024, Gerald R. Ford returned to Norfolk after an eight-month deployment. The carrier spent a total of 239 days away from Norfolk, conducted 43 underway replenishments, logged more than 10,396 sorties, and sailed more than 83,476 nautical miles (154,598 kilometers). [105]
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS), a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, is the sole designer, builder, and refueler of aircraft carriers and one of two providers of submarines for the United States Navy. Founded as the Chesapeake Dry Dock and Construction Co. in 1886, Newport News Shipbuilding has built more than 800 ships, including both naval and commercial ships. Located in the city of Newport News, Virginia, its facilities span more than 550 acres (2.2 km2).
USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is the tenth and final Nimitz-class supercarrier of the United States Navy. She is named for the 41st President of the United States and former Director of Central Intelligence George H. W. Bush, who was a naval aviator during World War II. The vessel's callsign is Avenger, after the TBM Avenger aircraft flown by then-Lieutenant George H. W. Bush in World War II. Construction began in 2003 at Northrop Grumman, in Newport News, Virginia and was completed in 2009 at a cost of $6.2 billion. Her home port is Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
The Nimitz class is a class of ten nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy. The lead ship of the class is named after World War II United States Pacific Fleet commander Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who was the last living U.S. Navy officer to hold the rank. With an overall length of 1,092 ft (333 m) and a full-load displacement of over 100,000 long tons (100,000 t), the Nimitz-class ships were the largest warships built and in service until USS Gerald R. Ford entered the fleet in 2017.
USS Nimitz (CVN-68) is an aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class. One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched, and commissioned as CVAN-68, "aircraft carrier, attack, nuclear powered", but she was later redesignated as CVN-68, "aircraft carrier, multi-mission, nuclear-powered", on 30 June 1975, as part of a fleet-wide realignment that year.
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) is a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier currently in service with the United States Navy. Commissioned in 1977, the ship is the second of ten Nimitz-class aircraft carriers currently in service, and is the first ship named after the 34th President of the United States and General of the Army, Dwight D. Eisenhower. The vessel was initially named simply as USS Eisenhower, much like the lead ship of the class, Nimitz, but the name was changed to its present form on 25 May 1970. The carrier, like all others of her class, was constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Virginia, with the same design as the lead ship, although the ship has been overhauled twice to bring her up to the standards of those constructed more recently.
USS Enterprise (CVN-65), formerly CVA(N)-65, is a decommissioned United States Navy aircraft carrier. In 1958 she was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and the eighth United States naval vessel to bear the name. Like her predecessor of World War II fame, she is nicknamed "Big E". At 1,123 feet (342 m), she is the longest naval vessel ever built and the only ship of a class that was originally planned to have five other ships. Her 93,284-long-ton (94,781 t) displacement ranks her class as the third largest carrier class, after the Nimitz class and the Gerald R. Ford class. Enterprise had a crew of some 4,600 service members.
USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. She is the third Navy ship to have been named after the former President Abraham Lincoln. Her home port is NAS North Island, San Diego, California; she is a member of the United States Pacific Fleet. She is administratively responsible to Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, and operationally serves as the flagship of Carrier Strike Group 3 and host to Carrier Air Wing Nine. She was returned to the fleet on 12 May 2017, marking the successful completion of her Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH) carried out at Newport News Shipyard. As of August 10, 2024, USS Abraham Lincoln and her strike group are being deployed to the Middle East as part of the U.S. response to the escalation of tensions between Iran and Israel.
USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) is the fourth Nimitz-class, nuclear-powered, aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. She is named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th President of the United States and a proponent of naval power. She is the fourth ship named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, three bearing his full name and a fourth with just his last name. Another three U.S. Navy ships have "Roosevelt" in their names in honor of members of the Roosevelt family. This carrier's radio call sign is "Rough Rider", the nickname of President Roosevelt's volunteer cavalry unit during the Spanish–American War. She was launched in 1984, and saw her first action during the Gulf War in 1991. As of August, 2024, she is deployed with Carrier Air Wing 11 and Carrier Strike Group 9, which includes the Ticonderoga-class cruiserUSS Lake Erie (CG-70), and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer'sUSS John S. McCain (DDG-56), USS Halsey (DDG-97), and the USS Daniel Inouye (DDG-118).
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) is the eighth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy, named after the 33rd President of the United States, Harry S. Truman. She is homeported at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia.
The Gerald R. Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers are currently being constructed for the United States Navy, which intends to eventually acquire ten of these ships in order to replace current carriers on a one-for-one basis, starting with the lead ship of her class, Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), replacing Enterprise (CVN-65), and later the Nimitz-class carriers. The new vessels have a hull similar to the Nimitz class, but they carry technologies since developed with the CVN(X)/CVN-21 program, such as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), as well as other design features intended to improve efficiency and reduce operating costs, including sailing with smaller crews. This class of aircraft carriers is named after former U.S. President Gerald R. Ford. CVN-78 was procured in 2008 and commissioned into service on 22 July 2017. The second ship of the class, John F. Kennedy (CVN-79), is scheduled to enter service in 2025.
The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) is a type of electromagnetic catapult system developed by General Atomics for the United States Navy. The system launches carrier-based aircraft by means of a catapult employing a linear induction motor rather than the conventional steam piston, providing greater precision and faster recharge compared to steam. EMALS was first installed on the lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, c. 2015.
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A carrier strike group (CSG) is a type of carrier battle group of the United States Navy. It is an operational formation composed of roughly 7,500 personnel, usually an aircraft carrier, at least one cruiser, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers or frigates, and a carrier air wing of 65 to 70 aircraft. A carrier strike group also, on occasion, includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship. The carrier strike group commander operationally reports to the commander of the numbered fleet, who is operationally responsible for the area of waters in which the carrier strike group is operating.
Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (HII) is the largest military shipbuilding company in the United States as well as a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. HII, ranked No. 375 on the Fortune 500, was formed on 31 March 2011, as a divestiture from Northrop Grumman.
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The Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) is a type of arresting gear developed by General Atomics for the U.S. Navy's newest Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers. It was deployed in 2017 on the lead ship of the class, the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78).
Pre-commissioning unit is a designation used by the United States Navy to describe vessels under construction prior to their official commissioning. For example, prior to her commissioning, USS Gerald R. Ford had been described by the Navy as " PCU Gerald R. Ford ". Such descriptions can appear in the media as well. "PCU" is a temporary, descriptive term, and is not a ship prefix or a part of the ship's official name. Until they are commissioned, U.S. Navy vessels are officially identified by their given name and hull number, such as Gerald R. Ford.
USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) will be the fourth Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. Doris Miller is scheduled to be laid down January 2026, launched October 2029 and commissioned in 2032. She will be built at Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries in Newport News, Virginia.
The sudden outbreak of violence in the Middle East, [...] led to repeated extensions of the Ford CSG's deployment. The strike group has been at sea for over 240 days, per USNI News. [...] will return to its homeport in Norfolk, Virginia.
The Ford and its accompanying warships will be replaced by the amphibious assault ship the USS Bataan and its accompanying warships, the USS Mesa Verde and the USS Carter Hall.
OSD Operational Testing and Evaluation Annual Reports re: CVN78