The latest and most advanced U.S. aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, left Norfolk naval station for acceptance trial, local media reported Wednesday.
The first-of-its-class warship will conduct test operations at sea, ensuring that it was built according to contract specifications, local WAVY TV cited navy officials as saying.
The acceptance trial, the last phase before the deliverance of the ship to the Navy, will be oversaw by the Navy's Board of Inspection and Survey.
Acting Navy Secretary Sean Stackley predicted earlier this month that the aircraft carrier, hull numbered CVN-78, will soon enter service upon completion of its acceptance trial.
The USS Ford completed its shipbuilder's trial in April.
Construction of the USS Ford began in 2005 and was originally set to be completed in September 2015, but saw its construction delayed and its cost raised to 12.9 billion U.S. dollars, up two billion dollars from its original cost.
The USS Ford is the first of a new class of supercarriers. Boasting the most advanced weapons in the world, it is part of a push from the U.S. government to bolster its naval power.
