Despite Promises, USS Ford Heads To Shock Trials With 4 Broken Elevators
Craig HooperSenior Contributor
Full ship shock trials on the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) are set to begin within weeks. Commissioned in 2017, but with key systems incomplete, U.S. Navy leaders have repeatedly assured Congress and the public that the USS Ford would be ready before the forthcoming shock trials. But with four of the USS Ford’s seven critical lower-stage weapons elevators still unready for service, naval credibility is at stake. If the shock trials go forward, testing an incomplete ship, the Navy stands to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fully validate the battle-hardiness of America’s future carrier fleet in real-world conditions.
Late on May 7, a Navy spokesperson confirmed that four lower-stage advanced weapons elevators will not be certified until later in 2021, likely after the shock trials take place. Two of the four undelivered lower stage elevators are being tested, and the final two elevators are in the “last stages of construction” and are “estimated to complete, certify and turnover later this year.” The spokesperson noted that the USS Ford’s unready elevators “will be in an appropriate material condition to safely conduct Full Ship Shock Trials.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2021/05/13/despite-promises-uss-ford-heads-to-shock-trials-with-4-broken-elevators/?sh=12e85ec97d20The spokesperson concede
