( Provided by Newport News Shipbuilding )
US Senator Mark Warner announced that Norfolk Naval Station has been selected as the homeport for the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). Following its completion in 2016, the Ford will join other ships at Norfolk, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, the USS George Washington, the USS George H.W. Bush and the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Following a briefing given by the Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus, Sen. Warner also stated that the Norfolk port’s “world-class facilities” added to its selection as CVN 78’s homeport. US Senator Tim Kaine in a statement noted that the addition of “thousands of new sailors and their families to the region” will be a great economic boost to the area as the Norfolk Naval Station participates “in support of our nation’s naval forces.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is named after our nation’s 38th President. Susan Ford Bales, daughter of President Ford and Betty Ford, serves as Ship Sponsor of the Ford. President Ford served in the Pacific Theater during World War II on board the aircraft carrier USS Monterey (CVL 26). He often spoke of how honored he was to have served in the US Navy as a Lieutenant Commander. Just before his death in December 2006, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld informed President Ford that the US Navy’s newest class of carriers was to be named the Ford Class of carriers, with its first ship to be named the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78).
To read more about the USS Gerald R. Ford including watching the Christening Ceremony, please visit the Foundation’s CVN 78 dedicated webpage.
To read more about the homeport selection go to The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.) at http://www.stripes.com/news/navy/navy-to-homeport-uss-gerald-r-ford-in-virginia-lawmakers-say-1.334254
