We have seen a lot of its bow, but check out this unique view of the stern of the USS Gerald Ford—the first unit of America’s new aircraft carrier class. It’s surprising to see the new location of the island and how wide the stern is. Oh, and it kind of looks kind of Star Destroyerish from this angle.
https://gizmodo.com/this-image-of-the-new-class-of-american-aircraft-carrie-1447445548
Captain John F. Meier—the commanding officer of the Gerald R. Ford—says that moving the island aft has made the Ford completely different from the previous Nimitz-class carriers. The new architecture has greatly improved the layout of the deck, he says, making the servicing, launch and capture of airplanes a lot faster, kind of like a pitstop. In fact, he says the deck is actually modeled after NASCAR pitstops.
The new configuration shortens the total length of the ship and cuts down the number of sailors which directly translate into less costs.
