Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

CVN-78 Gerald W Ford

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #46
    All other things being equal, I think that Gerald Ford was a fitting choice for CVN-78.

    The most obvious is his serving as a naval officer during World War II, on an aircraft carrier.
    A post from some years back showed that he had "the right stuff".

    Later when his country called again, he stepped up to the plate not once but twice and became Vice-President and then President without running for the office in the first place, both times to sit in the chair of a disgraced man.

    In pardoning Nixon, he spared the country further agony over the Watergate debacle...a country already in deep pain over Vietnam and the massive social changes of the 60's and early 70's.

    I'd say that Jerry Ford did it right. And while I'd rather have seen the lead ship in the class be named Enterprise, I think that Gerald Ford is just fine.
    “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

    Comment


    • #47
      Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
      New ship, new tech and new systems. Bet the Plankholding Crew nicknames her the "Got Fu#ked"
      I wonder about that. Certainly sailors that received orders to USS Enterprise nowadays were probably a bit crestfallen but there's a claim that the adversity of an fifty year old one-off maintenance nightmare really brings the crew together.

      Certainly it's probably not "fun" in the sense that it's a cruise ship but I myself find that a good challenge brings out the best in me...I'm rather apathetic and almost lazy if things are too "easy"

      The Ford, if she's designed and built right, looks like she might be a real joy to break in and shake down.
      There are a lot of crew amenities that are a long time in coming. Certainly when it comes time for UNREP and VERTREP, you won't see hordes of sailors hauling pallets and boxes all over the place like it's 1904 again.
      “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

      Comment


      • #48
        Would very much like to hear the reasons why?
        Fortitude.....The strength to persist...The courage to endure.

        Comment


        • #49
          Originally posted by Gun Boat View Post
          Most powerful collection of weapons the world has ever seen I reckon (excluding nukes)

          I would put money on it that it is the last aircraft carrier class the US builds. One of the Gerald's sisters will probably still be sailing in 2100.

          One thing that is a worry is the cost of these babies. I read recently of another 1billions in cost overruns.

          I think there will be 2 - 3 ships in the Ford (CVN-78) class with their small islands and DBR. After that I think they will build something with a much larger island to support a large aperture variant of AMDR, and maybe some Mark 57 VLS, especially if there is no new big CG to carry the big radar.
          Last edited by JRT; 17 May 12,, 05:32.
          .
          .
          .

          Comment


          • #50
            Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
            All other things being equal, I think that Gerald Ford was a fitting choice for CVN-78.

            The most obvious is his serving as a naval officer during World War II, on an aircraft carrier.
            He also led the effort to fight the fires that kept the ship from joining a number of smaller vessels sunk by a Typhoon.

            Comment


            • #51
              Originally posted by Dreadnought View Post
              Would very much like to hear the reasons why?
              Which post are you referring to?
              “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

              Comment


              • #52
                Here is a video of the placement of section of flight deck.
                Gerald R. Ford Flight Deck - YouTube

                the deck is reportedly a special alloy.

                HSLA 115 Flight Deck for CVN 78 Class Carriers Fact Sheet - Office of Naval Research

                Comment


                • #53
                  Originally posted by TopHatter View Post
                  I wonder about that. Certainly sailors that received orders to USS Enterprise nowadays were probably a bit crestfallen but there's a claim that the adversity of an fifty year old one-off maintenance nightmare really brings the crew together.

                  Certainly it's probably not "fun" in the sense that it's a cruise ship but I myself find that a good challenge brings out the best in me...I'm rather apathetic and almost lazy if things are too "easy"

                  The Ford, if she's designed and built right, looks like she might be a real joy to break in and shake down.
                  There are a lot of crew amenities that are a long time in coming. Certainly when it comes time for UNREP and VERTREP, you won't see hordes of sailors hauling pallets and boxes all over the place like it's 1904 again.
                  TH,

                  Your reading my post wrong.

                  The crew members will be proud of the assignment and bust ass in every thing they are called to tackle.


                  But, there is an old truism that applies here. If the troops aren't bitching, they ain't happy. The initials G.F. just makes it easy to come up with a "crew" nickname.

                  Comment


                  • #54
                    Originally posted by Gun Grape View Post
                    TH,

                    Your reading my post wrong.
                    Got it :)
                    “He was the most prodigious personification of all human inferiorities. He was an utterly incapable, unadapted, irresponsible, psychopathic personality, full of empty, infantile fantasies, but cursed with the keen intuition of a rat or a guttersnipe. He represented the shadow, the inferior part of everybody’s personality, in an overwhelming degree, and this was another reason why they fell for him.”

                    Comment


                    • #55
                      Carrier Ford construction hits major milestone
                      By Brock Vergakis, - The Associated Press
                      Posted : Thursday May 24, 2012 13:09:55 EDT
                      NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Shipbuilders in Virginia have reached a major milestone in the construction of the nation's newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

                      Newport News Shipbuilding lowered the final keel section of what will be the USS Gerald R. Ford into place on Thursday. The first-of-its class aircraft carrier will be the nation's 11th in service once it is delivered to the Navy in 2015. It will replace the carrier Enterprise, which is on its last scheduled deployment.

                      Placing the lower bow into dry dock means that nearly 80 percent of the ship has been erected. The lower bow is more than 60 feet tall and weighs more than 680 tons. Hundreds of workers in hard hats paused to witness the massive section of the ship being hoisted into the air with a large crane.
                      Carrier Ford construction hits major milestone - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times
                      http://media.globenewswire.com/cache...ires/13928.jpg
                      Last edited by surfgun; 24 May 12,, 23:00.

                      Comment


                      • #56
                        A video of the final keel segment.
                        Gerald R. Ford: 680-Ton Superlift - YouTube

                        Comment


                        • #57
                          What is that device called ? ......

                          At the :53 second mark, a fellow in the white hard hat is using a high tech device........ ;)

                          Is it solar powered or was that just a photo op for the YouTube video?

                          Comment


                          • #58
                            Originally posted by blidgepump View Post
                            At the :53 second mark, a fellow in the white hard hat is using a high tech device........ ;)

                            Is it solar powered or was that just a photo op for the YouTube video?

                            Comment


                            • #59
                              Breaking news, NO Urinals!

                              Gender-neutral Ford layout nixes urinals
                              Berthing plan focuses on mid-sized rooms
                              By Joshua Stewart - Staff writer
                              Posted : Monday Jul 9, 2012 7:11:40 EDT
                              For the first time, the Navy has designed an aircraft carrier with women in mind. Gerald R. Ford-class carriers will have gender-neutral berthing and heads without urinals, differentiating them from all previous carriers.

                              These design details, provided only to Navy Times, give an early look at the amenities planned for the new carrier class, the first of which will hit the fleet in 2015.

                              Gender-neutral berthing is just one part of a broader plan intended to ensure comfort aboard the carriers, Navy officials said. All berthing areas will be connected to a toilet and shower, and there will be no more crew living spaces with 200-plus sailors, according to Rear Adm. Thomas Moore, program executive officer for aircraft carriers.

                              Carriers have deployed with women since 1994, but every one built since then has included urinals. By using just toilets, any head quickly switch from male to female.

                              TELL US:

                              Will no urinals on ships make time at sea tougher for male sailors? What other changes would you make to berthing space on aircraft carriers? Send your comments to [email protected]. Please include your name, rate and rating or rank. Your comments may be used as a letter to the editor.

                              Giving every berthing area a connected toilet and shower — another carrier first — means sailors won’t have to get dressed if they wake up in the middle of the night to use the head.

                              Engineers have completely scrapped quarters designed to hold 200-plus enlisted sailors. While that’s probably good news for sailors, the design also reduces the number of smaller quarters that hold 20 or fewer sailors.

                              In their stead are more medium-sized living areas.

                              Specifically, enlisted sailors will be spread among 86 different berthing spaces. Of those, 83 will hold between 20 and 83 sailors; the remaining three will hold 19 or fewer. In comparison, Nimitz-class carriers had 33 spaces with 19 or fewer sailors and three with more than 200 sailors.

                              An exact layout of every berthing space was not available. But a Ford floor plan for a 36-sailor living area shows three-high stacks of racks, one locker per person plus two dirty clothes lockers and smaller lockers for sailors who do not have storage space underneath their mattress. Directly connected to the berthing areas are three toilets, three sinks and two showers.

                              Officers may find themselves in larger berthing areas with more racks. The number of staterooms — quarters that accommodate one to three sailors — is dropping from 68 percent of total officer living quarters on Nimitz-class flattops to 52 percent on Ford. Meanwhile, the number of bunkrooms — quarters that accommodate four or more officers — went from 32 percent of officer berthing on Nimitz-class carriers to 48 on Ford. On the upside, Nimitz-class carriers have as many as eight officers per bunkroom while Ford maxes out at six.

                              All officers will have adjoining bathrooms on Ford. On George H.W. Bush, the last Nimitz-class carrier, only senior officers had them.

                              Ford-class carriers won’t have modular “sit-up” berths, which allow more headroom in the racks. The Navy is sticking with the traditional racks stacked in twos or threes for enlisted and ones or twos for officers.

                              SAILOR REACTION
                              Sailors contacted by Navy Times about the changes were largely optimistic. Unauthorized to speak on the subject, they spoke only on the condition of anonymity.

                              Several sailors were glad to hear urinals were going away, mainly because they’re harder to clean than toilets and they easily break down. One less toilet fixture also means fewer parts to have to store.

                              Ford will use a vacuum-powered septic system like Bush, which experienced widespread toilet failures during its first deployment that were due, in part, to narrow pipes. Bush’s skipper, Capt. Brian Luther, said he planned to encourage the Navy to make changes to Ford to prevent toilet outages.

                              There are clear advantages to connecting berthing space to the bathrooms, said a chief petty officer at an aviation training unit.

                              Many sailors like to sleep in little clothing, he said. On Ford, they won’t have to bother with putting on more appropriate clothing before hitting the head.

                              A corpsman said he has seen sailors relieving themselves into bottles in their rack rather than having to get dressed in the middle of the night.

                              Sailors also said adjoining bathrooms will likely reduce the harassment sometimes faced by sailors wearing robes or towels in the passageways.

                              There is one downside, the corpsman noted: If a toilet backs up, it means the smell will drift into the berthing area.

                              The smaller the crew in the berthing space, the better, added an electronics technician on the carrier Enterprise.

                              “I live in a 27-person berthing, where we are a tight-knit group,” he said. “It is very easy for us to address issues with individual sailors that violate living standards and fix the issue quickly. Some of my colleagues don’t have that luxury.”

                              Comment


                              • #60
                                How many people have a urinal in their home or apartment?
                                sigpic"If your plan is for one year, plant rice. If your plan is for ten years, plant trees.
                                If your plan is for one hundred years, educate children."

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X