One of the first pieces of steel for the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class, CVN 79, is cut at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding, Feb. 25, 2011. (Photo by John Whalen)
Ship architects in Virginia step into virtual-reality blueprints to perfect the design of the U.S. Navy's first new carrier class in 40 years. Working in 3D reduces errors and oversights on a $14 billion project.
Slabs of steel brought by rail to the Newport News shipyard in Virginia wait to be cut, pressed and curved into the hull of the USS Ford, which is scheduled to launch in 2015.
Using a 23-story gantry crane, the largest in the Western Hemisphere, workers maneuver a structural unit into place.
Steel cut for next Ford-class carrier
Politicians, Admirals and Northrop Grumman executives were on hand Friday as one of the first pieces of steel for the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers (CVN 79) was cut in Newport News.
Participants in the ceremony at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding included Matt Mulherin, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding-Newport News; Rear Adm. Michael McMahon, program executive officer for carriers, U.S. Navy; U.S. Rep. Scott Rigell; U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott; U.S. Rep. Rob Wittman; and Northrop Grumman employees building the carrier.
RADM McMahon said CVN 79 will soon have a name and a crew and will be a great ship. He also recognized the shipbuilders from Newport News and said, "While the carriers are recognized as a national asset so too is this shipyard and the shipbuilders that are in this yard."
That feeling was shared by one shipbuilder who spoke with WAVY News 10. "We actually have to sign the parts that we make, said Aaron Sampson, a Metal Fabricator. "There's a lot of pride that actually goes into filling those parts."
Full construction of CVN 79 is anticipated to begin in late 2012, with delivery to the U.S. Navy scheduled for 2020.
The first of the Gerald R. Ford class of nuclear powered aircraft carriers, the Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), is currently under construction at the shipyard. According to Northrop Grumman, enhancements incorporated into its design include flight deck changes, improved weapons handling systems and a redesigned island, all resulting in increased aircraft sortie generation rates. It will also include new nuclear power plants, increased electrical power generation capacity, allowance for future technologies and reduced workload for the sailors, translating to a smaller crew size and reduced operating costs for the Navy.
"Having two carriers under construction within a five-year period is the kind of stability that we all benefit from – the Navy, the shipbuilders, our suppliers and our country," said Matt Mulherin, vice president and general manager for Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding. "It allows for the most efficient flow of the workforce from one ship to the next, and facilitates a learning curve. This stability is key to cost efficiency and to the health of our industrial base."
The Navy says a Gerald R. Ford class carrier will save the service more than $5 billion in total ownership costs during its planned 50-year service life when compared to a Nimitz-class carrier.