Gerald R. Ford–class aircraft carrier
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.[ 4] She was christened on 9 November 2013.[ 6] 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[ 2] and formally commissioned by President Donald Trump on 22 July 2017.[ 3] [ 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]
^ "Newport News Shipbuilding to Flood Dry Dock and Float Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)" (Press release). Huntingdon Ingalls Industries. 9 October 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 9 October 2013 .
^ a b "Huntington Ingalls Industries Delivers Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) To U.S. Navy" (Press release). Huntingdon Ingalls Industries. 1 June 2017. Archived from the original on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017 .
^ a b "President Trump Commissions USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78)" (Press release). United States Navy. 22 July 2017. NNS170722-01. Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017 .
^ a b "Ford Keel Laid for Future Carrier, Class" . Navy Times . 16 November 2009. Archived from the original on 1 August 2017. Retrieved 12 August 2017 .
^ Murray, Dave (13 November 2009). "Gerald R. Ford ship ceremony brings Susan Ford Bales, Family to Newport News, Virginia" . The Grand Rapids Press . Archived from the original on 15 November 2009.
^ a b "PCU Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Christening Ceremony" . Navy Live . 8 November 2013. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 1 June 2017 .
^ O'Rourke, Ronald (22 October 2013). "Navy Ford (CVN-78) Class Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress" (PDF) . Congressional Research Service. p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2014 . FY14 cost of CVN-79 (procured in FY13) in then-year dollars; the same budget puts the cost of CVN-78 (procured in FY08) at $12,829.3 million but that includes ~$3.3bn of development costs. CVN-80 is estimated at $13,874.2m, making the total cost of the first three Fords $38,041.9m, or $12.68bn each.
^ "Engineering Destruction: The Terrifying and Awesome Power of The USS Gerald R. Ford" . engineering.com . 7 August 2017. Retrieved 24 May 2023 .
^ "Video: Nuclear Vs Diesel Aircraft Carriers – How do they Compare?" . themaritimepost.com . 8 June 2021. Retrieved 24 May 2023 .
^ "Aircraft Carriers - CVN" . Fact File . United States Navy . 17 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020 .
^ "Aircraft Carriers - CVN" . Fact Files . U.S. Navy Office of Information. 17 September 2020. Retrieved 18 November 2020 .
^ "Command History & Facts" . Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic . US Navy. Retrieved 8 March 2021 .
^ "Aircraft Carriers – CVN" . U.S. Navy – Fact file . Archived from the original on 26 April 2017. Retrieved 25 April 2017 .
^ "Gerald R. Ford Class Aircraft Carrier" . Military.com . Retrieved 28 July 2019 .
^ "US study of reactor and fuel types to enable naval reactors to shift from HEU fuel" . fissilematerials.org. 10 April 2020. Retrieved 5 November 2022 .
^ "Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors" (PDF) . dspace.mit.edu. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 5 November 2022 .
^ "Navy Names New Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford " . U.S. Department of Defense . Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs). 16 January 2007. Archived from the original on 14 February 2007.
^ "USS Gerald R. Ford CVN 78" . U.S. Carriers . 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 4 March 2016 .
^ O'Rourke, Ronald (25 May 2005). "Navy CVN-21 Aircraft Carrier Program: Background and Issues for Congress" . Naval Historical Center . Department of the Navy. Archived from the original on 1 December 2006.
^ "USS Enterprise: Past Present And Future" . The Official US Navy Blog . US Navy. Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012 .
^ Cite error: The named reference 5.1Bcontract
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^ Jenkins, Aric (22 July 2017). "The USS Gerald Ford Is the Most Advanced Aircraft Carrier in the World" . Fortune . Archived from the original on 23 July 2017. Retrieved 23 July 2017 .
^ LaGrone, Sam (18 January 2017). "Delay in Aircraft Carrier Ford Testing Could Compress Workups for First Deployment" . USNI News . Archived from the original on 18 February 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017 .
^ "Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group Departs for First Deployment" . U.S. Navy. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023 .
^ Szondy, David (22 July 2017). "World's largest supercarrier USS Gerald R Ford commissioned" . New Atlas . Archived from the original on 30 August 2018. Retrieved 29 August 2018 .
^ "Up close with the world's largest warship" . navylookout.com . 19 November 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2023 .