(BPT) - Maintain equipment used to detect enemy planes and
ships. Control steam generators. Operate nuclear propulsion
plant machinery. These are just a few of the tasks Sailors
aboard Navy aircraft carriers and submarines fulfill in both
peace and wartime roles around the world. These Sailors are
responsible for operating, controlling and maintaining state-of-
the-art nuclear components that power the fleet; the core of the
Navy’s ability to operate forward and maintain readiness.
Today’s Sailors continue to make history. They take on
tremendous roles and responsibilities such as working to build
the Gerald R. Ford, a new class of carriers expected to be
delivered in 2015. Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of the
Navy, and the Gerald R. Ford class builds upon the branch’s
legacy of aircraft carrier innovation stretching back to the
first aircraft carrier, USS Langley (CV 1) and continuing to the
present day. The introduction of jet aircraft, angled decks and
nuclear power were all innovations that kept th