Twenty-five years ago, in late May 2001, the CVNX program held a kick-off meeting on the sixth floor of Bldg. 520.

Over 200 representatives from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Air Force Atlantic (AIRLANT), Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC), Supervisor of Shipbuilding, Conversion and Repair (SUPSHIP) and NNS came together to set the first critical link to the design of CVNX – now known as the Ford class – in motion.

Though Newport News Shipbuilding’s design work for CVNX began in 1997, this was the first meeting of the entire program.

According to then-Future Aircraft Carriers Program Manager Capt. Dudley B. Berthold, roughly 15% of the people on the CVNX contract design team had been associated with nuclear aircraft carrier construction as far back as USS Nimitz (CVN 68).

“You can’t buy that experience anywhere other than NNS,” Berthold said.