Nimitz Class Nuclear-Powered
Aircraft Carriers, USA
Photo courtesy of FReeper MaxMax
The Nimitz-class supercarriers are a line of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers in service with the US Navy, and are the largest capital ships in the world. These ships 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 to indicate nuclear-powered propulsion. The number after the "CVN" means that this is the 68th "CV", or aircraft carrier.
Nimitz (CVN-68), the lead ship of the class, was commissioned in 1975. As of 2006, George H. W. Bush (CVN-77), the tenth and last of the class, was built by Northrop Grumman Newport News and will enter service in 2008. Bush will be the first transition ship to the Ford class the first ship of which is to start construction in 2007 and will incorporate new technologies including a new multi-function radar system, volume search radar and open architecture information network, and a significantly reduced crew requirement. To lower costs some new technologies were incorporated into Ronald Reagan, though not nearly as many as will be involved with Bush.
Because of construction differences between the first three ships (Nimitz, Eisenhower and Vinson) and the latter seven (from Theodore Roosevelt on), the latter ships are sometimes called Theodore Roosevelt-class aircraft carriers, though the U.S. Navy officially holds no difference between the two groups (in fact, the time lag between carriers means that no two are the same). As the older ships come in for Refueling and Complex Overhaul (RCOH), they are upgraded to the standards of the latest ships, virtually eliminating differences.
By tonnage, Nimitz class are by far the largest class of carriers ever built, holding the world record for displacement of any naval war vessel. When Bush is completed, the ten ships of the class will total just under a million tons combined displacement. Although the Nimitz class ships are the heaviest ships in the US fleet they are not the longest ships in the fleet, as that honor belongs to the carrier Enterprise.
Nimitz was the first to undergo her initial refueling during a 33-month RCOH at Newport News Shipbuilding in Newport News, Virginia, in 1998. Dwight D. Eisenhower was next, completing RCOH in 2005. Carl Vinson began RCOH in late 2005. USS Abraham Lincoln entered dry dock at PSNS on September 8th, 2006, leaving ahead of schedule on Dec. 18.
Arresting cables — Each carrier-based aircraft has a tailhook, a hook bolted to an 8-foot bar extending from the after part of the aircraft. It is with the tailhook that the pilot catches one of the four steel cables stretched across the deck at 20-foot intervals, bringing the plane, traveling at 150 miles per hour, to a complete stop in about 320 feet. The cables are set to stop each aircraft at the same place on the deck, regardless of the size or weight of the plane.
Bridge — This is the primary control position for every ship when the ship is underway, and the place where all orders and commands affecting the ship, her movements, and routine originate.
*An Officer of the Deck (OOD) is always on the bridge when the ship is underway. Each OOD stands a four-hour watch and is the officer designated by the Commanding Officer (CO) to be in charge of the ship. The OOD is responsible for the safety and operation of the ship, including navigation, ship handling, communications, routine tests and inspections, reports, supervision of the watch team, and carrying out the Plan of the Day.
*Also on the bridge are the helmsman who steers the ship, and the lee helmsman who operates the engine order control, telling the engineroom how what speed to make. There are also lookouts, and the Boatswains Mate of the Watch (BMOW) who supervises the helsman, lee helmsman, and lookouts.
*The Quartermaster of the Watch assists the OOD in navigation, reports all changes in weather, temperature and barometer readings, and keeps the ship's log.
Catapults — The four steam-powered catapults thrust a 48,000-pound aircraft 300 feet, from zero to 165 miles per hour in two seconds. On each plane's nose gear is a T-bar which locks into the catapult's shuttle which pulls the plane down the catapult. The flight deck crew can launch two aircraft and land one every 37 seconds in daylight, and one per minute at night.
Elevators — Each of the four deck edge elevators can lift two aircraft from the cavernous hangar deck to the 4½ -acre flight deck in seconds.
"Meatball" — This series of lights aids the pilot in lining up for the landing. In the center are amber and red lights with Fresnel lenses. Although the lights are always on, the Fresnel lens only makes one light at a time seem to glow, as the angle at which the pilot looks at the lights changes. If the lights appear above the green horizontal bar, the pilot is too high. If it is below, the pilot is too low, and if the lights are red, the pilot is very low. If the red lights on either side of the amber vertical bar are flashing, it is a wave off.
"Pri-Fly" — Primary Flight Control ("Pri-Fly") is the control tower for the flight operations on the carrier. Here, the "Air Boss" controls the takeoffs, landings, those aircraft in the air near the ship, and the movement of planes on the flight deck, which itself resembles a well-choreographed ballet.
Aboard the USS Salt Lake City (SSN 716) Sep. 11, 2002 -- A Sailor hoists the "Navy Jack" aboard the Salt Lake City in memory of the September 11 attacks on America. Under direction of the Secretary of the Navy, Gordon R. England, all U.S. Navy ships will fly the “Navy Jack” in place of the “Union Jack” for the duration of the war on terrorism. The “Navy Jack” is a flag consisting of a rattlesnake superimposed across thirteen horizontal alternating red and white stripes, with the motto, “Don’t Tread on Me.” U.S. Navy photo.
CVN-68 Nimitz-Class Image Gallery
Norfolk, VA
Specifications
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| Builder |
Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va. |
| Power Plant |
Two Nuclear Power Plant (A4W Pressurized Water Reactor)
Four shafts, Four propellers, with five blades each |
| 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 (87,300 metric tons) full load |
| Speed |
30+ knots (34.5+ miles per hour) |
| Aircraft |
85 |
| Aircraft elevators |
Four |
| Catapults |
Four
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| Crew |
Ship's Company: 3,200
Air Wing: 2,480
| Departments |
Administrative
Aircraft Maintenance
Air
Chaplain
Combat Systems
Deck
Dental
Engineering
Legal
Maintenance
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Medical
Navigation
Operations
Public Affairs
Reactor
Safety
Supply
Training
Weapons
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| Armament |
4 Sea Sparrow launchers
3 Phalanx CIWS 20mm mounts [Nimitz & Ike]
4 Phalanx CIWS 20mm mounts [Vinson and later] |
| Combat Systems |
SPS-48E 3-D air search radar
SPS-49(V)5 2-D air search radar
3 Mk91 Fire Control AN/SLQ-32(V)4 active jamming/deception
AN/WLR-1H ESM |
| Service Life |
50 years
|
Unit Operating Cost
Annual Average |
~$160,000,000 [source: [FY1996 VAMOSC]
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Total Costs
[$millions
constant $FY97] |
Investment cost
Ship acquisition cost $ 4,059
Midlife modernization cost $ 2,382
Total investment cost $ 6,441
Average annual investment cost $ 129
Operating and support cost Direct operating and support cost $11,677 Indirect operating and support cost $ 3,205 Total operating and support cost $14,882 Average annual operating and support cost $ 298 Inactivation/disposal cost Inactivation/disposal cost $ 887 Spent nuclear fuel storage cost $ 13 Total inactivation/disposal cost $ 899 Average annual inactivation/disposal cost $ 18
Total life-cycle cost $22,222 Average annual life-cycle cost $ 444
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Ships In Class
*Note* The links below are non-functioning
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