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Naval
Industry News - USA |
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Aircraft
Carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Hits the 90 Percent Mark for Structural
Completion |
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Huntington
Ingalls Industries announced today that its Newport News Shipbuilding
(NNS) division has reached 90 percent structural completion in the building
of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
Shipbuilders successfully added three units to the ship last week. Two
of the units were sponsons, which are structures that project from the
side of the aircraft carrier hull and provide the space needed for flight
deck operations. One of the sponsons was 140 feet long and weighed 391
metric tons, making it one of the largest sponsons to be erected. In
addition, shipbuilders installed 3 million feet of cable of the estimated
total 10 million feet to be installed. |
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The aircraft
carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) reached 90 percent structural completion
with the addition of a 140-foot long, 391-metric ton sponson, one of
the largest to be erected
(Picture: Huntington Ingalls Industries)
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"The
entire construction team has done a great job in reaching the 90 percent
structural completion milestone," said Rolf Bartschi, NNS' vice
president of CVN 78 carrier construction. "All of our shipbuilders
take great pride in seeing the flight deck take shape and in the work
they have accomplished to build the systems and spaces within the ship.
The lifts we have accomplished are massive, which is in keeping with
our larger-unit build strategy. Our electricians have installed 3 million
feet of cable to date and install on average 10,000 feet of cable a
day. Our shipbuilders continue to demonstrate their capabilities and
commitment to a quality product."
Gerald R. Ford is being built using modular construction, a process
where smaller sections of the ship are welded together to form large
structural units, equipment is installed, and the large units are lifted
into the dry dock. Of the nearly 500 total structural lifts needed to
complete the ship, 446 have been accomplished. The lifts are accomplished
using the shipyard's 1,050-metric ton gantry crane, one of the largest
in the Western Hemisphere. |
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Artist Rendering
- A conceptual rendering of CVN 78, the first of a new generation carrier
design, CVN 21, for the U.S. Navy
(U.S. Navy Photo courtesy Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding)
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Gerald
R. Ford represents the next-generation class of aircraft carriers. The
first-in-class ship features a new nuclear power plant, a redesigned
island, electromagnetic catapults, improved weapons movement, an enhanced
flight deck capable of increased aircraft sortie rates, and growth margin
for future technologies and reduced manning. Ford has been under construction
since November 2009. The ship is scheduled to launch in 2013. |
