The Navy formally welcomed the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford into the fleet Saturday at Naval Station Norfolk, calling on the first-in-class ship to lead a new generation of American sea power.
President Donald J. Trump placed the ship into commission, praising a crew that must master complex systems that still require work. He also singled out Newport News Shipbuilding, the exclusive builder of nuclear-powered carriers for the U.S. Navy.
“American steel and American hands have constructed a 100,000-ton message to the world,” said Trump, who arrived at the ceremony via helicopter, touching down on the ship’s 5-acre flight deck.
Sailors from the Ford crew and across the Navy “are fulfilling your duty to this nation, and now it is the job of our government to fulfill its duty to you,” he said.
He then called on Congress to pass a budget on time instead of missing deadlines and putting government spending on autopilot, which has made it harder for the military to plan ahead, especially in long-term ventures like shipbuilding.
The day was also a chance to celebrate the legacy of Gerald Ford, a Navy man and the nation’s 38th president who served at a time when the Watergate scandal had shattered people’s trust in government. Trump detailed Ford’s athletic prowess on the University of Michigan football team and his service in World War II.
It was that military service, Trump said, that made Ford believe in a strong military.
“If he could see this ship today, President Gerald Ford would see his vision brought to life,” Trump said.
Then it was time for ship’s sponsor Susan Ford Bales to make the call to “man our ship and bring her to life.” It sent scores of sailors clad in crisp, white uniforms running onto the $12.9 billion warship that bears her father’s name.
A hot celebration
The grand ceremony played out under sunny, sweltering skies, with fans blasting air toward the crowd and the Navy providing a seemingly endless supply of bottled water. The commissioning designated the Ford as a United States ship — call it the USS Gerald R. Ford from now on — and place it in active service.
An American flag was raised, Capt. Richard McCormack formally assumed command and the first watch was set. The Ford’s new skipper faced Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson and said, “The United States Ship Gerald R. Ford is in commission and I am in command.”
The Ford won’t be ready to deploy until 2021, but Saturday will still go down in naval history. The Navy last commissioned a first-in-class aircraft carrier in 1975, the USS Nimitz, and President Ford himself presided over that ceremony.
Michigan politicians like Rep. Bill Huizenga traveled to the East Coast to witness the grand toast to one of their state’s favorite sons.
“He had a humble, but firm leadership,” Huizenga said. “He was confident of who he was. He didn’t need other outside affirmation to prove to Gerald Ford what Gerald Ford was all about.”
Ford took over the presidency from Richard Nixon, who resigned in disgrace over the Watergate scandal. Ford later pardoned Nixon and paid a political price for it. Voters rebuffed Ford’s bid for a four-year term in 1976.
Many hurdles
The commissioning marked the end of a challenging odyssey for the Navy and Newport News Shipbuilding, which dealt with a host of technical problems and delays in building the complex $12.9 billion ship.
The shipyard, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries, received its first Ford-related contract in October 2000 for propulsion planning and design. At that time, the program was referred to as CVNX.
Construction began on Aug. 11, 2005, when shipyard workers cut the first steel on a 15-ton plate.
Its original completion date was supposed to be 2015, but the challenges of integrating new technology pushed work well past that deadline while the price swelled beyond original estimates. Compared to Nimitz-class carriers, Ford-class ships have at least 23 new or modified systems.
More hurdles await. The ship’s crew, many of whom spent years working at the shipyard, now turn their attention to getting the ship ready for deployment. The Government Accountability Office recently released a report that said the Navy is expected to spend another $780 million over several years before the ship can deploy.
The Ford will head back to sea as soon as possible following Saturday’s ceremony for further at-sea tests.The sailors can’t wait.
Petty Officer 1st Class Jeremy Stoecklein joined the ship almost four years ago, when things were quite different.
“It was just stripped down to the bare metal,” he recalled earlier this week. “No doors, no non-skid on the flight deck. We’ve watched it for the last four years come to life. This is an extremely exciting moment, not just for us but for the whole crew.
Chief Petty Officer Christine Tyler said confidence is high in the various new systems.
“We’ve been waiting for this day to come,” she said.
A humble namesake
The ship’s motto is “Integrity at the helm,” which the Navy says is a testament to Ford’s conduct as a sailor and leader.
He was the product of a broken home, born Leslie Lynch King Jr. His parents separated two weeks after he was born, and mother and son mother moved to Grand Rapids, Mich. She obtained a divorce and married Gerald R. Ford, a paint salesman. They began calling their son Gerald R. Ford Jr., although his name wasn’t legally changed until he was 22 years old.
That same year, Ford graduated from the University of Michigan. He financed his education with part-time jobs, a small scholarship and some assistance from his family. He later earned a law degree and in 1942 joined the U.S. Naval Reserve, where he was commissioned as an ensign.
In 1943 he began service on the light aircraft carrier USS Monterey, which took part in several battles in the Pacific Theater in World War II. His closest call with death came not as a result of enemy fire, however, but during a vicious typhoon in the Philippine Sea. Ford came within inches of being swept overboard, but he caught the ship’s scupper rail.
Today, a 1,200-pound bronze statue of Ford stands inside the ship’s hangar bay depicting the former president as a young officer on the Monterey, his foot resting on the scupper rail.
Like its namesake, nothing came easy for the USS Gerald R. Ford. Even its name caused a stir. Back in 2006, key members of Congress pushed for Ford’s name to grace the new class of aircraft carriers. Others lobbied for the USS America and the America class.
Then came the technological hurdles. The Navy decided to pack the Ford with new systems instead of phasing them in over several ships. It made Ford a transformational warship, but it also caused numerous delays and cost overruns.
Sen. John McCain, the Senate Armed Services chairman, once referred to that decision as “the original sin that so damaged this program.”
The Newport News shipyard was ordered to start construction before the ship design was complete. That caused inefficiencies. At one point, the shipyard had trouble getting newly designed valves and workers had to install spacers — valve-shaped placeholders — while work progressed.
Problems surfaced with the new electromagnetic catapults that launch aircraft and the advanced arresting gear that allows them to land safely. Testing those two systems will be key as the Ford returns to open water following its commissioning.
Lessig can be reached by phone at 757-247-7821.
