USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is to be the lead ship of her class of United States Navy supercarriers. As announced by the U.S. Navy on January 16, 2007, the ship will be named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald R. Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater.

The keel of the Gerald R. Ford was laid down on November 13, 2009. Construction began on August 11, 2005, when Northrop Grumman held a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate that will form part of a side shell unit of the carrier. The schedule calls for the ship to join the U.S. Navy’s fleet in 2015. Gerald R. Ford will enter the fleet replacing the inactive USS Enterprise CVN-65, which ended her 51 years of active service in December 2012.