WASHINGTON: The American navy yesterday christened a new aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, a colossal ship plagued by equally huge cost overruns, at a time of growing budget pressures.
The daughter of the former US president, Susan Ford Bales, broke the traditional bottle at a ceremony in the port of Newport News, Virginia, near the sprawling Norfolk naval base. “May God bless and watch over the USS Gerald R. Ford, those who built her and the men and women who will sail her into harm’s way,” a teary Bales said moments before shattering the bottle against the hulking ship on a sparkling autumn morning.
A parade of dignitaries spoke at the christening, which was also a celebration of the life of Ford, the 38th US president. “He was a man of courage and solid values, and I know the men and women who sail this ship will bring those same qualities in their service to our nation,” former defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld told the audience.
US law requires the military to maintain 11 aircraft carriers, but at the moment only 10 are available since the retirement of the USS Enterprise in 2012. The current carrier fleet, launched between 1975 to 2009, are Nimitz-class ships, but the Ford, or CVN 78, represents a new class of carrier with a new design, which will be followed by the John F Kennedy and new Enterprise carriers. All have a similar length of about 1,090 feet. AFP
