WASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump will help commission the USS Gerald R. Ford, a $12.9 billion warship that after delays and cost overruns will officially be turned over to the Navy.
Trump, who is commander in chief of the U.S. armed forces, was traveling to Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on Saturday to preside over a ceremony during which the USS Ford, the first member of the next generation of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, will be welcomed to the fleet with the words: “Man our ship and bring her to life.”
Trump, who visited the carrier in March to promote his plans for a military buildup, told Time magazine this year that the Navy should revert to using steam catapults to launch fighter jets because some of the state-of-the-art systems and technology aboard the USS Ford “costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good.”
Construction on the USS Ford started in 2009 and was to be completed by September 2015 at a cost of $10.5 billion. The Navy has attributed the delays and budget overruns to the ship’s state-of-the-art systems and technology, including electromagnetic launch systems for jets and drones that will replace steam catapults.
The warship also has a smaller island that sits farther back on the ship to make it easier and quicker to refuel, re-arm and relaunch planes, and a nuclear power plant designed to allow cruising speeds of more than 30 knots and operation for 20 years without refueling.