Go Back  PPRuNe Forums > Aircrew Forums > Military Aviation
Reload this Page >

USS Gerald R Ford - CVN 78 - Commissioned Today

Wikiposts
Search
Military Aviation A forum for the professionals who fly military hardware. Also for the backroom boys and girls who support the flying and maintain the equipment, and without whom nothing would ever leave the ground. All armies, navies and air forces of the world equally welcome here.

USS Gerald R Ford - CVN 78 - Commissioned Today

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 22nd Jul 2017, 23:51
  #1 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nevada, USA
Posts: 1,604
Received 40 Likes on 27 Posts
USS Gerald R Ford - CVN 78 - Commissioned Today

USS Gerald R Ford- first of the class - was commissioned today.

Great coverage on TV here with a rousing speech from President Trump, a nice speech from President Ford's daughter (the ship's sponsor) and full coverage of the military part of the ceremony.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u7FtnESM-Q&t=2918s



CO talking here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tn7EVSC8VRQ



Nice to see my taxes going towards something worthwhile these days - albeit my contribution was a pretty small part of $12.9 Billion !
RAFEngO74to09 is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 16:47
  #2 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: virginia, USA
Age: 56
Posts: 1,061
Received 15 Likes on 10 Posts
Indeed, good coverage. On the down side, sounds like there is much work to be done- even more than all new ships require, especially with EMALS and many uncompleted spaces. Perhaps 4 years until first deployment, although I saw elsewhere this might be whittled down to 3 years if they defer the shock testing to the next hull (JFK).
sandiego89 is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 17:22
  #3 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Downeast
Age: 75
Posts: 18,287
Received 510 Likes on 212 Posts
More importantly....."Old Ironsides" leaves dry dock tonight after a period of upkeep.....launched originally in 1797 and is the oldest commissioned Warship afloat.

She will go alongside for some more restoration work before returning to duty.

SASless is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 18:27
  #4 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: key biscayne
Age: 61
Posts: 112
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
My sister just got back from a short cruise on the "eagle".

In the 80s, I bought a mazda RX-5 cosmo from a guy who had been a captain on it when it was called "horst wessel".
IcePaq is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 19:18
  #5 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Wilds of Warwickshire
Posts: 240
Received 8 Likes on 6 Posts
Is CVN78 now the Worlds largest moving target?
KiloB is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 20:53
  #6 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 257
Received 33 Likes on 8 Posts
SASless indeed operative word being afloat... HMS Victory still commands the oldest commissioned warship title

Having been on both I am always amazed at the amount of work that goes into both to keep them in preserved condition and even more so the USS Constitution to keep here afloat

Interestingly her sister ship the USS Cheasapeake is in my village... and now makes up the floor of our flower mill.
dagenham is online now  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 21:07
  #7 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: virginia, USA
Age: 56
Posts: 1,061
Received 15 Likes on 10 Posts
Originally Posted by KiloB
Is CVN78 now the Worlds largest moving target?

IIRC the last carrier damaged in combat was @1945. How many sorties and combat sorties have been launched from carriers since then? Yes I realize there are many systems designed to take out a carrier, and things could get very nasty in a peer conflict, but I would hardly call carriers sitting ducks.
sandiego89 is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 21:21
  #8 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Midlands
Posts: 128
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by sandiego89
IIRC the last carrier damaged in combat was @1945. How many sorties and combat sorties have been launched from carriers since then? Yes I realize there are many systems designed to take out a carrier, and things could get very nasty in a peer conflict, but I would hardly call carriers sitting ducks.
Correct me if I am wrong but is it easy not to get damaged if you spend most of that time attacking countries that don't have the means of reponding.
Planet Basher is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 21:36
  #9 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Penzance, Cornwall UK
Age: 84
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Planet Basher: Projection of power is the name of the game and we will be back to smite the bad boys, and provide assistance to friendly states in the foreseeable future, like we always have done. Will be bound to get involved with humanitarian aid as well.
Rosevidney1 is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 22:58
  #10 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Santa Rosa, CA, USA
Age: 71
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by sandiego89
I would hardly call carriers sitting ducks.
You obviously weren't a submariner, in military aviation, or a missileer. If you were, you'd know that it's a giant, juicy, slow target.
PrivtPilotRadarTech is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 23:13
  #11 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nevada, USA
Posts: 1,604
Received 40 Likes on 27 Posts
Target ? Look at it this way - CVN 78 is likely to be much better protected than HMS Queen Elizabeth ever will be.

A US Carrier Strike Group would have at least 1 x Ticonderoga class AEGIS cruiser and 2 or 3 Arleigh Burke class destroyers (or even up to 6 if necessary). That lot easily out trumps (pun intended) a Type 45 - that's if the Type 45 can get out of port and doesn't have to go anywhere too hot ! (banter - I know there is an expensive plot to fix the issues but quantity and multiple defensive missile options have a quality all of their own).

Also, with the current President and SecDef, I don't think there would be any pussyfooting around if someone did attack a 7,500-person unit worth at least $35 Billion (including aircraft but not including the enormous additional cost of missiles on ships) - a significant deterrent effect.

http://i.imgur.com/3rlcMlB.jpg

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ticonderoga-class_cruiser

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arleig...lass_destroyer

A US CSG is certainly much less of a target than a RAFG air base would have been had the Cold War gone hot and it has much better systems defending it !
RAFEngO74to09 is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 23:23
  #12 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: NSW
Posts: 4,276
Received 37 Likes on 28 Posts
Moving target = carrier surrounded by numerous moving body guards.
Fixed target = air base surrounded by air defence guards???
TBM-Legend is offline  
Old 23rd Jul 2017, 23:55
  #13 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: The sunny South
Posts: 819
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Planet Basher
Correct me if I am wrong but is it easy not to get damaged if you spend most of that time attacking countries that don't have the means of reponding.
Originally Posted by Wiki
The September 2012 Camp Bastion raid was a Taliban raid on Camp Bastion in Afghanistan's Helmand province on the night of 14 September 2012.[1] The base hosted British, American and Tongan military personnel at the time of the attack. The Taliban fighters killed two U.S. Marines and destroyed or severely damaged eight U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers before the entire raiding force was killed or captured...
Imagine if it had been a country that did have "the means of responding".
FODPlod is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 00:10
  #14 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Downeast
Age: 75
Posts: 18,287
Received 510 Likes on 212 Posts
Don't forget the Attack Subs that tag along with every Carrier Strike Group playing sheep dog to the sheep dogs.

How well will the UK Carrier(s) be protected?

Assuming 1) they both get built.....2) they should ever deploy out of Home waters

Does the UK adhere to the NATO Strategy of the USN being responsible for Blue Water Ops and NATO (assuming that includes the RN) naval forces are responsible for Brown and Green water Ops?
SASless is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 01:30
  #15 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Leicestershire, England
Posts: 1,170
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by SASless
How well will the UK Carrier(s) be protected?

Assuming 1) they both get built.....
Really? One is already built (HMS Queen Elizabeth) and undergoing sea trials and the second (HMS Prince of Wales) is nearing completion...

-RP
Rhino power is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 02:07
  #16 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: surfing, watching for sharks
Posts: 4,077
Received 53 Likes on 33 Posts
More submarines have been sunk than aircraft carriers.
West Coast is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 04:08
  #17 (permalink)  
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Nevada, USA
Posts: 1,604
Received 40 Likes on 27 Posts
A few more short videos:

CNO Adm Richardson interview + EMALS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TmIGfs3zoU

Crew interviews / technology:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2id3jmwFopI
RAFEngO74to09 is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 11:22
  #18 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Just north of Chester, UK.
Posts: 304
Received 12 Likes on 6 Posts
Didn't Trump "order" the USN to go back to steam catapults? Must be a more complicated subject than anyone knew...
Captivep is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 11:59
  #19 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: The Whyte House
Age: 95
Posts: 1,966
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Originally Posted by dagenham
SASless indeed operative word being afloat... HMS Victory still commands the oldest commissioned warship title
Although there's nothing that can be achieved in HMS Victory that couldn't also be done in a portakabin...
Willard Whyte is offline  
Old 24th Jul 2017, 13:40
  #20 (permalink)  
 
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Downeast
Age: 75
Posts: 18,287
Received 510 Likes on 212 Posts
The US Navy lost an Aircraft Carrier to enemy action during the Vietnam War.....to Combat Swimmers.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/a0e00c0...commandos.html
SASless is offline  


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.