NNS Ready to Float Gerald R. Ford

Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) division is ready to float out the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). The shipyard will tomorrow, Oct. 11, begin the flooding of Dry Dock 12, where the carrier has been under construction since November 2009.

Susan Ford Bales, daughter of the ship’s namesake and its sponsor, will tour the dry dock with media prior to initiating the flooding.

Gerald R. Ford represents the next-generation class of aircraft carriers. The Ford class features a new nuclear power plant, a redesigned island, electromagnetic catapults, improved weapons movement, an enhanced flight deck capable of increased aircraft sortie rates, and growth margin for future technologies and reduced manning.

The carrier’s keel was laid Nov. 14, 2009, and the christening is scheduled for Nov. 9th 2013 with delivery to the U.S. Navy slated for 2015.

John F. Kennedy is the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class. The ship’s first steel was cut in December 2010, and delivery to the Navy is scheduled no later than 2022.

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Shipbuilding Tribune Staff, October 10, 2013