The USA has money for this, but not enough to feed me, who stopped both WW3 and another US civil war, and an assissination attempt on Pres, Obama..........and now i am still broke, homeless, while my wife, who married for a green card and was a prostitute,,,,,,,,has full custody of my 13 year old daughter..........i hate this place...............

Supercarrier

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the television program, see Supercarrier (TV series).

USS Enterprise (rear), the first nuclear-powered and still the largest supercarrier (94,781 tons), and the medium-sized carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91) (front) (37,085 metric tons).

The 100,000 ton USS John C. Stennis, a modern-day supercarrier (left), alongside the 22,000 metric ton light carrier HMS Illustrious (right).

Comparison of four different aircraft carriers.

Supercarrier is an unofficial descriptive term for the largest type of aircraft carrier, typically those displacing over 70,000 tons (64,000 metric tons).^[1] Supercarriers are the largest warships ever built, larger than the largest battleship class laid down by any country. The U.S. Navy has ten supercarriers as of 2014.^[2]

A few countries operate medium-sized fleet carriers of around 40,000 tons, such as the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91). The size and configuration of the Charles de Gaulle corresponds closely with the 45,000-ton Midway class the United States built at the end of World War II as a successor class to the much more numerous 27,000-ton Essex-class aircraft carrier, mainstay vessels of WWII after 1943 when they entered service. Outside the US, there are more light carriers closer to 30,000 tons, such as Italy's Cavour. In 2009 the United Kingdom cut the first steel for construction of two Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers, with the first ship to be delivered in early 2017 and expected to become fully operational by 2020. Their displacement is expected to be 65,000 metric tons, making them the third largest supercarrier class in service, after the United State's Gerald R. Ford (first expected in 2015) and Nimitz classes.

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1 History
• 2 Alternatives
• 3 Classes
• 4 Supercarriers in service
• 5 Supercarriers under construction
• 6 See also
• 7 References
• 8 External links

History[edit]

The first ship to be described by The New York Times as a supercarrier was HMS Ark Royal in 1938,^[3] with a length of 685 ft and a displacement of 22,000 tons, designed to carry 72 aircraft.^[4][5] In 1943 the superlative was transferred to the 45,000-ton Midway class carriers as a step-up from the 27,000-ton Essex-classaircraft carrier.^[6]

The post-war standard for supercarriers was set by the proposed USS United States and USS Forrestal.^[7] Forrestal displaced 60,000 tons standard and 78,000 tons in deep load^[8] and is considered the first operational supercarrier in the present-day sense, as used by the US press.^[9] The similar-sized United States would have been in service earlier, had it been completed; its cancellation triggered the "Revolt of the Admirals".

The Soviet Union's 85,000-ton nuclear carrier Ulyanovsk, closely comparable in size to earlier American supercarriers, was 40% complete when it and a follow-on vessel were canceled in 1991 during post-Cold War funding cuts.

As of 2014 the United Kingdom has two 70,000-ton Queen Elizabeth class carriers being built, ^[10] and France had until 2013 been considering building one vesselbased on the same design. These ships are referred to as supercarriers by British legislators^{[11][12][13][14]} and the news media.^{[15][16][17][18][19][20][21]} The two Queen Elizabeth class carriers will provide the Royal Navy with capabilities much closer to United States Navy carriers than its current Invincible-class vessels. Giving evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee in 2004, the First Sea Lord Admiral Sir Alan West explained that interoperability with the United States Navy was as much a deciding factor of the size of the carriers as the firepower of the carrier's airwing:

I have talked with the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) in America. He is very keen for us to get these because he sees us slotting in with his carrier groups. He really wants us to have these, but he wants us to have the same sort of clout as one of their carriers.^[22]

Future plans for supercarriers in the United States involve the construction of the U.S. Navy's next generation of carriers, the Gerald R. Ford class, which will have a 100,000-ton displacement.

Alternatives[edit]

The United States maintains ten of these ships. Given carriers' vulnerability in combat and to peacetime asymmetrical warfare attacks, the use of more and smaller carriers rather than large vessels has been suggested over the years, such as Elmo Zumwalt's Sea Control Ship, and carriers the size ofUSS America (LHA-6) carrying STOVL and UCAV aircraft.^[23][24][25] However, supercarrier advocates consider them to be more cost-effective than a larger number of smaller carriers.^[26] An American carrier strike group costs $25 million per week for routine operations, rising to $40 million during combat operations.^[27]

The mobile offshore base (MOB) is an extension of the supercarrier concept, a modular floating military base as large as 10 aircraft carriers. If realized, it could be moved anywhere throughout the world's oceans, obviating the need to seek permission from allied nations for use of land bases. The concept was studied in the 1990s by the U.S. government but was abandoned in 2001 as cost prohibitive.

Classes[edit]

•  United States class (1950s): Single-unit laid down, cancelled along with four others
•  Forrestal class (1955): Four-unit class, all decommissioned
•  Kitty Hawk class (1961): Four-unit class, all decommissioned
•  Enterprise class (1961): Six-unit class, five cancelled, one deactivated
•  CVA-01 (1960s): Two-unit class, both cancelled
•  Project 1153 OREL (1970s): Cancelled
•  Nimitz class (1975): 10 unit class, all active.
•  Kuznetsov class (1990s): Two-unit class, two active. Displacement max 68 000
•  Ulyanovsk class (1990s): Two units cancelled after partial completion
•  Gerald R. Ford class (2015): Two units in construction, one ordered, further seven planned
•  Queen Elizabeth class (2016–2018): Two units under construction
•  Porte-Avions 2 (20xx): Project cancelled

Supercarriers in service[edit]

Country	Name (Hull number)	Length	Tonnage (mt)	Class	Propulsion	Type	Commission
US	Nimitz (CVN-68)	333 m (1,093 ft)	100,020 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	3 May 1975
US	Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69)	333 m (1,093 ft)	103,200 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	18 October 1977
US	Carl Vinson (CVN-70)	333 m (1,093 ft)	102,900 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	13 March 1982
US	Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71)	333 m (1,093 ft)	106,300 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	25 October 1986
US	Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72)	333 m (1,093 ft)	105,783 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	11 November 1989
US	George Washington (CVN-73)	333 m (1,093 ft)	105,900 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	4 July 1992
US	John C. Stennis (CVN-74)	333 m (1,093 ft)	105,000 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	9 December 1995
US	Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)	333 m (1,093 ft)	105,600 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	25 July 1998
US	Ronald Reagan (CVN-76)	333 m (1,093 ft)	103,000 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	12 July 2003
US	George H.W. Bush (CVN-77)	333 m (1,093 ft)	104,000 mt	Nimitz	Nuclear	CATOBAR	10 January 2009

Supercarriers under construction[edit]

Country	Name (Hull number)	Length	Tonnage	Class	Propulsion	Type	Commission date	Status
UK	HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08)[28]	280 m (920 ft)	65,000 mt	Queen Elizabeth	Conventional	STOVL	2017 (expected)	Being fitted out
UK	HMS Prince of Wales (R09)[28]	280 m (920 ft)	65,000 mt	Queen Elizabeth	Conventional	STOVL	2018 (expected)	Under construction
US	USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78)[29]	333 m (1,093 ft)	102,000 mt	Gerald R. Ford	Nuclear	CATOBAR	2015 (expected)	Under construction
US	USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79)[30]	333 m (1,093 ft)	102,000 mt	Gerald R. Ford	Nuclear	CATOBAR	2020 (expected)	Under construction

See also[edit]

• List of aircraft carrier classes of the United States Navy
• Japanese aircraft carrier Shinano
• Project Habakkuk

References[edit]

1. Jump up^ David Miller and Lindsay Peacock, Carriers: The Men and the Machines (London and New York: Salamander, 1991), p. 7: "There are four main types of carrier in service today. Largest of these are the super-carriers displacing over 70,000 tons; the U.S. Navy currently has fourteen, the Soviet Navy one."
2. Jump up^ USS Enterprise carrier taken out of active service
3. Jump up^ "Reich's Cruise Ships Held Potential Plane Carriers", The New York Times, May 1, 1938, p. 32.
4. Jump up^ "The Ark Royal Launched. Most Up-To-Date Carrier. Aircraft In The Fleet", The Times (14 April 1937), p. 11.
5. Jump up^ Rossiter, Mike (2007) [2006]. Ark Royal: the life, death and rediscovery of the legendary Second World War aircraft carrier (2nd ed.). London: Corgi Books. pp. 48–51. ISBN 978-0-552-15369-0.OCLC 81453068.
6. Jump up^ John G Norris, "World's Largest Warships: Three 45,000-Ton Carriers For Bombers Ordered by Navy", The Washington Post (23 October 1943), p. 1.
7. Jump up^ "Va. Firm Gets Giant Carrier Building Job. 65,000-Ton Warship Will Be Largest in Postwar Program", The Washington Post (8 August 1948), p. 3.
8. Jump up^ Donald, David; Daniel J March (2001). Carrier Aviation Air Power Directory. Norwalk, CT: AIRtime Publishing. p. 77. ISBN 1-880588-43-9.
9. Jump up^ MacDonald, Scot (1964-02-01). "14". Evolution of Aircraft Carriers(PDF). Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. p. 69. The versatility of the current US carrier fleet is largely due to the operation of what the press has labeled 'super-carriers,' heavy duty aircraft carriers of the size, power, and potency of the Forrestals and the nuclear-powered Enterprise.
10. Jump up^ http://royalnavyinfo.com/future-vessels/queen-elizabeth-class-aircraft-carriers/
11. Jump up^ House of Commons Written Questions for Answer, 8 September 2003
12. Jump up^ House of Lords, 15 March 2007.
13. Jump up^ House of Commons Written Answers for 17 June 2008
14. Jump up^ Select Committee on Scottish Affairs Minutes of Evidence, Examination of Witnesses (Questions 1–19), 17 July 2007
15. Jump up^ "Hoon to confirm ‘supercarrier’". BBC News. 2001-06-22. Retrieved2008-12-23.
16. Jump up^ "Go-ahead given for work to start on supercarriers". Portsmouth News. 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
17. Jump up^ "VT at forefront of £3.9bn supercarrier project". Portsmouth News. 2008-05-20. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
18. Jump up^ "Navy (France), Navy Assessment". Jane’s Sentinel Security Assessment—Western Europe . 2008-12-03. Retrieved 2008-12-28.
19. Jump up^ "Navy aircraft carriers delayed". The Northern Echo. 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
20. Jump up^ "Job concerns as MoD proposes carrier delay". The Courier. 2008-12-12. Retrieved 2008-12-23.
21. Jump up^ Syson, Damon (2008-05-28). "The £4billion Airfix Kit: Behind-the-scenes at Britain's biggest warships". Daily Mail (London). Retrieved2008-12-28.
22. Jump up^ House of Commons Minutes of Evidence
23. Jump up^ Fortress at Sea? The Carrier Invulnerability Myth
24. Jump up^ Lawmaker Calls for Study on Small Carriers
25. Jump up^ Hendrix, Henry J.; Williams, J. Noel (May 2011). "Twilight of the $UPERfluous Carrier". Proceedings 137 (05).
26. Jump up^ Warbirds of the sea: a history of aircraft carriers & carrier-based aircraft, By Walter A. Musciano, Page 553
27. Jump up^ "US Navy: Cost Of Syria Strikes Would Not Be 'Extraordinary'."
28. ^ Jump up to:^a b IISS 2010, p. 206
29. Jump up^ O'Rourke, Ronald (10 June 2010). "Navy Ford (CVN-78) class aircraft carrier" (pdf). Congressional Research Service. Retrieved8 September 2010.
30. Jump up^ "Navy names next aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy". United States Department of Defense. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2011.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aircraft carriers.

• Haze Gray & Underway, World Aircraft Carrier Lists—comprehensive and detailed listings of all the world's aircraft carriers and seaplane tenders from 1913 to 2001, with photo gallery.
• Aircraft carriers of the USN

[show] v t e Modern naval ships and warships

Categories: 

• Aircraft carriers
• Ship types