History of USS Gerald R. Ford in Timeline
USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is the lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy. It's named after President Gerald Ford, a WWII Navy veteran. As a new class of carrier, it incorporates advanced technologies for improved operational capabilities and efficiency. Key improvements include an Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), replacing traditional steam catapults and arresting gear. These innovations enable a higher sortie generation rate with reduced crew requirements. The ship represents a significant advancement in naval aviation.
2 hours ago : USS Gerald Ford's record-breaking trip showcases advanced technology and Trump's military focus.
The USS Gerald R. Ford, a state-of-the-art aircraft carrier and Trump's favorite warship, is on a record-breaking deployment, highlighting its capabilities and the U.S. Navy's global reach. Its maintenance is critical.
1996: Decommissioning of USS America (CV-66)
In 1996, the USS America (CV-66) was decommissioned, which led the USS America Carrier Veterans Association (CVA) to push for the new carrier to be named USS America.
August 2005: Construction begins with steel cut
On August 11, 2005, construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford began with a ceremonial steel cut by Northrop Grumman for a 15-ton plate that would form part of the carrier's side shell unit.
2005: Advanced Construction Begins
In 2005, Northrop Grumman began advanced construction of the carrier under a $2.7 billion contract.
2005: Scuttling of USS America (CV-66)
In 2005, the decommissioned USS America (CV-66) was scuttled in the Atlantic as part of a damage test of large-deck aircraft carriers.
October 2006: Congress Supports Naming CVN-78 after Ford
On October 17, 2006, President George W. Bush signed a bill declaring the sense of Congress that CVN-78 should be named the U.S.S. Gerald R. Ford. This language was non-binding, so the Navy was not required to name the ship after Ford.
January 2007: Naming Announcement and Official Designation
In January 2007, specifically on the 3rd, former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that the aircraft carrier would be named after Gerald Ford during a eulogy. Later, on January 16, 2007, Navy Secretary Donald Winter officially named CVN-78 USS Gerald R. Ford. Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales, was named the ship's sponsor.
2007: Proposal to Name CVN-78 the USS Gerald Ford
In 2007, Senator John Warner of Virginia proposed to amend a defense-spending bill to declare that CVN-78 "shall be named the USS Gerald Ford."
2008: Original Budget
In 2008, the initial budget for the construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford was set, but by 2013, costs had exceeded this original budget by 22%.
November 2009: Keel Laid Down
In November 2009, specifically on the 13th, the keel of the USS Gerald R. Ford was laid down, marking a significant step in the ship's construction.
November 2009: Ceremonial Keel Laying
On November 14, 2009, the keel of the USS Gerald R. Ford was ceremonially laid in Dry Dock 12 by President Ford's daughter, Susan Ford Bales.
August 2011: Carrier Halfway Structurally Complete
In August 2011, reports indicated that the USS Gerald R. Ford was structurally halfway complete.
April 2012: Construction 75% Complete
In April 2012, construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford was reported to be 75% complete.
May 2012: Completion to Waterline
On May 24, 2012, the vessel reached the significant milestone of completion up to the waterline with the placement of the lower bow.
December 2012: Construction 90% Structurally Complete
By December 19, 2012, construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford had reached 90% structural completion.
December 2012: USS Enterprise Decommissioned
In December 2012, the USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was decommissioned after 51 years of service. The Gerald R. Ford would eventually replace it in the fleet.
January 2013: Island Landing
On January 26, 2013, the island of the USS Gerald R. Ford was landed, and an accompanying ceremony took place.
July 2013: Original Scheduled Launch Date
The USS Gerald R. Ford was originally scheduled for launch in July 2013, but production delays postponed the launch.
October 2013: Propeller Installation and Seawater System Testing
In October 2013, the USS Gerald R. Ford had its four 30-ton bronze propellers installed and the ship's drydock was flooded for the first time to test various seawater-based systems.
October 2013: Launch Delay
Production delays resulted in the launch of USS Gerald R. Ford being delayed until October 11, 2013.
November 2013: Naming Ceremony and Crest Development
On November 9, 2013, the USS Gerald R. Ford was christened by Susan Ford Bales. The ship's crest was developed jointly by Bales and Captain John F. Meier.
November 2013: Christening of Gerald R. Ford
On November 9, 2013, the USS Gerald R. Ford was christened, a ceremonial milestone in the ship's development.
November 2013: Naming Ceremony Delay
The naming ceremony for the USS Gerald R. Ford was delayed until November 9, 2013, due to production delays.
2013: Construction Cost Estimates
As of 2013, construction costs for the USS Gerald R. Ford were estimated at $12.8 billion, which was 22% over the 2008 budget, with an additional $4.7 billion in research and development costs.
January 2014: Critical Systems Reliability Issues
In January 2014, a report highlighted that critical ship systems like EMALS, Advanced Arresting Gear, dual-band radar, and weapons elevators had reliability issues and required further testing and improvements.
2014: Commissioning of USS America (LHA-6)
In 2014, the name "America" was assigned to USS America (LHA-6), an amphibious assault ship, after the USS America Carrier Veterans Association (CVA) had pushed to name the ship USS America.
September 2015: Delivery Date Slip and Construction Progress
On September 23, 2015, the Navy announced that testing delays would likely push the delivery date of the USS Gerald R. Ford into April or May 2016, with construction at 93% completion.
2015: Original Scheduled Delivery Date
The USS Gerald R. Ford was originally scheduled for delivery in 2015, but the actual delivery was delayed to 2017.
February 2016: Delayed Delivery Date
Production delays pushed the anticipated delivery date of the USS Gerald R. Ford to February 2016.
May 2016: Potential Delivery Date
In September 2015, the Navy announced that several weeks of testing delays would likely slip the delivery date of the USS Gerald R. Ford into April or May 2016.
June 2016: Major Turbine Generator Problems
In June 2016, major problems were discovered with the main turbine generators of the USS Gerald R. Ford, requiring design changes.
July 2016: Problems Delay Combat Readiness
In July 2016, a memorandum revealed that problems with major flight systems would further delay the combat readiness of the USS Gerald R. Ford, potentially delaying delivery beyond November 2016.
November 2016: Delivery Goal Delay
In July 2016, a memorandum indicated that problems with four major flight systems would further delay the delivery goal of the USS Gerald R. Ford beyond November 2016.
2016: Potential Delay
In 2016, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Jonathan Greenert warned there might be a two-year delay in completing the USS Gerald R. Ford due to budget difficulties.
April 2017: Initial Operational Test & Evaluation Milestone Achieved
In April 2017, the USS Gerald R. Ford achieved the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation milestone.
April 2017: Sea trials begin
On April 8, 2017, the USS Gerald R. Ford headed to sea for builder's trials under her own power for the first time, returning to port on April 14, 2017.
May 2017: Design Changes Verified
In May 2017, design changes were installed to fix problems with the main turbine generators of the USS Gerald R. Ford, and these fixes were verified during acceptance trials.
July 2017: Commissioning and First Arrested Landing
In July 2017, specifically on the 22nd, the USS Gerald R. Ford was formally commissioned into the United States Navy. On July 28, the first arrested landing and catapult launch were performed by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) in an F/A-18F Super Hornet.
July 2017: Formal Commissioning by President Trump
On July 22, 2017, the USS Gerald R. Ford was formally commissioned into the United States Navy by President Donald Trump.
2017: Video Documentary Released
In 2017, Newport News Shipbuilding released a video documentary of the construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford.
March 2018: Construction Costs Reach $13 Billion
By March 2018, issues with the nuclear propulsion system and munitions elevators caused construction costs for the USS Gerald R. Ford to reach $13.027 billion, making it the most expensive warship ever built.
2018: Request to Delay Shock Trials
In 2018, the Navy requested a delay of at least six years for shock trials of the USS Gerald R. Ford to expedite its deployment, but this request was denied.
October 2019: Planned Delivery Delayed
Due to ongoing issues, the planned delivery of the USS Gerald R. Ford to the Navy was delayed again by three months, to October 2019.
2019: Software Fixes Delayed
In 2019, the final software fixes for some performance enhancements on the USS Gerald R. Ford were delayed until after the ship's post-shakedown availability.
2020: GAO Report on Weapons Elevator Problems
According to a GAO report in mid-2020, the USS Gerald R. Ford was still experiencing significant problems with the operation of its weapons elevators.
2020: Issues with the Gerald R. Ford's sewage system
In 2020, issues with the Gerald R. Ford's sewage system were flagged by the US's congressional watchdog as being poorly designed. Navy officials admitted there had been incidents of clogging but denied it had caused a crisis.
March 2021: RFO Conducted with Italian Navy
On March 20, 2021, the USS Gerald R. Ford and the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour conducted Ready for Operations (RFO) exercises by the Italian Navy while transiting the Atlantic Ocean.
June 2021: First Full-Ship Shock Trial Completed
On June 18, 2021, the USS Gerald R. Ford completed its first full-ship shock trial 87 nautical miles off Ponce Inlet, Florida, with a 40,000-pound TNT detonation underwater that registered as a 3.9 magnitude earthquake. The trial was designed to ensure the ship could withstand battle conditions.
2021: DoD Report: Not Combat-Ready
In early 2021, a DoD report stated that the USS Gerald R. Ford was still not combat-ready due to continuing issues with the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS).
September 2022: Declared Fully Delivered and Met Initial Operating Capability
In September 2022, Rear Adm. James Downey described the USS Gerald R. Ford as "fully delivered" and stated that it had "met her initial operating capability."
October 2022: First International Port Visit
On October 28, 2022, the USS Gerald R. Ford made its first port visit outside of its home country, arriving at Halifax Harbour in Nova Scotia, Canada.
October 2022: Task Force Exercise (TFEX) Departure
On October 4, 2022, the USS Gerald R. Ford left Naval Station Norfolk for Task Force Exercise (TFEX) to conduct operations and training exercises with NATO allies and partners in the Atlantic Ocean.
November 2022: Visit to the United Kingdom
In November 2022, specifically on the 14th, the USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in United Kingdom waters for a four-day visit anchored in Stokes Bay near Gosport, before returning to Norfolk on November 26, 2022.
May 2023: First Deployment
On May 2, 2023, the USS Gerald R. Ford departed Naval Station Norfolk on its first deployment.
October 2023: Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group directed to eastern Mediterranean
In October 2023, following the Hamas attack on Israel, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean to reinforce regional deterrence. The group included the cruiser Normandy, and the destroyers Ramage, Carney, Roosevelt, and Thomas Hudner. The U.S. later sent USS Dwight D. Eisenhower-led Carrier Strike Group 2 to the Mediterranean. Several escort ships were sent into the Red Sea, intercepting missiles and drones fired from Yemen.
January 2024: Gerald R. Ford CSG 12 returns to Norfolk
On January 1, 2024, the U.S. 6th Fleet announced the Gerald R. Ford CSG 12 would return to Norfolk, being relieved by an Amphibious Ready Group consisting of USS Bataan, USS Mesa Verde, and USS Carter Hall. On January 17, 2024, Gerald R. Ford returned to Norfolk after an eight-month deployment, spending 239 days away, conducting 43 underway replenishments, logging over 10,396 sorties, and sailing more than 83,476 nautical miles.
June 2025: Gerald R. Ford deploys to the Mediterranean
On June 24, 2025, Gerald R. Ford began deploying from Norfolk, Virginia, to the Mediterranean. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Group was expected to reinforce USS Carl Vinson and USS Nimitz prior to the end of the Twelve-Day War between Israel and Iran. The carrier group transited the Strait of Gibraltar and arrived in the Mediterranean on July 19.
August 2025: Gerald R. Ford transits the Strait of Dover
On August 17, 2025, Gerald R. Ford transited the Strait of Dover and moved into the North Sea.
February 2026: Gerald R. Ford deployed off the coast of Israel
In February 2026, the Gerald R. Ford had been deployed for about 9 months. On February 12, the crew was informed that the carrier would join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group in the Persian Gulf. On February 18, it was reported that the carrier was likely to initially be deployed off the coast of Israel. On February 27, the carrier was deployed off the coast of Israel. On February 28, US officials announced Gerald R. Ford was launching aircraft as part of Operation Epic Fury.
February 2026: World's Largest Aircraft Carrier
As of February 2026, the USS Gerald R. Ford is recognized as the world's largest aircraft carrier and the largest warship ever constructed.
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