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U.S. Navy’s Costliest Warship Suffers New Failure at Sea

  • Flawed bearing required a return to port for costliest vessel
  • Disclosure comes as Navy seeks to accelerate buying carriers
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$12.9 Billion Ship Suffers Second Failure

The Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s costliest warship, suffered a new failure at sea that forced it back to port and raised fresh questions about the new class of aircraft carriers.

The previously undisclosed problem with a propulsion system bearing, which occurred in January but has yet to be remedied, comes as the Navy is poised to request approval from a supportive Congress to expedite a contract for a fourth carrier in what was to have been a three-ship class. It’s part of a push to expand the Navy’s 284-ship fleet to 355 as soon as the mid-2030s.