NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A major milestone has been reached for the nation's next nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.
Newport News Shipbuilding began to flood Dry Dock 12 on Tuesday morning, which is where the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) is being built. The Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier has been under construction at the shipyard since 2015.
Water began to slowly pour into the dry dock, which will take several hours to fill up to 10 feet of the ship's hull. At that point, structural integrity tests will be performed before flooding continues.
The end goal is simple: fill the dry dock enough to allow the ship to float out for the very first time.
The Kennedy is the second aircraft carrier built by Newport News Shipbuilding to carry the name of the nation's 35th President.
Using new strategies and lessons learned from the construction of the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), the Kennedy is on track to be built with fewer man-hours.
The Ford-class carriers are designed to carry a wider variety of planes and operate with several hundred fewer sailors.
The USS Gerald R. Ford is years behind schedule for being ready for combat. But Navy officials and some experts have said problems are expected to arise - and be worked out - on the first ship in a new class.
A christening for the John F. Kennedy is planned for December 7.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.