Keel-laying for new US nuclear ship - World Nuclear News
The keel laying is the symbolic beginning of a ship's construction and the ceremony saw the ship's sponsor, Caroline Kennedy, declare the keel "truly and fairly laid". More than 450 of the ship's 1100 structural units have already been constructed since the first cut of steel in 2010. The first vessel of the class, the Gerald R Ford (CVN78), will be the first US aircraft carrier to be entirely electrically powered. Huntington Ingalls describes it as "the most efficient aircraft carrier ever designed", requiring less manpower to operate and saving the US Navy more than $4 billion over the ship's 50-year life. The Gerald R Ford is due to be delivered to the US Navy in 2016. Researched and written. Source: www.world-nuclear-news.org
