USS Gerald R. Ford Returns to Newport News

The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier has returned to Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding division for 12 months of modifications, upgrades, system improvements and repairs.

On Sunday USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was moved to the shipyard’s Pier 3, where it will undergo a maintenance period typical of newly delivered warships.

The $13 billion USS Gerald R. Ford, commissioned July 22, 2017, is the first ship in the nation’s newest class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. It represents a leap in technology over the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers already in operation.

“We have been planning for the Ford’s return to Newport News since it was delivered last year,” said Bill Smith, Newport News’ vice president of fleet support programs. “This availability is the next important milestone in the life of the ship. We have worked closely with our Navy partners to identify first-in-class issues that came along during the test and evaluation program and look forward to resolving them.”

“We have learned a lot from the Ford,” Smith said. “We look forward to applying the lessons learned to future ships of the class.”