USS Gerald R. Ford embarks on first deployment
USS Gerald R. Ford departs Naval Station Norfolk on its first deployment. (Photo: USN)
Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden will participate in the deployment.
On 4 October, the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford departed Naval Station Norfolk on its first deployment to conduct operations and training in the Atlantic.
The Ford-class carrier sits at the centre of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG), which includes Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, USS Normandy, Rampage, Thomas Hudner and McFaul; replenishment oiler USNS Joshua Humpreys; dry cargo ship USNS Robert E. Peary; and US Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton.
The ship was planned to sail on 3 October but was postponed owing to inclement weather.
The deployment will involve some 9,000 personnel, 20 ships and 60 aircraft.
The Ford-class carriers are to displace around 100,000t full load, measure 332.8m in length, have a beam of 40.8m, and a draft of 7.8m.
The mammoth carriers are powered by two nuclear reactors producing a maximum speed of over 30kts.
Related Equipment in Defence Insight
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Future of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is still unclear]()
Future of the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project is still unclear
The Canadian government remains tight-lipped on the timeline and funding required for the next steps of its Canadian Submarine Patrol Project, which should offer improved capabilities for the country’s navy.
-
![Thales’ new Sonar 76Nano could equip UK Royal Navy on anti-submarine warfare missions]()
Thales’ new Sonar 76Nano could equip UK Royal Navy on anti-submarine warfare missions
The new sonar is designed to equip uncrewed underwater vessels, with the potential to be used by the Royal Navy for its Atlantic Bastion and Atlantic Net missions.
-
![Hanwha wins Australian government approval to increase its stake in Austal]()
Hanwha wins Australian government approval to increase its stake in Austal
The contract would mean the two shipbuilders can collaborate strategically and enhance shipbuilding capabilities in Western Australia.
-
![UK to join US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine assembly effort to speed up construction]()
UK to join US Navy’s Virginia-class submarine assembly effort to speed up construction
The expansion of the Virginia-class submarine construction to UK shores could accelerate the project as US shipbuilders continue to fall short of delivery goals.
