US Navy - Blast tests on the type ship of the Gerald R. Ford class

Advanced computer modelling methods are state of the art today, even in ship design - especially when it comes to the largest carrier ever built. At the end of the 18-month verification voyages, three blast tests on the Gerald-R. Ford class type ship were to show whether the art would pass the endurance test. Only when no marine mammals could be detected within a 3.5-mile radius by the spotter teams and aerial observers was the first attempt made on 18 June off the coast of Florida with an approximately 18-kilotonne explosive charge as a full ship shock trial which was registered as an earthquake measuring 3.9 on the Richter scale on land. The further detonations were due to take place in July, but were delayed due to technical problems with the second test. In each case, the explosive charge is placed a little closer to the ship, whose crew then has to check all systems and shipbuilding structures for function and damage. Before the acceptance trials and delivery to the Navy can take place, the Ford will undergo a six-month shipyard overhaul after completion of the tests. After all, something always breaks.