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Nimitz class aircraft carrier

 
Wikipedia: Nimitz class aircraft carrier
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USS Nimitz (CVN-68), lead ship of her class of supercarriers.
USS Nimitz (CVN-68)
Class overview
Name: Nimitz class aircraft carrier
Builders: Newport News Shipbuilding Company
Operators:  United States Navy
Preceded by: Kitty Hawk class aircraft carrier
Enterprise class aircraft carrier
Succeeded by: Gerald R. Ford class aircraft carrier
In commission: May 3, 1975
Completed: 10/10
Active: USS Nimitz
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower
USS Carl Vinson
USS Theodore Roosevelt
USS Abraham Lincoln
USS George Washington
USS John C. Stennis
USS Harry S. Truman
USS Ronald Reagan
USS George H. W. Bush
General characteristics
Displacement: Approximately 101,000 long tons (103,000 t) full load
Length: Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m)
Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m)
Beam: Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m)
Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m)
Draft: Maximum navigational: 37 ft (11.3 m)
Limit: 41 ft (12.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors
4 × steam turbines
4 × shafts
260,000 shp (194 MW)
Speed: 30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph)
Range: Essentially unlimited distance; 20 years
Complement: Ship's company: 3,200
Air wing: 2,480
Sensors and
processing systems:		 AN/SPS-48E 3-D air search radar
AN/SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar
AN/SPQ-9B target acquisition radar
AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radars
AN/SPN-43C air traffic control radar
AN/SPN-41 landing aid radars
4 × Mk 91 NSSM guidance systems
4 × Mk 95 radars
Electronic warfare
and decoys:		 SLQ-32A(V)4 Countermeasures suite
SLQ-25A Nixie torpedo countermeasures
Armament:
Armor: Classified
Aircraft carried: 90 fixed wing and helicopters

The Nimitz-class supercarriers, a line of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the United States Navy, are the largest capital ships in the world, and are considered to be a hallmark in the superpower status of the United States of America.[1] These aircraft carriers are numbered with consecutive hull numbers starting with CVN-68. The letters CVN denote the type of ship: "CV" is the hull classification symbol for aircraft carriers, and "N" indicates nuclear-powered propulsion. The number after the CVN means that this is the 68th "CV", or large aircraft carrier.

Nimitz (CVN-68), the lead ship of the class, was commissioned on May 3, 1975. George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), the tenth and last of the class, was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding Company, and entered naval service on January 10, 2009. The George H.W. Bush is the first transition ship to the new Gerald R. Ford class, the first ship of which began construction in 2007 and will incorporate new technologies including a new multi-function radar system, Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), volume search radars, an open architecture information network, and a significantly reduced crew requirement. To lower costs, some new technologies were also incorporated into the Ronald Reagan, the previous carrier to the George H.W. Bush.

Due to construction differences between the first three ships (Nimitz, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Carl Vinson) and the latter seven (from Theodore Roosevelt on), the latter ships are sometimes erroneously called Theodore Roosevelt-class aircraft carriers, though the U.S. Navy considers them all to be in one class.[2] As the older Nimitz carriers come in for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), they are upgraded to the standards of the latest ships.[3] The Nimitz was the first ship of the class to undergo her initial refueling, during a 33-month RCOH at the Newport News Shipbuilding Company in Newport News, Virginia, in 1998. The Dwight D. Eisenhower was next, completing its RCOH in 2005. The Carl Vinson began its RCOH in late 2005, and completed its post-overhaul sea trials in July 2009.[3] The Vinson is currently undergoing the RCOH Post Shakedown Availability (PSA) at Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding - Newport News. The fourth of the class, the Theodore Roosevelt entered drydock in August, 2009 to begin its RCOH.

By tonnage, the Nimitz-class warships are the largest aircraft carriers built so far, holding the world record for displacement of any naval war vessel. Nimitz Class Nuclear-Powered Aircraft Carriers have a displacement of 102,000t, and a flight deck length of 332.9m.

Contents

General characteristics

Official USN sideview linedrawing

Due to a design flaw, ships of this class have inherent lists to starboard when under combat load which exceed the capability of their list control systems.[4]

Ships in class

The United States Navy lists the following ships in the Nimitz class:[2]

USS Nimitz at sea near San Diego, CA.

USS Nimitz (CVN-68)


With George Washington behind

USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)


Returning from Operation Enduring Freedom

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70)


USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)


In the Gulf of Alaska

USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)


USS George Washington

USS George Washington (CVN-73)


Heading home to Bremerton, WA

USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74)


USS Harry S. Truman alongside oiler USNS John Lenthall (T-AO-189)

USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)


USS Ronald Reagan

USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)


USS George H. W. Bush underway from Naval Station Norfolk.

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)

See also

United States Department of the Navy Seal.svg United States Navy portal

References

  1. ^ "Why the carriers?". Official United States Navy website. Accessed 7 March 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Aircraft Carriers - CV, CVN". Fact File. United States Navy. October 12, 2007. http://www.navy.mil/navydata/fact_display.asp?cid=4200&tid=200&ct=4. Retrieved 2009-01-10. 
  3. ^ a b "Refueling and Complex Overhaul". Northrop Grunman Corporation. no date. http://www.nn.northropgrumman.com/capabilities/rco.html. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  4. ^ A Solution to the Inherent List on Nimitz Class Aircraft Carriers

External links

v • d • e
Nimitz-class aircraft carrier
Nimitz subclass
Theodore Roosevelt subclass
Ronald Reagan subclass
Preceded by: USS Enterprise · Followed by: Gerald R. Ford class
List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy
v • d • e


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

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