Aircraft Carrier - CV, CVN

Aircraft Carrier Aircraft Carrier
Pearl Harbor Aircraft Carrier RN Aircraft Carrier Deck

USS Ronald Reagan
Aircraft Carrier US Navy Aircraft Carrier Aircraft Carries

Aircraft Carrier Description: Aircraft carrier provide a wide range of possible response for the National Command Authority. Aircraft carrier is a warship designed to deploy and in most cases recover aircraft, acting as a sea-going airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow naval force to deploy air power to great distances without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations.

Aircraft Carrier Mission
To provide a credible, sustainable, independent forward presence and conventional deterrence in peacetime, To operate as the cornerstone of joint/allied maritime expeditionary forces in times of crisis, and To operate and support aircraft attacks on enemies, protect friendly forces and engage in sustained independent operations in war.

Features: The aircraft carrier continues to be the centerpiece of the forces necessary for forward presence. Whenever there has been a crisis, the first question has been: "Where are the carriers?" Carriers support and operate aircraft that engage in attacks on airborne, afloat, and ashore targets that threaten free use of the sea; and engage in sustained operations in support of other forces.

Aircraft carriers are deployed worldwide in support of U.S. interests and commitments. They can respond to global crises in ways ranging from peacetime presence to full-scale war. Together with their on-board air wings, the carriers have vital roles across the full spectrum of conflict.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, eight operational and two under construction, are the largest warships in the world. USS Nimitz (CVN 68) was the first to undergo its initial refueling during a 33-month Refueling Complex Overhaul at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Va., in 1998. The next generation of carrier, CVN 21, the hull number will be CVN 78, is programmed to start construction in 2007 and is slated to be placed in commission in 2014 to replace Aircraft Carrier USS Enterprise aircraft carrier (CVN 65 which will be over its 50-year mark. CVN 79 is programmed to begin construction in 2012 and to be placed in commission in 2018, replacing USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67) in her 50th year.

General Characteristics, Nimitz Aircraft Carrier Class:

Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Power Plant: Two nuclear reactors, four shafts
Length, overall: 1,092 feet (332.85 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (76.8 meters)
Beam: 134 feet (40.84 meters)
Displacement: Approx. 97,000 tons (87,996.9 metric tons) full load
Speed: 30+ knots (34.5+ miles per hour)
Aircraft: 85
Cost: about $4.5 billion each
Ships:
Aircraft Carrier Nimitz (CVN 68), San Diego, Calif.
Aircraft Carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), Newport News, Va.
Aircraft Carrier Carl Vinson (CVN 70), Bremerton, Wash.
Aircraft Carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), Norfolk, Va.
Aircraft Carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), Everett, Wash.
Aircraft Carrier George Washington (CVN 73), Norfolk, Va.
Aircraft Carrier John C. Stennis (CVN 74), San Diego, Calif.
Aircraft Carrier Harry S. Truman (CVN 75), Norfolk, Va.
Aircraft Carrier Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), San Diego, Calif.
Aircraft Carrier George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) (keel laying 6 Sept 2003)

Crew: Ship's Company: 3,200 - Air Wing: 2,480
Armament: Two or three (depending on modification) NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts: (3 on Nimitz and Dwight D. Eisenhower and 4 on Vinson and later ships of the class.)
Date Deployed: May 3, 1975 (USS Nimitz)

CV General Characteristics, Enterprise Aircraft Carrier:

Builders: Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Power Plant: Eight nuclear reactors, four shafts
Length, overall: 1,101 feet 2 inches (335.64 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (75.6 meters)
Beam: 133 feet (39.9 meters)
Displacement: 89,600 tons ( 81,283.8 metric tons) full load
Speed: 30+ knots (34.5 miles per hour)
Aircraft: 85
Ship:USS Enterprise (CVN 65), Norfolk, Va.
Crew: Ship's Company: 3,350 - Air Wing 2,480
Armament: Two Sea Sparrow missile launchers, three Phalanx 20 mm CIWS mounts
Date Deployed: November 25, 1961 (USS Enterprise)

CV General Characteristics, John F. Kennedy Aircraft Carrier:

Builders: Newport News Shipbuilding, Newport News, Va.
Power Plant: Eight boilers, four shafts, 280,000 total shaft horsepower
Length, overall: 1052 feet (315.6 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (76.8 meters)
Beam: 130 feet (39.6 meters)
Displacement: 82,000 tons (74,389.1 metric tons) full load
Speed: 30+ knots (34.5 miles per hour)
Aircraft: Approximately 85.
Ship: USS John F. Kennedy (CV 67); Mayport, Fla.
Crew: Ship's Company: 3,117 - Air Wing 2,480
Armament: Sea Sparrow missiles with box launchers, Three 20mm Phalanx CIWS
Date Deployed: September 7, 1968

CV General Characteristics, Kitty Hawk Air Carrier Class:

Builders: New York Ship Building Corp., Camden, N.J.
Power Plant: Eight boilers, four geared steam turbines, four shafts, 280,000 shaft horsepower.
Length, overall: 1062.5 feet (323.8 meters)
Flight Deck Width: 252 feet (76.8 meters)
Beam: 130 feet (39 meters)
Displacement: Approx. 80,800 tons (73,300.5 metric tons) full load
Speed: 30+ knots (34.5+ miles per hour)
Aircraft: 85
Ships:
USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63), Yokosuka, Japan
Crew: Ship's Company: 3,150 - Air Wing: 2,480
Armament: Sea Sparrow launchers, 3 20mm Phalanx CIWS mounts
Date Deployed: April 29, 1961 (USS Kitty Hawk)
Ships:
Aircraft Carrier USS Constellation
Aircraft Carrier USS John F. Kennedy
Aircraft Carrier USS Kitty Hawk
Aircraft Carrier USS America

Aircraft carriers in World War 2

The aircraft carrier dramatically changed naval combat in World War II, because air power was becoming a significant factor in warfare. The advent of aircraft as focal weapons was driven by the superior range, flexibility and effectiveness of carrier-launched aircraft. They had higher range and precision than naval guns, making them highly effective. The versatility of the carrier was demonstrated in November 1940 when HMS Illustrious launched a long-range strike on the Italian fleet at their base in Taranto, signalling the beginning of the effective and highly mobile aircraft strikes. This operation incapacitated three of the six battleships at a cost of two torpedo bombers. World War II in the Pacific Ocean involved clashes between aircraft carrier fleets. The 1941 Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a clear illustration of the power projection capability afforded by a large force of modern carriers. Concentrating six carriers in a single unit turned naval history about, as no other nation had fielded anything comparable. However, the vulnerability of carriers compared to traditional battleships when forced into a gun-range encounter was quickly illustrated by the sinking of HMS Glorious by German battle cruisers during the Norwegian campaign in 1940.

This new-found importance of naval aviation forced nations to create a number of carriers, in efforts to provide air superiority cover for every major fleet in order to ward off enemy aircraft. This extensive usage required the construction of several new 'light' carriers. Escort aircraft carriers, such as USS Bogue, were sometimes purpose-built, but most were converted from merchant ships as a stop-gap measure to provide anti-submarine air support for convoys and amphibious invasions. Following this concept, Light aircraft carriers built by the US, such as USS Independence, represented a larger, more "militarized" version of the escort carrier. Although with similar complement to Escort carriers, they had the advantage of speed from their converted cruiser hulls. The UK 1942 Design Light Fleet Carrier was designed for building quickly by civilian shipyards and with an expected service life of about 3 years.They served the Royal Navy during the war and was the hull design chosen for nearly all aircraft carrier equipped navies after the war until the 1980s. Emergencies also spurred the creation or conversion of highly unconventional aircraft carriers. CAM ships, were cargo-carrying merchant ships that could launch (but not retrieve) a single fighter aircraft from a catapult to defend the convoy from long range German aircraft.

Aircraft carriers in Postwar era

Before World War 2, international naval treaties of 1922, 1930 and 1936 limited the size of capital ships including carriers.

Since World War II, aircraft carrier designs have increased in size to accommodate a steady increase in aircraft size. The large, modern Nimitz class of US carriers has a displacement nearly four times that of the World War 2 era USS Enterprise, yet its complement of aircraft is roughly the same—a consequence of the steadily increasing size and weight of military aircraft over the years. Today's aircraft carriers are so expensive that nations which operate them risk significant political, economic, and military impact if a carrier is lost, or even used in conflict.

Modern navies that operate such aircraft carriers treat them as the capital ship of the fleet, a role previously held by the battleship. This change took place during World War II in response to air power becoming a significant factor in warfare, driven by the superior range, flexibility and effectiveness of carrier-launched aircraft. Following the war, carrier operations continued to increase in size and importance. Supercarriers, displacing 75,000 tonnes or greater, have become the pinnacle of carrier development. Some are powered by nuclear reactors and form the core of a fleet designed to operate far from home. Amphibious assault ships, such as USS Tarawa and HMS Ocean, serve the purpose of carrying and landing Marines, and operate a large contingent of helicopters for that purpose. Also known as "commando carriers" or "helicopter carriers", many have the capability to operate VSTOL aircraft.

Lacking the firepower of other warships, carriers by themselves are considered vulnerable to attack by other ships, aircraft, submarines, or missiles. Therefore, an aircraft carrier is generally accompanied by a number of other ships to provide protection for the relatively unwieldy carrier, to carry supplies and perform other support services, and to provide additional offensive capabilities. The resulting group of ships is often termed a battle group, carrier group, or carrier battle group.

There is a view that modern anti-ship weapons systems, such as torpedoes and missiles, have made aircraft carriers obsolete as too vulnerable for modern combat.On the other hand, the threatening role of aircraft carriers has a place in modern asymmetric warfare, like the gunboat diplomacy of the past.[citation needed] Furthermore, aircraft carriers facilitate quick and precise projections of overwhelming military power into such local and regional conflicts.

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