We toured the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, which is being sent to the Caribbean

The flight deck of the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Daniel Brown/Business Insider

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the world’s largest aircraft carrier.
We toured the carrier — the most technologically advanced to date — at its home base in 2017.
The Navy just ordered the carrier to the Caribbean amid the US’ escalating tensions with Venezuela.

The USS Gerald R. Ford isn’t just the US Navy’s largest aircraft carrier — it’s also the largest in the world.

Commissioned in July 2017, the first of the Ford-class carriers is more technologically advanced than Nimitz-class carriers.

It has an improved hull design and weapons stowage, a new weapons elevator, more space on the flight deck, a new electromagnetic-powered aircraft-launch system, three times the electrical-generation capacity of any previous carrier, and a lot more.

And now it’s heading to the Caribbean amid the US’ escalating tensions with Venezuela, which the Trump administration has accused of engaging in drug trafficking.

On Friday, the Pentagon announced the USS Gerald R. Ford would be joining other US ships in the US Southern Command’s area of responsibility. It’s traveling from Europe, where it’s been supporting NATO exercises.

We visited the supercarrier when it was docked in its homeport of Virginia’s Naval Station Norfolk in 2017.

We first saw the USS Gerald R. Ford from shore as it was stationed at a harbor in Naval Station Norfolk.

USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

The Ford, which stands about 134 feet tall, towered over us.

It was docked next to the USS George W. Bush.

USS George Bush — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

It was also docked next to the USS Truman and USS Lincoln.

US Navy spokesman Corey Todd Jones, who showed us around the Ford, led us to the entrance seen below.

USS Gerald Ford — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

First, we had to go past a security checkpoint, but we were not allowed to take photographs of that area.

The entrance led to a massive hangar bay.

USS Ford hangar bay — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Aircraft are stored here when not in use.

This is one of the advanced weapons elevators.

USS Gerald R. Ford — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

The elevators connect to the flight deck and allow sailors to move ordnance from the magazines to the aircraft.

We were not allowed to photograph down the elevator because it’s classified, but you can read more about the elevators here.

A statue of former President Gerald R. Ford stands in the hangar bay.

Ford served as a navigation officer on the USS Monterey during World War II. His shipmates credited him with saving the ship during a bad storm, Jones said.

Jones then took us up to the flight deck.

Flight deck of USS Ford — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

This area is 256 feet wide and 1,092 feet long.

The only aircraft there was a “dud” — an F/18 Hornet stripped of its engine and components.

It’s now used by the signalmen to practice flight-deck operations and moving aircraft.

The afterburners have been stripped.

F-18 dud aboard USS Gerald R Ford — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Here’s a closer look of the hollowed-out engine.

F-18 dud aboard USS Ford — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

This E-2C Hawkeye flew over us outside Norfolk Naval Station earlier in the day.

E-2C Hawkeyes — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Hawkeyes are US spy planes that are often assigned to carriers.

Carriers are always assigned a Carrier Air Wing, which generally consists of about nine squadrons and five different kinds of the following aircraft.

This compartment, which can be raised and lowered, is called the Integrated Catapult Control System or “bubble.”

Officers in here launch the jets after getting the all clear from the signalmen.

There are a number of Bomb Jettison Ramps, or emergency evacuation “chutes,” which sailors can use to offload misfired ordnance.

USS Ford bomb disposal — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

These were added to carriers after the 1967 fire aboard the USS Forrestal. The Forrestal was in the Gulf of Tonkin when an F-4 Phantom misfired a rocket, resulting in a huge fire that killed more than 100 sailors.

The sides of the flight deck can be rather perilous.

USS Ford — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

It completely drops off into open waters on most sides.

The Ford is also equipped with multiple Sea Sparrows.

USS Ford Sea Sparrow — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

These are short-range antiaircraft and missile systems.

As well as Rolling Airframe Missile systems.

USS Ford Rolling Airframe Missile — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

There are also Close-In Weapons Systems aboard, but they were covered up.

From here, Jones took us up in the tower.

USS Gerald Ford tower — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Its position on the flight deck ensures maximum space for aircraft and operations. (The USS Gerald R. Ford can carry more than 75 aircraft.)

We entered the flight-deck control, where the handling officer manages the arrangement of aircraft.

USS Ford Ouija board — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

This task is done on computers now, which we weren’t allowed to photograph, but it used to be done on this “Ouija board,” still used as a backup.

When notable people visit the Ford, like President Donald Trump, they often autograph US currency.

USS Ford Ouija board Trump signature — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

Those notes are then placed along the borders of the Ouija board.

We then went up to the bridge, where the ship is navigated.

The Ford is powered by two nuclear reactors that can bring it to speeds of over 30 mph.

This is the lead helm, which controls the speed and steering.

USS Ford navigation — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

It’s all digital, but there’s an actual steering wheel below for back up.

The navigation officer sits next to the chart table.

USS Ford navigation the bridge — Daniel Brown/Business Insider

The ship is navigated digitally and with the paper charts, Jones said. A two-minute video shows Jones explaining more about the Bridge and its devices.

We also got a great view of the Truman and Lincoln carriers from the bridge.

At this point, we had been onboard for a couple hours and our time was up. But on the way out, we saw one of the bathrooms.

And it’s true: The Ford doesn’t have urinals. You can read more about why here.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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