Pre-Test

In the image, you can see the Navy personnel giving a demonstration of the ship’s EMALS system. Lt. Cmdr. Jamie Roma on the same lines said,“ISE-2 has been a practice run for us, which is an opportunity most ships don’t get, most ships coming into ISE come right from the shipyard into flight deck certification. For us, it’s been a great advantage where we can actually practice for ISE-3 and flight deck certification.” The reason for Jamie’s confidence is the highly advanced and innovative EMALS system being incorporated in the USS Gerald R. Ford. which provides makes it a beast when it comes to being offensive.

Boom!

In the image, you can see an ecstatic Susan Ford Bales the sponsor of the ship after seeing a successful test of the electromagnetic catapult conducted by the navy personnel. The catapult weighs a lot less than its previous steam counterparts and surprisingly sees a decrease in both weight and cost. According to some reports, China is also developing a similar system to challenge US Navy and unsettle them from their monopoly over this technology. The world will surely wait for what the U.S. has to offer if China is able to successfully develop the electromagnetic catapult.

The Crane Moving The Control Tower

Obviously, in order to move the extremely heavy parts of the gigantic ship, a big and powerful crane was the need of the hour. So, Newport News Shipbuilding took the help of “Big Blue”, the name of their crane which seems like an air traffic control tower at first sight. In the image, you can see the magnanimous “Big Blue” in action helping by moving extremely big and heavy parts of USS Gerald R. Ford. There is no chance of the crane committing an error while performing these vital operations as the Newport Shipbuilding has made it sure that it excels in every aspect.

The Stern

One major change in the current shipbuilding process is that of proceeding with a piece at a time rather than the old method of putting together the structure in one piece from the ground up. The USS Gerald R. Ford is made according to the latest procedure and displays latest design changes from bow to stern enabling the carrier aircraft to fly with improved efficiency and being ready to accommodate unmanned aerial systems. The stern is the sole reason which gives the ship a strategic advantage and a wider and effective platform to perform vital actions on the spur of the moment.

Heaviest Piece

Though the ship is extremely heavy as a whole, the status of being the heaviest component of the USS Gerald Ford goes to the gallery deck to flight deck bridge. It weighs an astounding 2.26 million pounds and houses firefighting, vessel’s jet fuel and catapult systems. Surely, the presence of such vital aspects of the ship is a major contributor to the increased weight of the gallery deck to flight deck bridge. Evidently, special efforts were required on the part of the members of the construction team while making the bridge connecting the deck to flight because of its weight.

Aircraft Catapult

The aircraft carrier’s catapults are of extreme importance and strategic importance. It is the basis for the functioning of the ship and being offensive when under enemy fire. In the image, you can see an end of the catapult being placed with the help of a 1,050 metric ton crane. One can judge the enormous weight of the catapult just from the weight of the crane used to lift it. The catapults don’t lag far behind the heaviest component of the ship talked about in the previous slide in terms of weight. There is even a navy catapult officer indicating the significance of this component.