Describing an aircraft carrier as massive is, of course, an understatement – and nothing about the USS Gerald R. Ford is an understatement. As part of the latest episode of my Newsweek series "Unconventional," I embarked on the USS Gerald R. Ford in the summer of 2022, on the eve of her first deployment: A new warship, a new crew. There was an air of excitement that ran through the carrier as I visited different sections and her crew.
Fast forward to October 2023, and the USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to deploy to the Eastern Mediterranean as part of a carrier strike group in support of Israel. One year can make all the difference in the Navy.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is the first of its class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers meant to replace the aging Nimitz-class carriers, which first entered service in 1975. In all, the Navy plans to acquire 10 new Ford-class ships, the USS Gerald R. Ford being the first. When we first boarded the USS Gerald R. Ford at Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia, she was tied up alongside the Nimitz-class USS George H.W. Bush. Looking at the two behemoths, the substantive changes may not be noticeable to the untrained eye, but they mark a sizable step forward for naval aviation.
I was raised on Top Gun, the images of F-14 fighter jets taxiing on an aircraft flight deck as catapults launch them off the end of the ship. The deck would be awash in aircraft, people and the ever-present steam. Aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford flight deck, the aircraft and people were immediately recognizable, but there was no steam to be seen – and that's by design.
In contrast to their leading role in modern warfare, aircraft carriers traditionally rely on a sort of medieval technology: the catapult, which, powered by steam, propels fighter jets into action. This method makes for an iconic scene for those who have ever witnessed such a spectacle of controlled chaos. The USS Gerald R. Ford is completely different, however.
Yes, the scream of jet engines is still there, as is the heat from their blast that hits like a furnace as I weave my way through taxiing F-18 Hornets. But the USS Gerald R. Ford swaps out steam for an electric-powered catapult to launch aircraft off her deck. It's still pretty medieval, just think Prius power instead of locomotive engine.
Known as the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), the USS Gerald R. Ford's catapult system has significant advantages over its predecessor. The electric-powered catapult does not need to build up steam, nor is it restricted to the launch window in which steam systems can hold their pressure for only a finite amount of time. The USS Gerald R. Ford's catapult also allows the ship to launch aircraft with far more precision than its steam predecessor, thereby subjecting airframes to significantly less stress.
It's cooler too, literally. The heat generated from steam makes it unsuitable to fuel aircraft on a hot deck. Not so with the USS Gerald R. Ford and her state-of-the-art electric catapult.
Then there is the super structure, a giant tower that sits amid the flight deck. On Nimitz-class carriers it sits dead center on the right side of the deck, but on the USS Gerald R. Ford, it is set further aft of the ship. The reason? So that more aircraft can fit closer to the catapults. While watching flight operations as we navigated our way between F-18s wheeling around on the deck, it was apparent how this extra space was used.
The fighter jets would taxi and queue up just forward of the island, waiting for their turn at EMALs. They would launch and then land, refuel and repeat. Dancing between turning jets with their fiery blasts reminded me of the inherent dangers of a Navy carrier flight deck, one wrong move or misstep could easily send you tumbling off of the ship.
Off of the flight deck, I am given the opportunity to climb the stairs to the very top of the superstructure, where I enter the bridge. High above the heat and noise, the bridge feels like tranquility. The sailors up here speak in a hushed and unhurried tone, giving it more the feel of a library than that of a nuclear-powered ship landing and launching fighter jets. Perhaps most surprising is the young sailor driving the warship. BM3 Naishan Napoleon has the helm of the ship, and he tells me that his first time steering the giant ship was "nerve-wracking." But as I watch him and his crew run a smooth operation, I can't detect the faintest anxiety.
The soundtrack of the bridge is the white noise of computer fans and the hum of various machines. As I peer out of the windows to the expansive bow, a young officer standing next to me describes how this is the best place not just to watch activity on the deck, but to see marine wildlife. "Whales, dolphins, and pretty much anything in the ocean, I've seen it from here," he tells me.
It is a reminder that the USS Gerald R. Ford will soon embark on missions that will take her across the globe. And while her technology has marched forward, her mission remains the same as the countless ships that preceded her in two and a half centuries of U.S. Navy history: sail the seas, fly the flag and project power anywhere in the world.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Newsweek editor at large; former FBI double agent and the author of "How to Catch a Russian Spy"
