Navy Carrier Ford's High-Tech EMALS Catapult System Breaks During Sea Trials

LTC Stephen C. In all fairness, steam needed to go. It is very dangerous on a ship, and not necessary if you have other means of propulsion. The amount of maintenance required to keep steam going is ridiculous, which means more manpower needed in ship's company. So, finding a new method to catapult is necessary and this electromagnetic system will get fixed.

LT Brad McInnis - I hear ya,,,, But until it's ironed out we have a worthless Flight Deck,,,, Two spots could be Magnetic and the rest Steam until issues are solved...
But it's way too late for that now,,, We are past design, build and installation phase.

PO3 (Join to see) - I don't think it ever had steam, and there is no way to retrofit it without a MAJOR years period. It is easier to fix what they have. I hate new tech as much as anyone, but they will figure it out.

LT Brad McInnis - It never had steam,,,, Hence why I mentioned (We are past design, build and installation phase.)

PO3 Bob McCord - Most don't realize what goes on in the background to support the ships and personnel, to be on station. All the preparation, and hard work of the unseen, also the blood sweat and tears. (Good name for a band, lol)
It was a joy to see the ship leave after all the work we did on it, and to hear about it in the news.
The floating crane we had here was built in 1942, many a times I worked on it to keep it afloat, and the crane operator retired off it with 47 years of civil service in 1996.
The shipyard loved that old crane, and so did the Navy, it cost $900 an hour to use it.

PO3 Bob McCord - When looking at the crane being used, I always thought it would be fun to operate it, one had to be good on the swing, or the riggers would cuss you out. Lol
One new crane operator on the pear gantry crane dropped a scrap bucket on the main deck to hard, you should have see how many riggers showing him the finger and cursing at him, even at lunch they kept harassing him.
I was in the lower deck when it happened, and heard the big bang, the ship fitters working with me, got on the upper deck and were cursing at him too. Lol
I think for the next 6 months, people were still telling him off. Lol

PO3 Bob McCord - Those cranes do look like heavy duty.

PO3 Bob McCord - I can believe that the cables were big as your wrist. At SRF Guam, the shore power supply cables were bigger then my fist, 404 volts. One from shop-99 was working on the shore power box, and the ark jumped from the connections and struck him on the face, he received bad burns on his face but is still living.