The USS Gerald R. Ford, which arrived in Caribbean waters to support a U.S. mission to dismantle an alleged criminal organization, is considered the world’s largest aircraft carrier, capable of carrying a crew of 4,500 and 70 aircraft.
Described by the U.S. Navy as “the world’s most capable, versatile and lethal combat platform,” construction began in November 2009. It was launched at the Newport News (Virginia) military shipyard on November 9, 2013, and commissioned in a ceremony presided over by then-President Donald Trump on July 22, 2017 (then in the first months of his first term).
Length, Armament, Explosive Resistance
The USS Gerald R. Ford is over 335 meters long and runs on nuclear power. It features a pioneering aircraft catapult system for electromagnetic takeoff, advanced radar, and a nuclear reactor to continuously power the ship’s engines.
It can weigh up to 100,000 tons and carries weapons such as the ESSM self-defense missile and the CIWS short-range weapons system. Its cost was approximately $13 billion.
During the test period, the USS Gerald Ford withstood the impact of three underwater explosions, known as the 2021 Ship-Level Shock Test, demonstrating its ability to withstand high impact and continue operating under extreme conditions.
The ship ushered in a new era in aircraft carrier design in the United States, as it was the first ship of the new Gerald Ford class, the next generation of the Nimitz class, which served from 1975 to 2010.
Currently, in addition to the Gerald R. Ford, the North American Navy has 11 aircraft carriers, including 10 Nimitz-class carriers.
Who is Gerald R. Ford?
The ship’s name pays homage to Gerald Rudolph Ford, the 38th Republican president of the United States who served in the White House from August 1974 to January 1977 after President Richard Nixon resigned due to the Watergate scandal, pardoned him shortly after taking office, and took office just nine months after becoming vice president.
So far, Gerald Ford is the only vice president and president of the United States to hold office without being elected by the Electoral College. In 1976, he defeated Ronald Reagan as the Republican candidate, but lost the presidential election to Democrat Jimmy Carter.
Gerald Ford, a lawyer by profession, was born on July 14, 1913 in Omaha, Nebraska, and passed away on December 26, 2026.
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