Largest Aircraft Carrier

Shell Moves Forward with Floating LNG

Shell announces final investment decision on Prelude Floating LNG project in Australia. The Board of Royal Dutch Shell plc (Shell) has taken the final investment decision on the Prelude Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FLNG) Project in Australia (100% Shell), building the world’s first FLNG facility. Moored far out to sea, some 200 kilometres from the nearest land in Australia, the FLNG facility will produce gas from offshore fields, and liquefy it onboard by cooling. The decision means that Shell is now ready to start detailed design and construction of what will be the world’s largest floating offshore facility, in a ship yard in South Korea. From bow to stern, Shell’s FLNG facility will be 488 metres long, and will be the largest floating offshore facility in the world – longer than four soccer fields laid end to end.  When fully equipped and with its storage tanks full, it will weigh around 600,000 tonnes – roughly six times as much as the largest aircraft carrier. Some 260,000 tonnes of that weight will consist of steel – around five times more than was used to build the Sydney Harbour Bridge. “Our innovative FLNG technology will allow us to develop offshore gas fields that otherwise would be too costly to develop,” said Malcolm Brinded, Shell’s Executive Director, Upstream International

Huge Section of HMS Queen Elizabeth Arrives at Rosyth

The Final hull section of aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived at Babcock’s Rosyth dockyard.   The 11,300 tonne aft section of hull, known as Lower Block 04 (LB04), made its way under the Forth Bridges shortly before 11am on Remembrance Sunday.   It left BAE Systems’ yard on the Clyde last Sunday (November 4). The section has travelled all the way around the south coast to reach the Fife assembly site, a journey of more than 1,200 miles.  

George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Upper Bow Lifted Into Place

Northrop Grumman Newport News lowered the upper bow unit of the George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) aircraft carrier into place Mar. 15. The placement of this 780-ton bow section completes the flight deck, and brings CVN 77 to its full length with construction now approximately 60 percent complete. The Navy awarded Northrop Grumman Newport News the construction contract for the tenth and final Nimitz-class carrier in January 2001. CVN 77 was named in honor of the 41st President, George H. W

USS Carl Vinson Arresting Gear Engines Reinstalled

By Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Matthew DeWitt, USS Carl Vinson Public Affairs A team from Northrop Grumman Newport News reinstalled USS Carl Vinson's (CVN 70) arresting gear engines into the ship's flight deck, June 6. The arresting gear engines were placed onto the ship's flight deck via cranes at the ship’s new location at Pier 3, completing another major milestone for the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier during its Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) at

Russian Navy Group Heads to the Mediterranean

Russia has reportedly dispatched an 11-ship aircraft carrier group to the Mediterranean Sea, according to an AP report, in a resumption of Russian naval patrols of the world’s waters. The move is in line with recent moves by Russia to expand its military presence and flex it’s growing economic strength. According to the AP report, an aircraft carrier, two anti-submarine ships, a guided missile cruiser along with refueling ships from Russia's Northern and Black Sea fleets and 47 aircraft

Newport News Sets Heaviest Module Yet Aboard Aircraft Carrier

Huntington Ingalls Industries' Newport News Shipbuilding places a record 1,026-metric ton unit —aboard aircraft carrier 'Gerald R. Ford' (CVN 78). The modular unit, — roughly the weight of six Boeing 747 commercial airplanes, is one of the nearly 500 total structural lifts needed to complete the ship, of which 435 have been completed. The lifts are accomplished using the shipyard's 1,050-metric-ton gantry crane, one of the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

Aircraft Carrier Assists Sinking Tug

A U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier went to the rescue of a sinking tugboat off the Florida coast, dispatching a repair team that helped pump seven ft. of water from the vessel's hull, the U.S. Military's Southern Command said. It was the second rescue by a U.S. aircraft carrier off Florida's Atlantic coast in three weeks. USS John F. Kennedy rescued eight crewmen of a sinking tug from the Atlantic Ocean in mid-September.

Northrop Grumman Completes Main Mast Installation On USS Carl Vinson

Northrop Grumman completed a significant work performance milestone on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) with the installation of the final section of the ship's main mast. Photo by Chris Oxley Northrop Grumman Corporation completed a significant work performance milestone on the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) with the installation of the final section of the ship's main mast on Feb. 21.

Carrier's Namesake Tests Catapult

Former President George H.W. Bush, prepares to signal the launch of two "dead loads" off the flight deck of the Precommissioning Unit (PCU) George H. W. Bush's (CVN 77). "Dead Load" launches test the ship's catapult systems ability to launch aircraft. The ship is under construction at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipyard. U.S. Navy photo By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Susan Caraballo (Released) From Pre-Commissioning Unit George H. W. Bush Public Affairs

This Day in Naval History - Sept. 24

From the Navy News Service 1918 - Ensign David S. Ingalls, in a Sopwith Camel, shoots down his fifth enemy aircraft, becoming the first U.S. Navy ace while flying with the British Royal Air Force. 1944 - Fifth Fleet carrier aircraft attack Japanese in Visayas, Philippines. 1960 - First nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise (CVN 65), launched at Newport News, Va.