Why the Inside of a $13B Nuclear Fortress is "Dead" Without This 1960s

The most advanced warship in human history has a fatal flaw. The USS Gerald R. Ford costs $13 billion and runs on nuclear power for 20 years, yet she is paralyzed without a piece of technology from the 1960s . 150 miles off the coast of Venezuela, with jet fuel tanks hitting 15%, the crew must perform the Navy's most dangerous logistics dance to keep the mission alive .

This is the "Mega-UNREP." Watch as civilian mariners on the USNS Supply shoulder an M14 rifle to shoot a nylon line across 140 feet of raging ocean . It sounds insane, but this mechanical "shot line" is the only reliable way to connect massive fuel hoses in salt spray and high winds . Without this rifle, the transfer of 1.1 million gallons of explosive jet fuel cannot happen .

But the mission doesn't stop for gas. As fuel pumps at 15,000 gallons per minute, an unknown aircraft closes in at 400 knots . Witness the heart-stopping moment the Captain orders F/A-18 Super Hornets to launch from the catapults while the ship is still tethered to the supply ship—a move where one mistake could spell disaster for 4,600 souls .

#usnavy #ussgeraldrford #m14rifle #aircraftcarrier #lifeatsea #dailynavy #logistics

Timestamps:
0:00 The $13 Billion Nuclear Lie
2:22 The JP-5 Paradox (Why Nuclear Ships Need Gas)
4:56 USNS Supply - The Floating "Bomb"
6:36 The 1960s Rifle Shot (Connecting at 13 Knots)
8:52 CRISIS - Launching Fighters While Refueling
10:59 Born to Be Wild" (The Breakaway Tradition)
12:05 Why Logistics is the Real Secret Weapon