U.S. Navy to christen new class of aircraft carrier

U.S. Navy will christen aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford, the first ship in a new class of super carrier, the Defense Department said on Wednesday.

Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, will deliver the principal address at the ceremony scheduled for Saturday at the Huntington-Ingalls Industries Newport News shipyard in the U.S. state of Virginia. Susan Ford Bales, daughter of Gerald Ford, the 38th U.S. president, will serve as the ship's sponsor, break a champagne bottle against a plate welded to the hull, and officially christen the ship.

The Gerald R. Ford will be designated CVN 78, the lead ship of the Gerald R. Ford class. It is the first new aircraft carrier design in more than 40 years and will eventually replace all Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. The Ford class is designed to provide increased warfighting capability with approximately 700 fewer crewmembers for decreased total ownership cost, according to the Pentagon.

"The christening of USS Gerald R. Ford marks an important milestone in both the life of this ship and the development of our future fleet; a fleet built on the innovation that makes our Navy and Marine Corps team the finest expeditionary fighting force the world has ever known," said Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus.

The Ford will have a host of new features and designs, such as a new nuclear power plant, electromagentic aircraft launching system, advanced arresting gear, dual band radar, and all electric auxiliaries. It is designed for a 50-year service life with one mid-life refueling complex overhaul.

The Ford will replace the USS Enterprise, which was inactivated last year. With this new addition, the U.S. Navy maintains a 11- ship fleet of super carriers.