Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Newport News Shipbuilding (HII-NNS) has achieved a milestone in systems and compartment construction of the US Navy’s John F Kennedy (CVN 79).

This milestone marks a significant step towards the delivery of the vessel, which is expected in 2024.

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The company has turned over the 1,000th compartment of the 2,615 total spaces to the crew of the US Navy’s second Ford-class aircraft carrier CVN 79.

The company has also finished work on electrical and engineering spaces, allowing sailors assigned to the pre-commissioning unit to increase their training on the ship.

New Construction Aircraft Carrier Programmes CVN 78 and CVN 79 vice-president Lucas Hicks said: “This is about equipping our sailors with the most advanced aircraft carrier ever built for the US Navy.

“We are proud to execute for the customer, and finalise the remaining equipment, systems and compartments that will bring us closer to delivering the ship to the Navy.”

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The NNS division is also working on the construction of the US Navy’s two other Ford-class aircraft carriers USS Enterprise (CVN 80) and Doris Miller (CVN 81).

Separately, the US Navy’s 12th San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) has sailed towards its commissioning site in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The vessel departed from HII’s Ingalls Shipbuilding division on 11 July.

The US Navy is scheduled to commission the LPD 28 on 30 July in Fort Lauderdale.

Other vessels from the San Antonio-class are currently under construction at Ingalls. It includes Richard M McCool Jr (LPD 29) and Harrisburg (LPD 30).

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