Ford heads to sea

originally posted by: eriktheawful
It's a floating hotel.....

I remember many times doing refuel at see with carriers, and while us real sailors were getting tossed around on our destroyer, those airdales were up on the flight deck with a cup of coffee laughing their heads off at us, not spilling a drop.

Pppppppt!

All nuclear powered now. Probably only get refueld once in their entire life

a reply to: MilitaryAttractions

The carrier does, but they have to refuel to add jet fuel and weapons as they run low.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Carriers also carry fuel for their escort ships.

They're in the process of correcting any issues found during the builders trials, and then they head to sea again for acceptance trials. After acceptance trials, they will correct any problems and take delivery of the ship.

“Delivery, pending the results of acceptance trials, we expect to turn delivery around quickly after that,” Stackley said.

“The crew is already onboard, operating and running the systems; she’s at the naval station; she’s loaded out; so the steps to go from acceptance trials to delivery, it’s going to be contingent on, what are the critical starred card type of deficiencies – if any – that are identified during acceptance trials,” he said, referring to the Navy test community’s way of denoting the most serious issues they find during sea trials.

“We came out of builders trials strong, we’re correcting those deficiencies” now before the ship heads back out to sea, Stackley continued. “I’m pretty confident right now in a good [acceptance trials] and a quick turn around to deliver the ship.”

fightersweep.com...

Ford departed Norfolk for acceptance trials.

The Gerald Ford was handed over to the US Navy on May 31st, after successful completion of acceptance trials. She will be commissioned some time this summer.

As of 1130am, July 22 2017 she is the USS Gerald R. Ford, and officially reported for duty at 1140am.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Can we assume that EMALS is FOC?

a reply to: Caughtlurking

Not yet. They resolved the external fuel tank problem on launch, and Ford trapped and launched an F-18F a couple days ago, but they still have to complete final certification with the software update.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I read that they have solved the problem and that the Ford will receive the fix while it prepared for it's first deployment. It's a software problem and affects operation at maximum takeoff weights. They seem to think that it's 100% as of now. Good news.

a reply to: Caughtlurking

They did their first trap and launch with an F-18F from VX-23.

a reply to: Zaphod58

A shakedown cruise on a beast like that should be a rocking GOOD TIME!

Go Gerald Go!

a reply to: Springer

There are three out off the East Coast right now working up. But Ford would definitely be fun to be on right now. It would be awesome to be on a brand new carrier testing out the new technology.

Ford is back at sea doing qualifications and aircraft operations.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I don't know about that. I've never been on a brand new one, but, I have been on two that were coming out of major overhaul. The crews has months of work fixing the things that the yard workers screwed up. I remember hearing about a Los Angeles sub having a step ladder left in one of it's ballast tanks.

a reply to: JIMC5499

One of the only times I ever heard of an Ohio being tracked, the yard left a hammer in a ballast tank.