NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Navy's newest aircraft carrier has reached another milestone.
Huntington Ingalls Industries says Newport News Shipbuilding has successfully completed anchor testing on the USS Gerald R. Ford.
Officials say the carrier's anchor system is significantly lighter than the Nimitz-class anchor systems. The anchor weighs 30,000 pounds and its 1,440-foot chain consists of links weighing about 136 pounds each.
Construction of the Ford began in November 2009.
The Ford is the lead ship in a new class of carriers. It features a new nuclear power plant, a redesigned island, electromagnetic catapults, improved weapons movement and an enhanced flight deck.
The Ford will replace the USS Enterprise, which was inactivated in 2012. The ship is scheduled for delivery to the Navy in 2016.
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