Major plumbing headache haunts $13 billion U.S. carrier off the coast of Venezuela
NPR • • nation
Key Points:
- The USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy's newest aircraft carrier, is facing persistent failures in its vacuum-based toilet system, causing significant frustration among its 4,600 crew members during extended deployments.
- The vacuum collection, holding, and transfer (VCHT) system, adapted from the cruise ship industry, has been prone to breakdowns since the carrier's 2023 deployment, with 205 failures reported over just four days in March 2025.
- Maintenance crews work long hours to address frequent clogs caused by narrow pipes, calcium build-up, and inappropriate items flushed down toilets, but the complex system continues to struggle, requiring costly acid flushes performed only in port.
- The Navy acknowledges the system's design
