Aircraft Carriers

Types

Photo showing one of the twelve colossal Navy carrier ships

The U.S. aircraft carrier fleet consists of 12 ships. Ten of the ships are nuclear powered and two are conventionally powered by fossil fuel. Conventionally-powered ships are refueled by replenishment ships while underway every 3–5 days. However, nuclear propulsion keeps an aircraft carrier moving for over 20 years. Since 1975, all carriers have been constructed with nuclear propulsion systems.

A carrier has approximately 18 levels, including eight above the ship’s enormous hangar bay and ten decks below. The “island” or superstructure above the flight deck contains the bridge, where the captain monitors flights and oversees operations, and the flag bridge, where the admiral and his staff can watch operations and conduct task group-level planning. One level up from the navigation bridge is primary flight control or “Pri-Fly”, home to the “air boss”. The air boss controls all aircraft both on the flight deck and in the air within five miles of the ship.

Homeports:

  1. Yokosuka, Japan
  2. Norfolk, VA
  3. Mayport, FL
  4. Bermerton, WA
  5. San Diego, CA

Deployments

Carriers whose homeports are on the east coast will typically deploy to the Mediterranean Sea and may visit ports in Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey and Israel.

West coast carriers will normally deploy to the Western Pacific and may visit ports in Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, Korea, Thailand, etc. Carriers from both coasts will deploy in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf.

Deployments are usually six months in length once every 18-months to two years, but ships frequently go to sea for shorter periods in between deployments.

Classes

The Nimitz Class Carrier USS Harry S. Truman

Nimitz Class:

  • USS Nimitz (CVN 68) - San Diego, CA
  • USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) - Newport News, VA
  • USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) - Bremerton, WA
  • USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) - Norfolk, VA
  • USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) - Everett, WA
  • USS George Washington (CVN 73) - Norfolk, VA
  • USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) - San Diego, CA
  • USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) - Norfolk, VA
  • USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) - San Diego, CA

Nuclear-powered Nimitz-class aircraft carriers are the largest warships in the world. Each ship was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company with commissioning dates spanning from 1975 to 1998.

  • Length: 1,040 feet
  • Flight Deck Width: 252 feet
  • Beam: 134 feet
  • Displacement: Approximately 97,000 tons full load
  • Speed: 30+ knots/34.5 m.p.h.
  • Aircraft: Approximately 80, depending on type
The USS Enterprise

Enterprise Class:

  • USS Enterprise (CVN 65) - Norfolk, VA

The USS Enterprise was the first aircraft carrier with nuclear propulsion. It is powered by eight nuclear reactors with four shafts. The ship was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company and was commissioned in 1960.

  • Length: 1,040 feet
  • Flight Deck Width: 252 feet
  • Beam: 133 feet
  • Displacement: Approximately 89,600 tons full load
  • Speed: 30+ knots/34.5 m.p.h.
  • Aircraft: Approximately 80, depending on type
The USS John F. Kennedy

John F. Kennedy Class:

Known as "Big John," the USS John F. Kennedy is conventionally powered by eight boilers, four geared steam turbines and four shafts. It delivers 280,000 shaft horsepower. The ship was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company and was commissioned in 1968.

  • Length: 1,052 feet
  • Flight Deck Width: 252 feet
  • Beam: 130 feet
  • Displacement: Approximately 82,000 tons full load
  • Speed: 30+ knots/34.5 m.p.h.
  • Aircraft: Approximately 80, depending on type
The USS Kitty Hawk

Kitty Hawk Class:

  • USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) - Yokosuka, Japan

Kitty Hawk is conventionally powered by eight boilers, four geared steam turbines and four shafts. They deliver 280,000 shaft horsepower. Kitty Hawk was built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation and commissioned in 1961. Kitty Hawk (CV 63) is considered to be the first of the super carriers ever built and the only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier. The island structure on the Kitty Hawk is 120-feet long, the exact distance of the Wright Brother’s first flight at Kitty Hawk, NC, on Dec. 17, 1903.

  • Length: 1,062.5 feet
  • Flight Deck Width: 252 feet
  • Beam: 130 feet
  • Displacement: Approximately80,800 tons full load
  • Speed: 30+ knots/34.5 m.p.h.
  • Aircraft: Approximately 80, depending on type
A US Navy Battlegroup

Battle Group:

A battle group is a team of ships that deploy together as a unit. It is normally made up of an aircraft carrier (carrying 75-85 aircraft), two guided missile cruisers, two destroyers, a frigate, two attack submarines, a supply ship and an oiler or fuel ship. Each ship has a function within the force to ensure protection. The battle group is commanded by an admiral, who typically resides on the carrier due to its extensive command and control capabilities.