Apr 9, 2013 – The addition of CVN 78’s upper bow, weighing 787 metric tons, brings Ford to 96 percent structural completion. Post date September 2, 2020 ← The heaviest lift ever performed at Newport News Shipbuilding took place Oct. 4, 2012. The gallery deck to flight deck bridge unit for the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) weighs 1026 metric tons and measures 128 feet wide and 128 long. The superlift comprises 14 sections of firefighting, jet fuel and catapult systems. Photo by John Whalen. → Mar 20, 2013 – Shipbuilders work night shift on Gerald R. Ford shortly after the mast is added to the island. Photo by John Whalen