The $12.9 billion USS Gerald R Ford sustained a propulsion system failure while undergoing sea trials to test the ship’s ability to handle the big blue and work out any kinks. The breakdown took place in January but was only disclosed four months later after Bloomberg News gained access to a US Navy internal memo from Naval Sea Systems Command.
“Navy officials didn’t disclose the problem during budget hearings before Congress in recent weeks and House and Senate lawmakers didn’t ask about it,” Bloomberg observed.
According to the memo, shipmaker Huntington Ingalls told the Navy the failure was triggered by a “manufacturing defect” and “not improper operation” by US Navy personnel aboard the ship.
Along with the Navy, a significant contingency of US lawmakers are aggressively pursuing a strategy to procure two Ford-class aircraft carriers in fiscal year 2019, which would expand total procurement of the colossal new ships from three to four. The program, once estimated to cost $42 billion for three ships, will balloon to $58 billion if the appropriations committee lawmakers get what they want.
This goal is also in line with US President Donald Trump’s 2017 vow, made in Newport News, Virginia, where one of Huntington Ingalls’ shipyards is located, that his administration would deliver the “12-carrier Navy we need.” The Navy’s 355-ship goal, revealed in December 2016, also calls for 12 active carriers.
Even if Huntington Ingalls gets the dual-carrier “bundled” contract, US policy experts say it could be a long time before the US Navy’s 355-ship fleet becomes a reality.
“Even with increased shipbuilding rates, achieving certain parts of the 355-ship force-level goal — particularly the 12-ship goal for aircraft carriers and the 66-boat goal SSNs [nuclear-powered attack submarines] — could take many years,” Ronald O’Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs at the Congressional Research Service, said in an April report.
Headquartered in Moscow Russia, Sputnik is a news agency with offices around the world. Sputnik covers global political and economic news for an international audience. Launched in November 2014 by the Russian media group Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik works in more than 30 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Arabic, Chinese, and more.
*All posts on behalf of Sputnik News are made by Gordon Duff and Jim W. Dean
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it’s going to take an extra kilo ton to melt that baby.
Some asked when we (america) will reach our credit limit. By my estimates, if we consider known in ground, and offshore resources and, estimated unknown resources, add to all that the loan value of all usable land … well Mr. Dean what do you think? Our loan value is 50% of the real/estimate so, my guess is $60 to $70 trillions. At our present rate of borrowing the banks should be coming for our drinking water assets in 15 or 20 years. For a more precise answer someone should ask the Greeks. Or the Detroit comptroller.
How much did the Federal Reserve Corporation earn/steal last year?. Maybe those families should pay taxes. I forgot it’s all secret and, no, like a church they’re exempt. If anyone wants a good laugh listen to our Congress or Senate question anyone from the Fed. Go to Katherin Fitt’s site, solarium.com, she has the videos up. Try not to vomit.
A 12.9 billion dollar steel coffin…What a waste of tax payers money.
LS…
You are talking about the Duck cooking mysterious flying Russian microwave !?
One of them should be named, the USS Imelda Marcos.
The only way the criminals in our government can get away with this scam is that they can borrow or print the money to do it because obviously they don’t have the money in the bank.
They owe trillions of dollars now which they clearly never intend to repay. When will they hit their credit limit? Or, when will the financial collapse come and shut them down? Can they continue to borrow, print and spend fake dollars forever? Even in WWII there were strict controls on the amount of money they could borrow and spend. Today there appear to be no controls. The sky is the limit?
Isn’t it amazing they have reached this point of enormous debt without a financial crash?
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