Just have a bunch of Monica Lewinsky "look-alikes" serve aboard, and when it's time to get underway, have them all "man the rails" in Stained Blue Dresses, instead of the Navy's Dress Whites......
Stupid-AssCrats……………Lots of Baggage!
Posted on 09/17/2008 10:12:37 AM PDT by Reaganesque
September 17, 2008 The tenth and final nuclear-powered Nimitz-class supercarrier, George H. W. Bush, enters service in 2009, but the next-generation is on its way. The Gerald R. Ford CVN 78 is the first ship in the first new carrier class in over 40 years. Northrop Grumman has received a $5.1 billion, seven-year contract for construction of the CVN 78, which is scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2015.
Northrop Grumman began advance construction of the Gerald R Ford in 2005, under a separate $2.7 billion contract. Roughly one third of the ship’s 1,200 structural units are currently under construction, with the keel scheduled to be laid in 2009. The Navy is expected to build 11 of the carriers, each worth approximately $8 billion, continuing construction into 2058.
The Gerald R Ford class carriers will have a larger flight deck, improved weapons handling, a smaller island, a new Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System, an Advanced Arresting Gear, and a new A1B nuclear propulsion and electricity generation system. The technological advancements in the Ford design result in a 25% increase in sortie generation, a 25% reduction in necessary manpower, a threefold increase in electrical generating capacity, improved self defense capability, increased launch/recovery capability, increased ability to incorporate future upgrades, and increased operational availability.
By changing the layout of the flight deck, and pushing back the island, the carrier minimizes aircraft movements and decreases the workload for personnel. The centralized re-arming location, and the use of robots to move ordnance, also boosts efficiency and allows aircraft to re-arm in “minutes instead of hours.”
The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS) has a higher level of control than the steam-powered catapults employed by Nimitz-class carriers. EMALS can launch heavier and lighter craft, making it compatible with UAVs. EMALS is more efficient, smaller lighter, more powerful, easier to control, and places less stress on airframes by gradually increasing the aircraft’s speed. UAV integration is also made possible by the Advanced Arresting Gear System, which uses electromagnetism, rather than hydraulics, to capture aircraft.
The inability of current aircraft carriers to effectively handle UAVs is a reminder of the need to plan for technological advancement. While the USS Enterprise, (the ship being replaced by the Ford), is still serving 50 years after it was laid down, it is increasingly unable to adapt to upgraded systems. With currently planned systems on the CVN 78 consuming only half of its generated power, the ship is well prepared to incorporate future energy-hungry systems such laser guns, dynamic armor, and new tracking devices.
Exactly.
We have enough battles and genuine American heroes to name things after instead of Presidents - especially losers.
“I wonder what will be named after clintoon?”
The first floating bordello if the NAVY decided to build one.
“I wonder what will be named after clintoon?”
The first floating bordello if the NAVY decided to build one.
The Electromagnetic Aircraft Launching System (EMALS) has a higher level of control than the steam-powered catapults employed by Nimitz-class carriers. EMALS can launch heavier and lighter craft, making it compatible with UAVs. EMALS is more efficient, smaller lighter, more powerful, easier to control, and places less stress on airframes by gradually increasing the aircraft’s speed. UAV integration is also made possible by the Advanced Arresting Gear System, which uses electromagnetism, rather than hydraulics, to capture aircraft.
***This seems to be the most radical improvement. If they tweak the EMALS system a bit, maybe it could be used as a weapons firing system as well?
Otherwise you can expect something equivelent to a USS Clinton, or USS Cesar Chavez, or USS Ted Kennedy one day.
I agree. Nothing against Ford, for I thought he did a credible job under difficult circumstances, but the US Navy without a USS Enterprise is unthinkable.
A stealth air craft carrier would be very cool. Imagine “100,000 tons of diplomacy” appearing suddenly off the coast of Iran when they start getting testy... :)
I agree. Can you imagine the difficulty that would fall on the CO of the USS Clinton? At every captain’s mast, the accused would say, “I didn’t have relations with that woman,” or “I smoked but didn’t inhale.”
Good God! That looks like Darth Vader’s helmet made into a large floating entity.
I do agree with your concerns about US carriers being named after America-haters.
I tend to think that as a coping mechanism, if there ever were a carrier named after impeached and disbarred Clinton, the crew would nickname it "el Rushbo" or somesuch.
.
My son ships for navy nuke tech training, following basic, in a few months.
I recall that the new carriers will replace older carriers nearing the end of their useful life. The Kennedy was recently decommissioned and the Kitty Hawk can’t be too far behind. The Enterprise is almost 50 years old.
They are tweaking it for a firing system, but it would be more appropriate for a battleship/destroyer that sails as part of the carrier group.
The carrier already has plenty of its own style of long-range firepower.
I hope they name it the Jimmy Carter. It will piss him off every time he hears that the Jimmy Carter is going off to war. It would also be the first time since 1976 that Jimmy Carter has done anything in his nation's interest.
Jimmy muttering darkly to himself, "I don't believe they named a machine of destruction after me. And what if one of its planes bombs a terrorist headquarters? How could I live with myself?"
We tend to use “LOL” indiscriminately, but I really did at that picture.
You may notice they have NOT named one after Roosevelt. Interesting omission.
Some might say that’s what the carriers are... *I* would not say that.
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