Three Navy carriers in port at Norva

NORFOLK (May 8, 2017) The aircraft carriers USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), pre-commissioning unit aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and USS George Washington (CVN 73) sit pierside at Naval Station Norfolk. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Dartez C. Williams/Released)

Ford Keel Laid for Future Carrier, Class

By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class (SW) Cory Rose, Navy Public Affairs Support Element, East

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (NNS) -- A keel-laying ceremony for the Navy's first Ford-class aircraft carrier, Gerald R. Ford, (CVN 78) was held at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va. Nov. 14.

The ceremony celebrated not only the building of a new class of ship, but the life of the ship's namesake, former President Gerald R. Ford.

Susan Ford Bales, Ford's daughter, was the ship's sponsor. Bales' initials were welded into a metal plate that will be permanently affixed to the ship.

"Ladies and gentlemen, as the ship's sponsor, and on behalf of President Gerald R. Ford," said Bales. "I hereby declare that the shipbuilders of Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), and their patriotism, and commitment to excellence are and shall forever be truly and fairly part of the spirit of the USS Gerald R. Ford."

Ford-class aircraft carriers have some significant design changes including a larger flight deck, improvements in weapons and material handling, a new propulsion plant design that requires fewer personnel to operate and maintain, and a new smaller island that has been pushed aft.

Technological advances in the field of electromagnetic have led to the development of an electromagnetic aircraft launching system, and an advanced arresting gear. An integrated warfare system has been developed to support flexibility in adapting the infrastructure of the ship to future mission roles.

"These and other changes mean that this carrier, piloted by the Navy officers and crew who will one day sail her into harm's way, will be more capable, more flexible, and better able to protect America and the American way of life," said Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding President Mike Petters.

U.S. Sen. Carl Levin served as keynote speaker and distinguished guests in attendance included the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, U.S. Reps. Bobby Scott, Glenn Nye, and the Director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion Adm. Kirkland H. Donald.

On Jan. 3, 2007 an announcement was made that CVN-78, the Navy's newest aircraft carrier would be named after Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States. The ship is scheduled to enter the U.S. Naval Fleet in 2015.

Navy Awards $5 Billion Contract for Future Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford

The Navy awarded a $5.1 billion contract to Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding Newport News Sept. 10 for the detail design and construction of the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), the lead ship in the Navy's newest class of aircraft carrier.

Under this contract, Northrop Grumman will complete the detail design and construction of CVN 78, which includes engineering; integration; related development efforts including drawing and work package development; advanced planning; design weight estimate; lifecycle support products and related logistics data; production planning; test and evaluation; further definition of initiatives to reduce CVN 78 class total ownership costs; and data necessary to support construction of CVN 78.

"This is an exciting day for the CVN 78 Program Office and for the Navy," said Capt. Brian Antonio, CVN 78 program manager in the Program Executive Office for Aircraft Carriers.

"When USS Gerald R. Ford is delivered to the fleet in 2015, it will bring superior warfighting capability and meaningful quality-of-life improvements for Sailors, in addition to greatly reduced lifecycle costs. Most important, CVN 78-class carriers will be able to adapt and evolve to defend this nation and our allies well into the 21st century," he said.

CVN 78 is the Navy's first major investment in aircraft carrier design in more than three decades and features many improvements over the 1960's Nimitz-class design. CVN 78 includes a new flight deck with an improved weapons handling system, advanced arresting gear, a completely re-engineered electro-magnetic aircraft launch system, new and simplified nuclear propulsion plants, a new electrical power generation system and reconfigurable design architecture.

"Together, these improvements provide transformational warfighting capabilities and enable reduced manning, ultimately reducing the total ownership cost of each Ford-class carrier by approximately $5 billion over the life of the ship," said Antonio.

CVN 78 was officially named Gerald R. Ford by the Secretary of the Navy in January 2007 and will be constructed in Newport News, Va. The keel is scheduled to be laid in late 2009, and the ship is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015. The Navy plans to build 11 Ford-class aircraft carriers, and construction of Ford-class aircraft carriers is projected to continue through 2058.