The U.S. Navy is reviewing a proposal to move the island superstructure on Ford-class aircraft carriers further forward on the flight deck, a change President Donald Trump has pushed for aesthetic reasons. Current and former officials told The Washington Post and The Hill that the review was sparked by Trump’s preference for carriers that resemble World War II-era designs, though the Navy has not confirmed the scope or timeline of the evaluation.
Ford-class carriers currently place the island 140 feet further aft than Nimitz-class ships, a deliberate design choice aimed at improving flight deck efficiency. The configuration allows for continuous cyclic flight operations, reducing downtime between launches and recoveries. Rear Adm. Paul Lanzilotta, former captain of the USS Gerald R. Ford, noted the design maximizes sortie generation rates and minimizes turbulence risks for landing aircraft.
Shifting the island would require significant time and funding, with officials cautioning the change could disrupt ongoing construction of future Ford-class ships. The Navy has three more carriers in the class under construction, including the USS John F. Kennedy, slated for delivery this year, and plans to acquire at least 10 in total.
