U.S. Navy Names Next Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)

[Someoneforyou]

U.S. Navy Names Next Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy
UNITED STATES - 29 MAY 2011

BOSTON -- Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier will be named the USS John F. Kennedy.

The selection John F. Kennedy, designated CVN 79, honors the 35th President of the United States and pays tribute to his service in the Navy, in the government, and to the nation.

"President John F. Kennedy exemplified the meaning of service, not just to country, but service to all humanity," said Mabus. "I am honored to have the opportunity to name the next aircraft carrier after this great Sailor and inspirational leader, and to keep the rich tradition and history of USS John F. Kennedy sailing in the U.S. Fleet."

Born in Brookline, Mass., May 29, 1917, Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 1940, and entered the Navy in October 1941.

During World War II, Kennedy took command of PT 109 at Tulagi Island in the Solomons, with a mission to intercept Japanese ships attempting to resupply their barges in New Georgia. In the early morning hours of Aug. 2, 1943, Kennedy's ship was inadvertently struck by an enemy ship and split in half. During the course of the next six days, Kennedy led his crew members to safety and an eventual rescue. Kennedy received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal for the rescue of his crew and a Purple Heart for injuries he sustained when his ship was struck.

After his military service, Kennedy became a congressman representing the Boston area, he was elected to the Senate in 1953, and in 1961 became the youngest person to be elected president.

One previous ship, USS John F. Kennedy, CV 67, was named in his honor and was decommissioned in 2007, after nearly 40 years of distinguished service, including Operation Desert Storm.

The USS John F. Kennedy and other Ford-class carriers will be the premier forward asset for crisis response and humanitarian relief, and early decisive striking power in a major combat operation. The aircraft carrier and the carrier strike group will provide forward presence, rapid response, endurance on station, and multi-mission capability throughout its 50-year service life.

The USS John F. Kennedy will provide improved warfighting capability, quality of life improvements for Sailors and reduced acquisition and life cycle costs. The ship will be constructed at Newport News Shipbuilding, Va., a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries.

WASHINGTON (May 27, 2011) A photo illustration of the Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier depicting the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). Length: 333 m.

 

[Someoneforyou]

U.S. Navy Gerald R. Ford- Class Aircraft Carriers

The Gerald R. Ford-class will continue the legacy of U.S. Navy aircraft carrier ship platforms. Enhancements being incorporated into the design include flight deck changes, improved weapons handling systems, and a redesigned island, all resulting in increased aircraft sortie rates. It will also include a new nuclear power plant; increased electrical power generation capacity; allowance for future technologies; and reduced workload for the sailors, translating to a smaller crew and lower operating costs for the Navy.

Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) is the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier to be completely designed using a 3-dimensional product model.

The overall design of the ship provides the Navy a more capable ship with reduced weight to allow for future technology insertion, increased sortie generation capability, 2.5 times more electrical power and reduced cost.

The Gerald R. Ford class-aircraft carriers have been redesigned from the Nimitz class. They have the same hull lines and the same number of decks as a Nimitz-class carrier, but the footprint of the general arrangement has been totally rearranged to accommodate a new technology and meet all of the Navy's operational requirements.

Galleys - There are five galleys on Nimitz-class carriers and two on CVN 78. The Strike Group Commander and the Ship's Commanding Officer have separate galleys on both ships.

Weapons Elevators - The weapons elevators have been redesigned to reduce maintenance and repair costs and provide a design which improves the carrier's mission capability. Nimitz class weapons elevators are wire rope hoist type elevators driven by electric motors with hydraulically driven doors. CVN 78 is an electromagnetic hoist system with no wire ropes and the doors are driven by electric actuators. Hydraulics have been eliminated and wire ropes have been eliminated.

Manning - The CVN 78 will cost less to operate over its 50-year life because it will require less people to operate and maintain the ship. The ship manpower reduction goal is between 500-1200 billets less than a Nimitz-class ship. The overall manpower savings to the Navy is expected to be approximately $5.0B over its 50-year life.

Flexible Infrastructure - The CVN 78 design incorporates a "flexible infrastructure" which is a major distinction between CVN 78 and the Nimitz-class carriers. Select ship spaces will be outfitted with track on the deck, bulkheads and in the overheads for items such as speakers, lights, electrical receptacles and monitors, so that no matter where the Navy in the future wants to locate consoles and cabinets, the space will accommodate it. Ventilation and wire ways will be run underneath a false deck so that where ever you need ventilation you can reconfigure the space to accommodate changing technology. These spaces will save the Navy significant costs over the life of a ship as new missions require space reconfiguration.


Source: Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.

 

[Someoneforyou]

EMALS Launches First Goshawk
UNITED STATES - 15 JUNE 2011

PATUXENT RIVER, Md. – The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) successfully completed the first launch of a T-45C Goshawk from the NAVAIR Lakehurst, N.J. test site on June 1.

Aviation Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Dennis Lopez (Green shirt) secures the T-45C Goshawk to the EMALS shuttle while Aviation Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Richard Berger (Yellow shirt) signals to the pilot, Lt. Cmdr. Raymond Bieze, from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23).

Twelve successful launches were made June 1 and 2 as part of the on-going aircraft compatibility testing.

EMALS, a complete launch system designed for Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) and all future Ford-class aircraft carriers, will replace the steam catapult system which has been in use for more than 50 years. EMALS is lighter, requires less maintenance, and provides increased efficiency and more accurate end-speed control.

Source: US Naval Air Systems Command

 

[Tomcat]

this is the second air craft carrier to be known as JFK the first one was the USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) originally of the Kitty Hawk class

 

[Someoneforyou]

Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) Awarded $56.5 Million Construction Preparation Contract Modification for John F. Kennedy (CVN 79)
UNITED STATES - 11 AUGUST 2011

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Aug. 11, 2011 -- Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc. (NYSE:HII) received a $56.5 million contract modification, under a previously awarded contract, for continuation of long lead time material procurement associated with construction of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier John F. Kennedy (CVN 79). The company's Newport News Shipbuilding division is the prime contractor.

"This award continues our efforts to plan and prepare for construction of John F. Kennedy and supports delivering the carrier on time and in a cost-effective manner," said Mike Shawcross, vice president, Gerald R. Ford-class engineering and John F. Kennedy construction. "This award also underscores the Navy's continued commitment to the Ford class of aircraft carriers and the importance of strengthening our nation's fleet of warships."

John F. Kennedy is the second ship in the Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers, the Navy's latest class of nuclear aircraft carriers. The ship's first steel was cut in December 2010. Full construction on John F. Kennedy is currently planned to begin in late 2012 with delivery to the U.S. Navy scheduled for 2020.


Source: Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII)


Photo: Artist Impression of the Future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79). USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is the second ship in the U.S. Navy Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers. Length: 333 meters. Displacement: 100,000 tons.

 

[debasree]

very cool; thaks for the picture on the deck i think it was f-35 in artists work