US carrier is message to the world: Trump

US President Donald Trump says his country's new aircraft carrier will make America's enemies "shake with fear".

The United States has commissioned a new aircraft carrier that President Donald Trump says will make America's enemies "shake with fear".

In a military ceremony on Saturday, Trump said the USS Gerald R. Ford - named after the US president from 1974-77 - was "a 100,000-tonne message to the world" and would be a valued asset in the US fleet.

"Wherever this vessel cuts through the horizon, our allies will rest easy and our enemies will shake with fear because everyone will know that America is coming and America is coming strong," Trump said.

He told the sailors that they were about to embark on a "truly great adventure" on the ship.

"To every patriot who will serve on this ship, I say this: Keep the watch, protect her and defend her," he said. "Godspeed and good luck."

The ship, the first in a new class of carriers, is nuclear-powered and comes with a $US12.9-billion ($A16.3 billion) price tag, according to the Navy Times.

Equipped with state-of-the-art systems, it is unlikely to deploy for another five years following its "shakedown" period, during which kinks with the shipyard, engineers and crew members are to be worked out, the newspaper said.

The commissioning ceremony was held at the US naval base in Norfolk, Virginia.


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world