Trump is a mechanical engineer now, hoping to make steam engines great again. 
The Navy Tried to Talk Trump Out of This
The Wall Street Journal reports Trump Orders Navy to Restore Older Tech on Aircraft Carriers, Costing Billions
President Trump has directed the Navy to tear out a complex system for launching jet fighters from its aircraft carriers and instead go back to using steam catapults, a move Navy officials have fought for years and will likely cost billions of dollars.
U.S. officials say Trump signed a national security memorandum Thursday directing the change, which would involve removing the electromagnetic catapult system used by the ships in the Gerald R. Ford class of carriers.
By doing so, Trump is making good on a promise he made almost 10 years ago to go back to the steam system after hearing a sailor praise it while visiting a ship during his first term.
But since Trump said in an interview with Time in 2017 that he told the Navy to go back to “goddamn steam,” top Navy and industry leaders have resisted the move because of the enormous expense to tear out such a complex system that was integral to the design of the Ford class.
The move directs the Navy to redesign the fourth ship in the class—to be named the Doris Miller—and all remaining ships. The first three ships—the Ford, John F. Kennedy and Enterprise—will retain the electromagnetic system.
“They’re not nearly as good, too complex,” Trump said last month at a conference in Pennsylvania, referring to the electromagnetic system.
The order marks Trump’s latest foray into the design and development of military programs. He inserted himself into negotiations for the Air Force One and the F-35 jet fighter programs, directed design changes to the Constellation-class frigate and championed the creation of Trump-class battleships.
“This decision will result in carriers that are enabled by battle-tested steam and hydraulic systems that are more resilient and robust than the present, more exquisite, follow-on systems,” the White House said in a statement. “It will also reactivate portions of the maritime industrial base that are easier to scale.”
The USS George H.W. Bush, which entered the Navy’s fleet in 2009, was the last aircraft carrier built with steam catapults. Replacing the electromagnetic catapults with steam will be a complex endeavor that will likely cost billions of dollars, according to Bryan Clark, a naval expert with the Hudson Institute, a Washington think tank.
Internally, the Ford class is much different from the Nimitz. Sections that housed the infrastructure for steam have been reworked or simply don’t exist. Steam on the older Nimitz ships powers not only the aircraft catapults but also heating and evaporators that produce freshwater and galley equipment, such as kettles. Piping runs throughout the ship, which creates numerous points of failure.
“Electric is more reliable,” Clark said. “If I can turn these components to be electric instead of steam, it eliminates all the steam related mechanical parts.”
The maintenance on the electrical systems is cheaper, he added. There are 500 fewer sailors on the Ford, in part because fewer technicians are needed to work on the ship’s existing steam equipment.
China is using electromagnetic catapults in its newest aircraft carriers, and France plans to use the system on the Ford in its new carrier.
Senator Kelly Chimes In
“I’ve launched off the front of aircraft carriers hundreds of times, have a Master’s degree in aeronautical engineering, and am a test pilot and even I wouldn’t suggest to the Navy how to engineer specific systems on its ships. Donald Trump should stick to what he knows best — ballrooms, bankruptcy, and bullshit.”
If you are questioning the wisdom of this, please remember, Trump is never wrong.
He was right about the Iran war, tariffs, inflation, and everything else too.
I am sure steam engines will be great again.
Anyone who doesn’t think this nation is retarded should kindly view the story above and try to explain to themselves how this fine example of American intellect was elected by popular vote. This is what this nation deserves.
I served on a carrier (not as Captain, that’s just an unfortunate nickname bestowed upon me for being too hairy) and let me tell you, the four steam catapults onboard were something else. Curiously, when an airplane lands, even a large one, it is almost a non-event as far as the below-decks crew are concerned. However, the jolt of an airplane being launched is felt by all 5000-6000 people aboard, every time. The reason is that the shuttle that hooks on to the landing gear and flings the plane forward (thanks to the steam piston on the deck immediately below the flight deck) must stop very abruptly after the plane breaks free. I think Trump may be responding to the rumored persistent complaints about the reliability of the newfangled electromagnetic system on the Gerald Ford class ships. He may be right on this one thing imo.
Trump could save a fortune on the new steam catapults by giving the contract to the guy who installed his trap-shooting clay launcher at Mar-a-Lago.
Or whoever made Dick Cheney’s shotgun. Worked like a charm every time.