USS John F. Kennedy successfully completes sea trials

Devlin Epding, The Virginian-Pilot on Aug 17, 2026

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NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The U.S. Navy’s newest aircraft carrier is inching toward completion after successfully undergoing sea trials.

The USS John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) is the Navy’s second Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and is currently undergoing its final outfitting in the James River. Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Saturday its Newport News Shipbuilding division successfully completed sea trials with the Kennedy. The four-day, crew-led test evaluated whether the ship is built in accordance to contractual specifications and crew members are adequately trained to operate it.

According to Capt. Mark. Johnson, the program manager for aircraft carrier new construction, the milestone is one of the final hurdles for a ship before it’s delivered to the Navy. He applauded the crew and said the final stages are ensuring the Navy’s new ship is constructed efficiently and precisely.

“Over the last few days, the crew of the future USS John F. Kennedy performed incredibly well and have demonstrated that they are ready to put this ship to work for the Navy,” Johnson said in a statement Monday.

The carrier follows the USS Gerald R. Ford as a replacement to the Navy’s Nimitz-class ships, and was originally scheduled to be completed in 2022. Its last major milestone was completing builder’s sea trials in February. However, the new class of ships, including the Kennedy, have taken years longer to complete than scheduled and have gone billions over budget.

With the completion, the ship will now undergo preliminary acceptance, which will allow the crew to learn the ship’s unique systems as construction on its final four advanced weapons elevators is completed. Newport News Shipbuilding Vice President Derek Murphy said he was honored to see shipbuilder’s work finally come to fruition.

“This critical set of sea trials is a testament to the entire nuclear shipbuilding enterprise and the work of thousands across our country to prepare CVN 79 to join the fleet,” Murphy said in a statement.

The ship’s final delivery is scheduled for spring 2027.

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