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 !

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).

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.

http://www.navysite.de/ships/other-images/const_2.jpg

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".

Is CVN78 now the Worlds largest moving target?

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.

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: 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.

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.

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 !

Moving target = carrier surrounded by numerous moving body guards.
Fixed target = air base surrounded by air defence guards???

Imagine if it had been a country that did have "the means of responding".

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?

Really? :rolleyes: One is already built (HMS Queen Elizabeth) and undergoing sea trials and the second (HMS Prince of Wales) is nearing completion...

-RP

More submarines have been sunk than aircraft carriers.

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

Didn't Trump "order" the USN to go back to steam catapults? Must be a more complicated subject than anyone knew...

Although there's nothing that can be achieved in HMS Victory that couldn't also be done in a portakabin...

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