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America Christens $13billion Aircraft Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford Capable of Launching 220 Airstrikes a Day
By Daily Mail Reporter, Ryan Gorman and AP Reporter
9 November 2013
By Daily Mail Reporter, Ryan Gorman and AP Reporter
9 November 2013
(continued below)The US Navy today christened the USS Gerald Ford, costliest and most deadly aircraft carrier ever built.
The $13billion warship is the first in the Navy's newest generation of aircraft carriers. It was launched in a grand ceremony Saturday from the Newport News, VA., naval yard.
The Ford is expected to stay commissioned for five decades and will enter the fleet in 2016.
I christen thee, the USS Gerald Ford: Susan Ford Bales, daughter of former President Gerald R. Ford, right, christens the USS Gerald R. Ford
Hooyah!: The USS Gerald Ford has been christened and is ready to move out
The giant 1,106-foot USS Gerald R. Ford is be able to launch 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, hold 4,000 sailors and marines while appearing virtually invisible to enemy radar.
'She is truly a technological marvel,' Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert said at the ceremony 'She will carry unmanned aircraft, joint strike fighters, and she will deploy lasers.'
The staggering number of airstrikes, about one every six minutes, is capable because the ship's deck uses electromagnetic force to propel the jets forward, according to WTKR. Pressurized steam is used in older ships.
Electromagnetic force is used to propel roller coasters, the station noted.
The gear used to snag jets as they land will be software controlled, a significant bump from the systems currently used.
Pomp and circumstance: It's not everyday the most expensive aircraft carrier ever built is launched
All hands on deck: An honor guard of boy scouts from the local area and Michigan welcome visitors for the christening of the USS Gerald R. Ford
Soon to be set free: The $13billion ship will soon set sail
President Ford's daughter Susan Bales Ford spoke shortly before smashing a champagne bottle on the ship's bow.
'Dad, their message fills this shipyard,' she said. 'You kept your promise. You healed the nation. You gave the American people a president that was a shining beacon of integrity at the helm.'
'And as demonstrated by Capt. (John) Meier and by the crew and by this mighty carrier, the American people are forever grateful to you. And Dad, I'll always be proud,' she added.
Other speakers honoring Mr Ford included former Vice President Dick Cheney and former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.
The Ford - with a new nuclear power plant, electromagnetic catapults and an enhanced 5-acre flight deck - will leave dry dock and head to a pier at Newport News Shipbuilding next week.
The Navy says construction on the ship is about 70 percent complete and will finish up in 2015. It will then undergo a series of sea trials before it is commissioned and becomes operational.
The Navy also plans to buy another three such carriers, at a cost of $43 billion, to complete its fleet.
But the project to build the most advanced aircraft carrier every made has come at a high price, with costs overrunning to the tune of nearly $3billion and major delays.
Beci Brenton, spokesman for Huntington Ingalls Industries, the maker of the ship, told FoxNews.com: 'The structure has been rearranged to accommodate new technology and meet all of the Navy's operational requirements.