USS Gerald R Ford Reaches A Construction Milestone

businessinsider ^

[moonshot925]

The USS Gerald R. Ford, a huge new aircraft carrier, reached a milestone in its pricey and extensive construction Thursday when its final keel section was lowered into place at Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia.

The 680-metric-ton lower bow unit is one of the largest of the 500 modules that will make up the completed ship and is over 60-feet-tall.

The bulbous bow seen in the picture shifts water flow around the hull, reducing drag and thus increasing speed, range, fuel efficiency, and stability. Carriers with bulbous bows have achieve about 12 to 15 percent increased fuel efficiency than vessels without them.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-uss-gerald-r-ford-reaches-a-construction-milestone-2012-5?op=1#ixzz1w8MTW7yd

[Wingy]

Yep. Quite a canoe.

[A.A. Cunningham]

120524-N-ZZ999-003 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (May 24, 2012) The final keel section of the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is lowered into place at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding. The 680-metric-ton, 60-foot-tall lower bow unit was joined to the other keel sections and was the last major section of the ship installed below the waterline. Gerald R. Ford is now more than 75 percent structurally complete in the dry dock, and is on schedule to launch in 2013. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in 2015. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Ricky Thompson Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding Division/Released)

120524-N-ZZ999-004 NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (May 24, 2012) The final keel section of the future USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is lowered into place at Huntington Ingalls Industries-Newport News Shipbuilding. The 680-metric-ton, 60-foot-tall lower bow unit was joined to the other keel sections and was the last major section of the ship installed below the waterline. Gerald R. Ford is now more than 75 percent structurally complete in the dry dock, and is on schedule to launch in 2013. The ship is scheduled to be delivered to the fleet in 2015. (U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Ricky Thompson Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding Division/Released)

[moonshot925]

Currently being assembled in Newport News, Virginia, the Ford-class will replace the Nimitz-class carriers and will include an array of new technology.

•Advanced arresting gear used to grab planes as they land on the deck.
•Automation, which reduces crew requirements by several hundred from the Nimitz class carrier.
•The updated RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow missile system.
AN/SPY-3 dual-band radar (DBR), as developed for Zumwalt class destroyers.
•An Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) in place of traditional steam catapults for launching aircraft.
•A new nuclear reactor design (the A1B reactor) for greater power generation.
•Stealthier features to help reduce radar profile.
•The ability to launch the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, EA-18G Growler, and the F-35C Lightning II.

[Vroomfondel]

anybody home?

[al baby]

Pardon me?

[2ndDivisionVet]

World Wide Aircraft Carriers
http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/carriers.htm

[AlmaKing]

Aren’t we all looking forward to the USS Barraqa Hussein Obama?

[Iron head mike]

I thought i’d be the Travon Martin.

[tcrlaf]

“Aren’t we all looking forward to the USS Barraqa Hussein Obama?”

Yes, but it won’t be flying a US Flag.

[mkjessup]

Carriers with bulbous bows have achieve about 12 to 15 percent increased fuel efficiency than vessels without them.

EXCELLENT! Increased fuel efficiency means longer range while pursuing America's enemies and ultimately blasting them to Hell as the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford does more to be environmentally friendly.

(how 'bout that you envirowackos? lol)

[cpdiii]

Aren’t we all looking forward to the USS Barraqa Hussein Obama?

Actually this was considered, but as a test the Navy put a rowboat of the same name into the Potomac in Washington DC and due to unknown forces it was impossible to change the direction of the rowboat from its vector of 56.622857 degrees. When the Navy changed the name of the rowboat to "George Washington crossing the Trenton," the said same vessel became a warrior to be feared by its enemies

[Randy Larsen]

I wish I was 35 years younger!

I’d be proud to serve this boat...

[cva66snipe]

EXCELLENT! Increased fuel efficiency means longer range while pursuing America's enemies and ultimately blasting them to Hell as the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford does more to be environmentally friendly.

LOL It's a nuke. Why would it matter?

[moonshot925]

The 2 A1B nuclear reactors on the Gerald R. Ford class can produce 485 MW of power. The 2 A4W nuclear reactors on the Nimitz can produce 208 MW of power. So the Gerald R. Ford class can produce 135% more power than the Nimitz class.

[moonshot925]

Power:
Nimitz class = 208 MW
Ford class = 600 MW

The Ford class will produce 3 times the power.

Complement:
Nimitz class = 5,680
Ford class = 4,660

The Ford class will have a smaller crew thanks to automation.

Ford class armament:
- 2 x 16 RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Launchers (32 missiles)
- 2 x 21 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers(42 missiles)
- 2 x 20mm Phalynx CIWS
- 4 x .50 cal MG

[Red_Devil 232]

She is quite a ship.

[she geek]

I am sure it would sink to the bottom when they tried to float it out of the dock.

[she geek]

Clarification the Obama would sink when they tried to float it not the Ford.

Also the bulbous bow has been used before, it isn’t something new to carriers.

[puppypusher]

Fuel efficiency?The damned carrier is nuclear powered so why should fuel efficiency matter?

If anything is a benefit of a now of that design it should be an increase in forward speed.

I think your average nuclear carrier is refueled every 20 years or so.It maybe even longer between refuelings.