An artist’s depiction of the future USS Enterprise (CVN-80). A cascading series of shipbuilding delays have delayed the anticipated commissioning dates of both the Enterprise and her sister ship USS Doris Miller (CVN-81). (US Department of Defense)

The US Navy’s Next Two Aircraft Carriers Just Got Delayed (Again)

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USS Doris Miller, named for a hero of Pearl Harbor, is expected to face a two-year delay related to the Navy’s shipbuilding woes.

The fourth Ford-class aircraft carrier will come with a two-year delay, according to the US Navy. The future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) will now be commissioned in 2034 due to shipbuilding delays, pushed back from its original scheduled delivery date of 2032.

Why the Doris Miller Won’t Be Ready for Eight More Years

Serious shipbuilding delays will postpone the arrival of both the Doris Miller and its predecessor in the class, USS Enterprise (CVN-80). 

“The CVN-81 delivery date shifted from February 2032 to February 2034 due to shipbuilder construction footprint constraints limiting their ability to build CVN-81 ship modules,” the Navy announced in its Fiscal Year Budget 2027 shipbuilding outlook. It noted that the keel of the ship, the first piece of construction, was expected to be laid at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipbuilding facility in Newport News, Virginia, later this year.

The Enterprise, the third flattop of the........

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