The state of the art steel giant 1,106-foot 112,000 tonnes, USS Gerald R. Ford is able to launch 220 airstrikes per day from its two runways, hold 4,000 sailors and marines while appearing virtually invisible to enemy radar. PCU Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) is to be the lead ship of its class of United States Navy supercarriers. As announced by the U.S. Navy on 16 January 2007, the ship is named after the 38th President of the United States Gerald R. Ford, whose World War II naval service included combat duty aboard the light aircraft carrier Monterey in the Pacific Theater. The keel of Gerald R. Ford was laid down on 13 November 2009. Construction began on 11 August 2005, when Northrop Grumman held a ceremonial steel cut for a 15-ton plate that will form part of a side shell unit of the carrier. It was christened on 9 November 2013.[8] The schedule calls for the ship to join the U.S. Navy's fleet in 2016. Gerald R. Ford will enter the fleet replacing the inactive USS Enterprise (CVN-65), which ended its 51 years of active service in December 2012 Credit to U.S. Navy for time-lapse Hanz Zimmer Composer Man of Steel soundtrack for music