The nation’s newest aircraft carrier will officially join the fleet next month. Navy officials said this week in a statement that the USS Gerald R. Ford will be commissioned on July 22. The ceremony will take place at Naval Station Norfolk. The ship is named after the country’s 38th President, who served in the Navy during World War II. The Ford is the first of the Navy’s new Ford class of aircraft carrier. The vessel can carry more planes and operate with several hundred fewer sailors. It will also increase flying missions by a third. The ship is being commissioned after more than a year of delays, cost overruns and glitches that drew criticism from President Donald Trump. The ship will go through workups at sea before becoming operational in 2020.
