THE BEST naval news since 1995
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducted a conventional ammunition on-load, April 9, in support of workups and training for an upcoming deployment. Ford successfully on-loaded approximately 541,000 pounds of ordnance using both connected transfers and vertical lifts from the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS William McLean (T-AKE 12). More than 400 sailors from Ford’s weapons, deck and aircraft…
Read More
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) completed its Flight Deck Certification (FDC) and Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (CATCC) certification on March 29. Once out to sea, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, E-2D Hawkeyes, and MH-60S Nighthawks assigned to Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8 conducted operations to prove the ship’s and crew’s capabilities. To achieve certification, Ford conducted more than 400 day and…
Read More
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) conducted a fueling-at-sea (FAS), March 23, marking the first time the ship has received jet propellant-5 (JP-5) aircraft fuel from a replenishment ship in more than 11 months. Gerald R. Ford successfully received more than one million gallons of JP-5 over the course of three hours from the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Kanawha (T-AO…
Read More
Throughout the 2022 calendar year, the U.S. Navy is commemorating 100 years of aircraft carriers, celebrating the strategic importance of aircraft carriers and the future of naval aviation while honoring their history. As part of this important milestone, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro, visited the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), March 10, 2022. Capt.…
Read More
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully completed sea trials off the coast of Virginia this week, marking the successful conclusion of its inaugural Planned Incremental Availability (PIA). The milestone follows six months of modernization and maintenance work at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia. On February 28, the ship sailed to its home at Naval Station…
Read More
This past summer, after nearly two years of planning, budgeting, and extensive collaboration, a team of Gibbs & Cox engineers traveled to Norfolk, Virginia, and Jacksonville (JAX) Range Complex for several months to support the Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST) of the nuclear aircraft carrier, CVN 78 USS Gerald R. Ford (GRF) in support of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Philadelphia…
Read More
On December 22, the 11th and final Advanced Weapons Elevator (AWE) aboard USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was turned over to the Ship’s Crew. AWEs on this first-of-class aircraft carrier operate using several advanced technologies including electromagnetic motors vice more labor intensive, hydraulic systems. The advanced technology enables fewer sailors to safely move ordnance from weapons magazines to the…
Read More
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) departed Naval Station Norfolk to make the transit to Newport News Shipyard in support of her Planned Incremental Availability (PIA), a six-month period of modernization, maintenance, and repairs, August 20, 2021. Ford’s PIA was scheduled to serve as the final maintenance phase for the ship prior to her inaugural deployment next year. “Team Wolverine…
Read More
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully conducted a third explosive event off the coast of Jacksonville, FL, on 8 Aug., marking the completion of the ship’s Full Ship Shock Trials (FSST). Shock Trials validate a ship’s shock hardness and ability to sustain operations in a simulated combat environment using live ordnance. During the four-month testing evolution, the first-in-class aircraft…
Read More
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) completes the first scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, June 18, 2021. The U.S. Navy conducts shock trials of new ship designs using live explosives to confirm that our warships can continue to meet demanding mission requirements under harsh conditions they might encounter…
Read More