5 Fast Facts On The USS Gerald R. Ford: The World's Largest Aircraft Carrier (2025)

Gerald Rudolph “Jerry” Ford Jr. (July 14, 1913 – December 26, 2006), upon being sworn in as Vice President of the United States (VPOTUS) under then-President Richard Milhous Nixon on December 6, 1973, said:

Fast-forward to August 9, 1974, and Ford would succeed Nixon as POTUS upon the latter's resignation, thus going down in history as the only US President ever to serve in the Oval Office without winning an election for President or Vice President. His Presidency is nowhere near as well-regarded by historians as that of Abraham Lincoln.

However, President Ford and his 19th-century predecessor both had an aircraft carrier named in their honor. Gerald R. Ford actually one-ups "Honest Abe" in the aircraft carrier category. Abe only had a single aircraft carrier named for him (CV-72, a Nimitz-class supercarrier). Ford not only has an entire class of supercarriers bearing his name, but they're also the largest aircraft carriers ever built. Simple Flying now shares 5 fast facts about the Gerald R. Ford-class supercarriers.

Photo:U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Jackson Adkins | Wikimedia Commons

1 The ships' namesake was a Naval Officer in his own right

Gerald R. Ford served in the US Navy during WWII

Getting an aircraft carrier class named after him is apropos, as President Ford served aboard an aircraft carrier during the second world war: the Independence-class light carrier USS Monterey (CVL-26)

Jerry Ford was commissioned as an Ensign in the US Naval Reserve in April 1942 (a mere 15 months after earning his law degree, as per the University of Michigan Hall of Honor). He served as a gunnery officer onboard Monterey, participating in several actions in the Battle of the Philippine Sea (AKA “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot”).

Mr Ford was honorably discharged as a Lieutenant Commander (pay grade O-4; equivalent of a Major in the US Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps) in January 1946.

2 Only one Ford-class aircraft carrier has been commissioned thus far

But more are on the way

The only Ford-class ship to be commissioned thus far is, appropriately enough, the lead ship of the class and namesake, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78); the commissioning date was July 22, 2017. Before that, she was laid down on November 13, 2009, launched on October 11, 2013, christened on November 9, 2013, and acquired on May 31, 2017. Next in line are:

• USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79); launched on October 29, 2019; fittingly christened by JFK’s daughter Caroline on December 7 (Pearl Harbor Day), 2019; scheduled to enter service in 2025
• USS Enterprise (CVN-80); scheduled to be commissioned sometime in 2028
• USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) is slated for commissioning sometime in 2032.

3 The biggest aircraft carrier ever built

How big? Quite big.

We've mentioned that the USS Gerald R. Ford is the biggest aircraft carrier ever built, but let's get into the specifics of just how big she is. The Ford isn't just the largest aircraft carrier ever built; she's also the largest warship of any kind ever constructed.

To put that size in historical perspective, the world's first supercarrier, the WWII Imperial Japanese Navy's (IJN) Shinano (信濃) displaced a mere 65,800 tons and had a hull length of 265.8 m (872 ft 2 in). Launched on October 8, 1944, Shinano was sunk during her sea trials by the submarine USS Archerfish (SS-311) on November 29, 1944.

4 Replacing legends

Succeeding some of the famous names in USN carrier history

USS Ford is the first new aircraft carrier designed in over 40 years, replacing the venerable USS Enterprise (CVN-65, AKA "The Big E," which began her service in 1961 and served the USN fleet for 51 years). Her class also represents an upgrade over the longstanding Nimitz-class CVNs, which were first commissioned in May 1975. Ergo, from a sentimental standpoint, it's nice to see that the third ship of the Ford class will preserve the Enterprise name.

In the spirit of bipartisanship, the second ship of the Ford class bears the name of a Democratic POTUS (who was also a WWII Naval Officer). That warship carries on the name of the non-nuclear USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) of the Kitty Hawk class, which served from September 1968 to August 2007.

On the vessel's official website, Ford's skipper, CAPT (pay grade O-6, equivalent to a "full-bird" Colonel in the Army, Air Forces, and Marines) Rick Burgess, lists the following Vision, Core Values, and Emphases, which are quite fitting for such a historically significant warship:

Photo (Graphic): United States Department of the Navy | Wikimedia Commons

5 She's served in combat

Taking the fight to the Houthi terrorists

On October 8, 2023, after Hamas commenced its terrorist attack that resulted in the murder of roughly 1,200 Israeli civilians, US Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) Lloyd Austin directed the Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean "to bolster regional deterrence efforts." This strike group also included the following USN warships:

• The cruiser USS Normandy (CG-60)
• The destroyers USS Ramage (DDG-61)
• The destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64)
• The destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG-80)
• The destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG-116)

During that deployment, one of the Ford's warbirds scored a confirmed air-to-air kill against a Houthi terrorist group asset. As noted by Simple Flying's Aaron Spray in an article published this past June 7:

• "The US Navy used an EA-18G Growler to destroy a Houthi Mi-24/35 Hind helicopter.

• The kill mark of a Hind appeared on a Growler on USS Dwight D. Eisenhower."

• "The engagement shows that the AARGM missile has precision strike capabilities against non-radiating targets."