It has been confirmed that the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest warship, will dock in the Solent next week for the first time

The Ford-class aircraft carrier will anchor off Stokes Bay in Gosport for the duration of her visit. The vessel will be surrounded by a 150-metre exclusion zone.

She is now expected to arrive on Monday (November 14th) and stay until Friday, November 18th. The exact times will be confirmed closer to the event.

Locally, the best views will be from the end of Ryde Pier and along the Esplanade, particularly as she transits from the Nab Tower and up the Solent.

Construction on the monster carrier began in 2005, and the Gerald R Ford’s keel was laid down four years later, in 2009. She joined the fleet in 2012 and was finally delivered to the US Navy in 2017, just in time for President Donald Trump to formally commission her.

The USS Gerald R Ford is only now making her maiden voyage, some 17 years after the first steel was cut. She departed the United States on October 4th and made her first overseas port call in Nova Scotia on October 28th.

The ship is named after Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States, and while it may appear to be similar in design to a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the new Ford-class is much more technologically advanced, with a new nuclear plant capable of generating nearly three times the amount of power, as well as new launch and arresting gear on the flight deck.