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In the summer of 2021, the state-of-the-art USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier was sailing
off the US East Coast when suddenly a powerful underwater explosion detonated right next to her.
The incident was caught on camera and shows a massive blast of water rushing towards the sky
in what was recorded as a 3.9-magnitude earthquake off the coast of Florida.
However, the mighty and extraordinarily expensive carrier was left unscathed,
and the video shows how it just lies there through turbulent ocean waves and white caps.
In a rather surprising turn of events, it was the Navy itself that assaulted its own vessel.
The exercise was part of a common practice known as Full Ship Shock Trials, a dangerous method that
calls for a high degree of professionalism and combat readiness proportional to a real fight...
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A Technological Marvel
Named after the United States’ 38th president, the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier is the
newest and most advanced ship of its kind within the US Navy. Her construction began
in 2005 with a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate performed by Northrop Grumman.
The 100,000-ton behemoth was the largest aircraft carrier and the largest warship ever constructed
regarding her displacement the year of her commission in 2017.
The enterprise cost over 17 billion dollars, including research and development.
Leading her own class, the new warship represents the first major design investment in aircraft
carriers going back to the 1960s. Engineered to support the most advanced technologies,
the carrier also features a modern air wing intended to make a significant difference
in complex maritime scenarios against near-peer adversaries.
At a ceremony at the ship’s home in Newport News Shipyard in Virginia, Chief of Naval Operations
Admiral Jonathan Greenert said: (QUOTE) “She is truly a technological marvel. She will
carry unmanned aircraft, joint strike fighters, and she will deploy lasers.”
After Newport News Shipbuilding officially delivered Gerald R. Ford to the US Navy,
the carrier was sent to test and evaluate readiness. By March of 2021,
she had completed 17 Independent Steaming Events.
During the 17th event, Ford accomplished carrier qualifications for fleet pilots and student
naval aviators. In addition, the carrier also conducted Combat Systems Ship’s Qualification
Trials phase 2A and integrated carrier strike group operations. Carrier landings or “traps”
increased to almost 8,000 by employing her first-in-class advanced arresting gear.
Furthermore, Ford qualified while using the close-in weapons system by firing 1,500 rounds
of ammunition, and even engaged a modular target. Sailors also conducted over 300 hours
of routine maintenance on seven defensive weapon systems in preparation for phase 2C.
Fire Controlman 2nd Class Tyler Westbrook explained: (QUOTE)
“We have our aircraft launch and recovery as our offensive. CIWS, rolling airframe
missiles and NATO sea sparrow allow us to see what it is like defending the ship.”
Lastly, Ford was boarded by Carrier Strike Group 12 crewmen for integrated carrier strike group
operations, and the groups conducted several exercises over a week, including encounter,
anti-submarine warfare, and emissions control.
Ford then returned to port at Naval Station Norfolk for maintenance while
awaiting her turn to carry out her Full Ship Shock Trials or FSST later in 2021.
Shock Trials
After her post-delivery test and trials in the first part of the year,
Ford underwent preparations for her most challenging experience yet.
New construction ships are required to pass additional trials that measure
their ability to execute assignments and especially evaluate operational
survivability after enduring an underwater shock.
As the Navy has stated, such trials are necessary to prove that their vessels: (QUOTE) “Can continue
to meet demanding mission requirements under harsh conditions they might encounter in battle.”
The Navy has conducted FSSTs for decades,
but the last aircraft carrier involved in one was USS Theodore Roosevelt going back to 1987.
In the summer of 2021, the US Navy shared footage of the mighty carrier undergoing a
full ship shock trial. As part of the testing phase, the carrier had to withstand massive
detonations close to her hull, an experiment that took place off the US East Coast on June 18.
After the explosion, the United States Geological Survey recorded an explosion
equal to a 3.9-magnitude earthquake about 161 kilometers off the coast of Florida.
During a four-month progressive testing phase,
Ford endured the impact of three 40,000-pound blasts, each released closer to her hull.
By using live ordnance in simulated combat environments, the hull hardness was validated.
The Ford-class carriers were carefully designed using computerized modeling, testing,
and analysis methods. But real-life trials were still necessary. Captain Brian Metcalf,
the future aircraft carrier’s program manager, explained: (QUOTE)
“These shock trials have tested the resiliency of Ford and her crew
and provided extensive data used in the process of validating the shock hardness of the ship.”
Moreover, Metcalf explained that the tests aim to ensure that the
integrated combat systems perform as designed.
Fortunately, the Ford trials worked as planned, to which Metcalf added: (QUOTE)
“The tests demonstrated—and proved to the crew, fairly dramatically—that the ship
will be able to withstand formidable shocks and continue to operate under extreme conditions.”
On August 8, 2021, Ford successfully completed the third and final scheduled event of her FSST phase.
Rear Admiral James P. Downey, program executive officer for aircraft carriers,
was on board the ship during the first and third demonstrations.
Downey explained that carriers are meant to sail in the most contested security environments around
the globe. Non-contact blasts and sea mines pose a threat to all warships, whose resilience and
their integrated mission critical systems are now the main focus of the Navy. Shock trials are
especially useful in observing the gravity and consequences of underwater explosions.
A first-hand witness to Ford’s performance, Downey expressed: (QUOTE)
“FSST has proven a critical investment in the Ford-class development. The ship and crew
performed exceptionally in these very strenuous conditions and continued their operations
throughout the shock events, demonstrating the ship’s ‘fight-through’ capability.”
Coordination
Shock trials require detailed coordination between several
organizations within the Navy and the Naval Sea Systems Command, as well as expert FSST teams.
Moreover, the complex evolution of the FSSTs must be conducted on a
tight operational schedule regarding environmental mitigation requisites,
like those of known migration patterns of marine life, especially protected species.
Before each shot, mariners are instructed to avoid the test area. Moreover, many strict
protocols are implemented to guarantee the safety of both military and civilian personnel.
Over a dozen scientists, biologists, and observers were assigned to the
Ford experiments and remained close by in support ships and aircraft.
Observers were provided with high-powered lenses,
able to identify marine life through the waves at long distances.
Crews operated in a heightened state of watchful readiness leading up to each shot
and during each step of the sequence, anticipating the ultimate go/no-go decision.
Then, between 4:00 and 8:00 am on the day of the blast,
the final decision was made by Captain Paul Lanzilotta, the carrier’s Commanding Officer.
The interplay between innumerable crucial variables, including ship and crew readiness,
the weather, the state of the sea, and several environmental concerns, determined his verdict.
The captain recalled: (QUOTE) “Safety was always the driving consideration
throughout the shock trials. So, once we were ready and in position,
pausing the countdown to the shot could really test our focus and persistence.”
Lanzilotta also commented on other unforeseen conditions,
warning that even if many people spend months preparing for such a dangerous exercise,
the weather usually gets in the way. He also took pride in his crew’s professionalism and tenacity.
As shown in the impressive footage released by the Navy that showed Ford
come out undamaged from the explosion, the trials were ultimately successful.
In the words of the captain: (QUOTE) “So many pieces had to fall into place
to execute Ford’s FSSTs within the testing window.
Success required equal measures of technical expertise, trust, and courage—traits you’ll
find in great supply on Warship 78 and throughout the entire Ford Shock Trial Team.
These shots have only strengthened my confidence in the durability of this ship,
and the excellence of the crew who came out here to own it, and absolutely crushed it.”
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