John F Kennedy construction progressing
Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division has completed 50 percent construction of the US Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F Kennedy (CVN 79), the company announced on 31 August.
The latest superlift unit to be completed, weighing approximately 905 metric tonnes, is one of the heaviest of the planned steel structures that will be joined together to make up the second ship in the Gerald R Ford class. The superlift of the aft section of the ship between the hangar bay and flight deck is 80ft long, about 110ft wide and four decks in height.
Combining 19 smaller units into one superlift allowed the company to install a majority of the outfitting equipment – grating, pumps, valves, pipe, electrical panels, mounting studs, lighting, ventilation and other components – before the structure was hoisted into the dry dock using the shipyard’s 1,050-metric tonne gantry crane.
Kennedy is scheduled to move from the dry dock to an outfitting berth in the fourth quarter of 2019, three months ahead of schedule.
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?]()
Is the US Navy’s Golden Fleet initiative achievable?
The effort to provide the US Navy with Trump-class battleships might face financial, production and doctrinal obstacles.
-
![How will SAFE shape naval procurement for Canada and its highest-receiving members?]()
How will SAFE shape naval procurement for Canada and its highest-receiving members?
Canada’s inclusion on the EU’s Security Action for Europe initiative is set to enhance the country’s defence procurement strategy with important implications for some of its naval programmes, while Poland and Romania have also secured significant SAFE funding.
-
![Thales wins DE&S contract for portable autonomous command centres]()
Thales wins DE&S contract for portable autonomous command centres
The agreement to provide portable autonomous command centres to the UK Royal Navy will enhance the service’s Mine Counter Measure operations and further integrate autonomous and uncrewed systems into its fleet.
-
![Maritime defence in the Mediterranean faces challenges from vulnerable land power]()
Maritime defence in the Mediterranean faces challenges from vulnerable land power
As an indispensable energy crossroads, the Mediterranean is at serious risk from grey zone disruption. As navies increasingly employ AI data centres, what happens when cutting-edge defence technologies rely on the very infrastructure most susceptible to hybrid tactics?
