Meet the Team with an Unusual Task for the Newest Carrier’s Shock Trials - Preserving Marine Life The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford completes the first scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, June 18, 2021. (U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Riley B. McDowell) 4 Jul 2021 More than four years before the explosive went off beside the aircraft carrierGerald R. Ford on June 18, a team of scientists began making plans for the ship’s shock trials. Their goal, however, was not battle readiness -- they were trying to protect marine wildlife.