Despite a heat index upwards of 115 degrees, thousands made their way to Norfolk Naval Base on Saturday to witness President Donald Trump commission USS Gerald R. Ford, the largest and most powerful aircraft carrier the world has ever seen. The commissioning represented the culmination of years of work by Gloucester and Mathews shipbuilders. The Gerald R. Ford, or CVN 78, is the lead ship in a new class of nuclear-powered supercarriers more advanced than the Nimitz-class supercarriers that have been in service since 1975. According to Rear Admiral Bruce Lindsey, CVN 78 “will leverage design changes from bow to stern and from keel to mast, enabling ships of the class to fly today’s carrier aircraft with improved efficiency” and will also accommodate future developments in both manned and unmanned aircraft. CVN 78 also features a scaled-down island (command center) that has been moved aft (ship’s rear) relative to previous carriers. This, according to Admiral Lind...