At 12 billion dollars, the U.S. Navy's USS Gerald R Ford CVN 78 is the most
expensive warship ever built and when
factoring in the aircraft it comes out
to around 18.5 billion dollars. In addition to being the most expensive
warship it is also considered the most
capable in the world despite the fact
that it has had some problems with its
toilet system.
The Ford Class is the first new design
for an aircraft carrier since USS Nimitz CVN 68 which was developed in the 1960s. During its design and development, shipbuilders ensured that every inch of
the ship was accounted for and this
actually helped save the navy a
projected four billion dollars in
ownership costs over the carrier's
50-year lifespan.
Moreover the ford class was designed to
be equipped with two newly designed
reactors which provide 250 percent more
electrical capacity than previous
carriers. That has allowed the ship to load
weapons and launch aircraft faster than
ever before.
The warship also was developed to
incorporate many technological
advancements to ensure that it will be
the most capable and efficient carrier
in service anywhere in the world. This has included replacing the legacy
steam powered systems with electric
drive components. Ensuring that there is
a longer time between maintenance
schedules and notably improved
survivability thanks to better hull
design, firefighting systems and weapon
stowage.
Additionally as a not so small floating
city, the ford class of carriers have
been designed with new quality of life
enhancements that include improved
birthing compartments. Better and more
well-equipped gyms and fitness centers
and more ergonomic workspaces.
New electronic elevators were also
specifically engineered and built for
the Ford Class and these were intended
to massively step up the pace and
strength of the carrier air attack. However the elevators haven't performed
as promised and it could until late next
year or even into 2022 before the
elevators are finished.
Additionally the Ford has continued to
deal with a plumbing issue related to
its toilet system and it has reportedly
cost four hundred thousand dollars to
unclog the system. The new class of carrier was also
designed to address the fact that more
women serve on navy vessels. As a result USS Gerald R Ford became the
first aircraft carrier not to feature
urinals in the gender-neutral bathrooms
on the ship.
The navy's decision was to increase
flexibility when it comes to shifting
birthing arrangements for the crew, but
critics have noted a number of issues. From the fact that fewer than 18 of all
the sailors in the navy are women and
each toilet takes up more precious space
than wall-mounted urinals. Another issue has been with the ship's
new electromagnetic aircraft launch
system underperformed due to a fault in
the power supply system.
EMALS was developed to replace the steam
catapult system that has been used on
the US Navy's Nimitz class carriers. The fault in the electrical system
curtailed flight operations on the ship
for several days during its sea trials
in july 2020 while the crew along with
contractors work to identify the issue. However these and other issues should
all be sorted out in time for the Vessel's 2024 deployment and then it can
be finally determined if that 12 billion
dollars was well spent or not.
