Newport News Shipbuilding has successfully transferred the mid-body hull section of aircraft carrier Enterprise (CVN 80), allowing the shipyard to begin the concurrent assembly of two Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers in the same dry dock.

The evolution began Oct. 31 with the controlled process of slowly filling the dry dock with more than 100 million gallons of water, marking the first time CVN 80 has been floated. It was then transferred to the west end of the dry dock, where construction on the ship will continue.

Early next year, the shipyard expects to commence assembling Doris Miller (CVN 81) in the east end of the dry dock, marking a historic first that two Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers will be under construction in the dry dock at the same time. The dual construction is enabled by successful implementation of the CVN 80/81 two-ship contract modification awarded in 2019 and modifications made to the dry dock by NNS with investment by HII and the U.S. Navy.

“It is only fitting for this Enterprise, CVN 80, to be part of a historic first at NNS, considering the previous Enterprise, CVN 65, was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, proudly built here at the shipyard,” said Les Smith, vice president of Enterprise (CVN 80), Doris Miller (CVN 81) and Future Aircraft Carrier Programs. “Thousands of dedicated shipbuilders are working with urgency on these aircraft carriers that we know will play a vital role in the Navy’s fleet.”