America christens $13billion aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford capable of launching 220 airstrikes a day
- USS Gerald R. Ford will cost $13Billion when finished
- Carrier will be equipped to launch 220 airstrikes per day
- Ship holds 4,000 sailors and marines and is virtually invisible to enemy radar
- Project faces criticism after becoming beset by delays and cost overruns
- Navy plans to buy another three carriers, at a cost of $43 billion
By Daily Mail Reporter, Ryan Gorman and Associated Press Reporter
|
UPDATED:
20:03 GMT, 9 November 2013
The US Navy today christened the USS Gerald Ford, costliest and most deadly aircraft carrier ever built.
The
$13billion warship is the first in the Navy's newest generation of
aircraft carriers. It was launched in a grand ceremony Saturday from the
Newport News, VA., naval yard.
The Ford is expected to stay commissioned for five decades and will enter the fleet in 2016.
I christen thee, the USS Gerald Ford: Susan Ford
Bales, daughter of former President Gerald R. Ford, right, christens
the USS Gerald R. Ford
Hooyah!: The USS Gerald Ford has been christened and is ready to move out
The giant 1,106-foot USS Gerald R. Ford is be able to launch 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, hold 4,000 sailors
and marines while appearing virtually invisible to enemy radar.
'She
is truly a technological marvel,' Chief of Naval Operations Adm.
Jonathan Greenert said at the ceremony 'She will carry unmanned
aircraft, joint strike fighters, and she will deploy lasers.'
The
staggering number of airstrikes, about one every six minutes, is
capable because the ship's deck uses electromagnetic force to propel the
jets forward, according to WTKR. Pressurized steam is used in older ships.
Electromagnetic force is used to propel roller coasters, the station noted.
The gear used to snag jets as they land will be software controlled, a significant bump from the systems currently used.
Pomp and circumstance: It's not everyday the most expensive aircraft carrier ever built is launched
All hands on deck: An honor guard of boy scouts
from the local area and Michigan welcome visitors for the christening of
the USS Gerald R. Ford
Soon to be set free: The $13billion ship will soon set sail
President Ford's daughter Susan Bales Ford spoke shortly before smashing a champagne bottle on the ship's bow.
'Dad,
their message fills this shipyard,' she said. 'You kept your promise.
You healed the nation. You gave the American people a president that was
a shining beacon of integrity at the helm.'
'And
as demonstrated by Capt. (John) Meier and by the crew and by this
mighty carrier, the American people are forever grateful to you. And
Dad, I'll always be proud,' she added.
Other speakers honoring Mr Ford included former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
The Ford - with a new nuclear power plant, electromagnetic catapults and an enhanced 5-acre flight deck - will leave dry dock and head to a pier at Newport News Shipbuilding next week.
The Navy says construction on the ship is about 70 percent complete and will finish up in 2015. It will then undergo a series of sea trials before it is commissioned and becomes operational.
The Navy also plans to buy another three such carriers, at a cost of $43 billion, to complete its fleet.
But the project to build the most advanced aircraft carrier every made has come at a high price, with costs overrunning to the tune of nearly $3billion and major delays.
Beci Brenton, spokesman for Huntington Ingalls Industries, the maker of the ship, told FoxNews.com: 'The structure has been rearranged to accommodate new technology and meet all of the Navy’s operational requirements.
From head to toe: The USS Gerald Ford is decked out in patriotic colors
Big day: A massive crowd is on-hand to help dedicate the equally gigantic ship
Finishing touches: Workers tend to a few last minute details before the ceremony begins
The $13billion USS Gerald R. Ford will be one of the most fearsome weapons in the Pentagon's arsenal
Superpower: The new generation of aircraft
carriers incorporates a host of top secret technology which is designed
to secure dominance of any battlefield
Deadly: USS Gerald R. Ford will hold 4,000 sailors and marines and is designed to be virtually invisible to enemy radar
The
ship’s structure and exterior are now 100 per cent complete, Brenton
said. But internal connections and features inside the ship are still
being added.
The ship began construction in Newport News, Virginia, in 2007, but is unlikely to enter sea trials until 2016.
The carrier would be fully capable by February 2019, according to a critical watchdog report.
Delays
ranging from between two and a half and four and a half years in
testing three of the ship’s most important new advances: its dual band
radar, arresting gear and the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System
that will catapult jets off the carrier have become serious issues.
Power: The USS Gerald R. Ford is the new generation of aircraft carriers capable of launching 220 airstrikes a day
Rising costs: The USS Gerald R. Ford is expected to cost taxpayers more than £13billion when it is finally completed 
New generation: The giant 1,106-foot ship is
currently under construction at a dry dock in Newport News, Virginia,
but will not be commissioned until 2016
And
the spiralling costs come at a time when the Navy is seaching for ways
to plug a $14 billion cut in the upcoming fiscal year as a result of the
automatic federal budget cuts known as sequestration.
The state-of-the-art carrier has provoked strong criticism from some quarters, including the government's own watchdogs.
In
a report earlier this month the Government Accountability Office wrote:
'Key ship systems face reliability shortfalls that the Navy does not
expect to resolve until many years after [Ford] commissioning, which
will limit the ship’s mission effectiveness during initial deployments
and likely increase costs to the government.'
It added: 'The Navy faces technical, design, and construction challenges to
completing Gerald R. Ford that have led to significant cost increases.'
National
security experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies,
the Brookings Institution, have also called into question the value of the aircraft in future conflicts.
'I’m not persuaded they’re worth twice what the old carriers cost,' Michael O’Hanlon, of Brookings, told FoxNews.com.
Christening: Relatives of former U.S. President
Gerald Ford salute a model of a new aircraft carrier named the USS
Gerald R. Ford during a naming ceremony at the Pentagon in 2007
State-of-the-art: This graphic illustrates the cutting edge technology in the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier
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