For The First Time, At Sea On Its Own -- The Daily Press
Just after 9 a.m. Friday, the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush floated over the top of the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, the first time that the ship went to sea under its own power.
Flanked by a host of tugboats and Coast Guard escorts, the commissioned $6.26 billion Newport News-built ship departed for its first of two rounds of sea trials called "builder's trials," moving the ship another step closer to delivery to the Navy.
The trials — operational tests conducted at sea over a few days — are used to demonstrate that the ship's two nuclear propulsion plants and other systems function properly.
Read more ....
My Comment: I sometimes scratch my head and wonder if this is worth it in today's geopolitical world.