The U.S.S. Gerald R. FordSource: U.S. Navy
Bloomberg: Carrier Suffers New Failure at Sea as U.S. Navy Seeks More Funds
The Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s costliest warship, suffered a new failure at sea that forced it back to port and raised fresh questions about the new class of aircraft carriers.
The previously undisclosed problem with a propulsion system bearing, which occurred in January but has yet to be remedied, comes as the Navy is poised to request approval from a supportive Congress to expedite a contract for a fourth carrier in what was to have been a three-ship class. It’s part of a push to expand the Navy’s 284-ship fleet to 355 as soon as the mid-2030s.
It was the second failure in less than a year with a “main thrust bearing” that’s part of the $12.9 billion carrier’s propulsion system. The first occurred in April 2017, during sea trials a month before the vessel’s delivery. The ship, built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc., has been sailing in a shakedown period to test systems and work out bugs. It’s now scheduled to be ready for initial combat duty in 2022.
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WNU Editor: Apparently the problem is a manufacturing defect .... and it is the second time that this has happened.
Update: I think this contract is going to go increase .... HII contracted for repairs, upgrades on USS Gerald R. Ford (UPI).
