Free Republic

Why Russia lacks aircraft carriers 17:05 | 16/ 07/ 2008 MOSCOW. (RIA Novosti political commentator Andrei Kislyakov) - Soviet military policies never called for building full-fledged aircraft carriers operating multi-role warplanes. Nor did Russia draft any clear carrier construction program at the turn of the century. On July 4, Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, former chief of the Russian Navy's Main Headquarters, said the country had to build a carrier fleet in the near future. This call is a reaction to reports of two aircraft carriers being built for the British Royal Navy. As before, Russia is reacting slowly to Western naval...

USS Abraham Lincoln in Arabian Sea to support Afghan operations By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Wednesday, July 9, 2008 ARLINGTON, Va. — The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has moved from the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea to support operations in Afghanistan. NBC News first reported Monday night that the carrier has been moved because of the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, where a suicide bomber killed more than 40 people Monday outside the Indian Embassy in Kabul. A spokesman for 5th Fleet confirmed the move Tuesday. "Conditions are worsening on the ground in Afghanistan and commanders...

Aircraft carriers: plane sailing Britain is paying a high price, but not too high If diplomacy is the continuation of war by other means, and if the art of diplomacy is to speak softly and carry a big stick, then no stick comes much bigger, or looks more intimidating, than a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier. Except maybe two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers. The tricky part of the equation is that big sticks do not come cheap. The Government has signed a contract for two 65,000-tonne supercarriers for the Royal Navy. As big sticks go, these are the second-biggest of their kind. Only...

Air China by: Rachel Paulk, June 23, 2008 China has long been on the horizon as the U.S.’s hegemonic upset in East Asia, both economically and militarily. Indeed, foreign policy experts have extended arguments over how the U.S. should approach China—as our biggest ally, or our biggest enemy? The recent military development within the People’s Republic of China (PRC) illuminates the Chinese understanding of the friend/foe dichotomy, and indicates their future goals towards Asian supremacy. Militarists tout aircraft carriers as the next step in China’s development into America’s worst nightmare. The U.S. owns and operates about eleven aircraft carriers, multi-billion...

Carrier launches are astonishing events. The plane is moved to within what seems like a bowling alley's length of the bow. A blast shield larger than any government building driveway Khomeini-flipper rises behind the fighter jet, and the jet's twin engines are cranked to maximum thrust. A slot-car slot runs down the middle of the bowling alley. The powered-up jet is held at the end of its slot by a steel shear pin smaller than a V-8 can. When the shear pin shears the jet is unleashed and so is a steam catapult that hurls the plane down the slot,...

Nice cruise - pity about the propaganda 16:39 | 30/ 01/ 2008 MOSCOW. (Nikita Petrov for RIA Novosti) - A combined naval strike group from the Northern and Black Sea fleets, headed by Russia's only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, is currently completing exercises in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The Black Sea Fleet's flagship, the missile cruiser Moskva commanded by Capt. Igor Smolyak, will shortly set a course for its home base - Sevastopol. But first it will call at Portugal's capital Lisbon, where the crew will take a well-earned rest and tour the city, before brief joint tactical...

Faulty Fridge Causes Aircraft Carrier To Turn Back Jan 23 2008 Press Association A FAULTY meat fridge is forcing a Royal Navy aircraft carrier to return to base today just two days after setting off for the Indian Ocean. HMS Illustrious departed from Portsmouth Naval Base on Monday to head the multi-national Task Group Orion 08 which will be carrying out exercises and diplomatic visits during the next four months in the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean. Navy spokesman Anton Hanney said a refrigeration unit used to store meat on the warship had been found to be in danger of breaking...

China navy floats three-carrier plan By Russell Hsiao On December 31, a Hong Kong newspaper Wen Wei Pao cited a report that no one in the Western media has detected concerning a Jane's Defence Weekly article which reported that China has plans to develop three-carrier battle groups over the next decade. News about this development has been widely discussed in the Hong Kong and Taiwanese press. Citing Jane's, Wen Wai Pao reported that as a part of its carrier battle group plans the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) intends to establish an even stronger submarine fleet; having added 20 nuclear-powered...

Gorshkov deal: tightrope walk for Russia, India Sandeep Dikshit India does not want to pay more for a task that has suffered time overruns NEW DELHI: India and Russia have a tightrope walk ahead as they try to salvage the deal for the aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov. Both sides are in talks to arrive at a mid-way point after Russia surprised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s delegation last month by presenting a bill of $1.2 billion as additional cost for refurbishing Admiral Gorshkov (to be renamed INS Vikramaditya). Sources here said that Russia will be prepared to take a second look...

Minister of defense is leaving out one detail By Cheng Ta-chen 鄭大誠 Thursday, Dec 06, 2007, Page 8 On Nov. 28, Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (�天羽) said during a question-and-answer session at the legislature that the military would be capable of destroying 60 percent to 70 percent of China's troops in case of an invasion. But Lee did not include the possibility of a Chinese formation of aircraft carrier battle groups in his analysis of the combat strengths of Taiwan and China. Taiwan must prepare for the development of Chinese aircraft carrier battle groups. It is a well-known...

Gorshkov deal at sea Jatin Gandhi, Hindustan Times New Delhi, December 04, 2007 Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said on Monday that the government should neither pay more money to the Russians for refurbishing aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov, nor pull out of the deal. He said that the contact signed by Russia quotes a fixed price and it should be honoured. Russia has asked for $1.2 billion over and above the contracted price of $1.5 billion, almost doubling the agreed cost. "It is a fixed price contract and they should honour it,” Admiral Mehta said, while ruling out pulling...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China has unexpectedly denied the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and its accompanying ships entry to Hong Kong port for a long-planned Thanksgiving holiday visit, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. "At present, it appears the USS Kitty Hawk strike group will not be making a port call in Hong Kong as previously planned as a result of a last minute denial by the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs," State Department spokeswoman Nicole Thompson said. China gave no reason was for the denial, Thompson said. The United States is pressing Chinese authorities for an explanation and...

Govt Tows Admiral Gorshkov Russia’s government is raising money to complete the upgrade of Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier that was ordered by India. Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko has proposed to Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov to cover a portion of costs by another export contract. Simultaneously, India has been notified of the need to reconsider the Admiral Gorshkov contract in view of increasing its value. Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko has addressed Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, seeking his help to sort out the problem of upgrading Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier. The delivery of the vessel has been put...

Analysis: China artillery force seeks to strike aircraft carriers HONG KONG, Sep. 21 ANDREI CHANG Column: Military Might In the event of conflict in the Taiwan Strait, if the United States were to send an aircraft carrier to the scene, it would likely remain in an area 800-1,000 kilometers from the spot of engagement. This is what happened in 1999 when China sent a series of air sorties over the island and the United States sent two aircraft carriers to the area as a warning. This distance poses very complicated and difficult challenges for detecting, positioning and tracking the target...

Navy hopes fly, but aircraft carrier still off radar Nicholas Stuart NOT LONG ago, Defence Minister Brendan Nelson insisted that the old "defence of Australia doctrine" was as dead as the dodo. Soon afterwards, those who had gloated at this statement were suddenly chortling with glee, particularly when they heard which of the two new amphibious ships the navy would be getting. That's because the chosen ship the Spanish design has both a catapult and a ski-jump; and these are both vital requirements if you want to send jet aircraft flying off a ship into the wild blue yonder. By...

Challenges ahead in Russia's bid to become a naval power 22 August 2007 Michael Richardson RUSSIA's naval chief recently said his fleet would get six new aircraft carriers with nuclear propulsion in the next 20 years as part of a major expansion and modernisation of Russian maritime power. Admiral Vladimir Masorin added that three of these carriers and their naval escorts would be assigned to Russia's Pacific fleet while the remainder would serve with the northern fleet in European waters. While some analysts dismiss such talk of rebuilding a Soviet-type force with global reach as nationalistic bluster ahead of parliamentary...

Carrier training for our pilots Mark Dodd | August 21, 2007 AUSTRALIAN fighter pilots will be taught to land on aircraft carriers for the first time in 25 years. A select handful of Royal Australian Air Force instructors will be chosen for lessons on how to land on US aircraft carriers flying the new F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter. The plan, which could eventually lead to participation in US carrier-based operations, marks the first time Australian pilots have flown off aircraft carriers since the retirement of the navy's flagship carrier HMAS Melbourne in 1982. The carrier training underscores the rapidly evolving...

RUSSIAN ADMIRAL ANNOUNCES AMBITIOUS NAVAL BUILD-UP By Pavel Felgenhauer Thursday, August 9, 2007 President Vladimir Putin appointed Admiral Vladimir Masorin commander of the Russian Navy in 2005. This year Masorin will turn 60 and, under Russian law, he must retire from active service. However, top generals and admirals may continue to serve in high command positions until age 65, if the president prolongs their duty by special annual decrees. Recently Masorin has been very active, making loud statements about plans to drastically increase naval power, perhaps hoping that greater visibility will help him keep his job. Last May Masorin announced...

Admiral Gorshkov contract in jeopardy over lack of funds - paper 14:18 | 01/ 08/ 2007 MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) - The overhaul of a Russian-made aircraft carrier sold to India under a 2004 contract will be delayed indefinitely due to insufficient financing and poor management of the project, a Russian daily said Wednesday. The contract to deliver the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier to India, which state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport signed with the Indian Navy in January 2004, covers the modernization of the ship and equipping it with modern weaponry, including the MiG-29K Fulcrum aircraft and Ka-27 Helix-A and...

rom May 15 to 18 Singapore hosted its bi-annual IMDEX naval technology show. One of this show�s highlights was the participation, for the second time since 2003, of a warship from China�s People�s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), to join the show�s Tour of Warships. This visit also served to symbolize China�s enhanced effort in recent years to complement its already decisive economic and political engagement of Southeast Asia with growing military engagement. In particular, China is for the first time in many years making a serious push to sell arms to its Southeast Asian neighbors, to parallel its strategic dialogues...

In the North Sea Fleet where the Chinese are deploying all of their nuclear submarines, SSN's and SSBN's. They will have newer attack submarines, similar to the Russian's, and the Los Angeles class. Also they are deploying two newer destroyers to add to there modern fleet of destroyers. They also have a squadron of sea planes, and they are the only fleet that deploys sea planes. Also they deploy a couple of J-8's. In their aviation wing they have some J-7 fighters, and H-6 bombers. There is a high likelihood that these planes will be replaced with the new J-10B....

China's military buildup is moving beyond countering Taiwan to global operations from the Middle East through Southeast Asia, according to the Pentagon's annual assessment of Chinese military power. "China's military acquisitions and strategic thinking suggests Beijing is also generating capabilities for other regional contingencies, such as conflict over resources or territory," the report to Congress said. The statement, released yesterday, contradicts assessments of some pro-China analysts and intelligence officials who have said the nation's military buildup is relatively benign and limited to resolving the sovereignty issue of Taiwan, which was separated from China in 1949 during a civil war. China...

Mideast edition - The commander of the EA-6B Prowler squadron aboard the aircraft carrier USS Eisenhower in the Persian Gulf was relieved of his command Monday amid an investigation, Navy officials said. Capt. Scott Stearney, commander of Carrier Air Wing 7, relieved Cmdr. Christopher Rankin, commander of Electronic Attack Squadron 140, "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command," said Lt. Denise Garcia, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet in Bahrain...

John C. Stennis Completes Operations with French Carrier Charles de Gaulle (Source: US Navy; issued April 17, 2007) USS JOHN C. STENNIS, At Sea --- USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) completed month-long operations with the French nuclear powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R 91) in the North Arabian Sea on April 16. Since Charles de Gaulle’s arrival in the region March 16, the two nuclear-powered aircraft carriers have been operating together in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). Both ships are providing support to the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) on the ground in Afghanistan as well as...

Taiwan drill simulates Chinese aircraft carrier attack Apr 16, 2007, 3:51 GMT Taipei - Taiwan on Monday launched a military drill simulating invasion from China involving China's first aircraft carrier. The annual drill, coded Hankuang 23, is meant to simulate a missile attack from China, followed by attack from a Chinese aircraft carrier and sabotage by Chinese spies and pro-China elements in Taiwan, the China Times said. Taiwan would launch a counter-attack by firing missiles from its warships and F-16 warplanes at the Chinese aircraft carrier. China is expected to finish building its first aircraft carrier within five years. By...

INS Viraat not to anchor before 2012 Rajat Pandit [ 17 Mar, 2007 2317hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ] NEW DELHI: It's two acres of sovereign Indian territory cruising on the high seas. Though ageing and creaking, it's the only one of its kind the country has as of now to project power much beyond its shores. India's solitary aircraft carrier, the 28,000-tonne INS Viraat, is central to the Navy's concept of operations both in war and peace, with its complement of Sea Harrier jump-jets and helicopters. In keeping with its motto of Jalamev Yasya, Balamev Tasya (He who controls the...

An aerial view shows U.S. aircraft carrier USS Ronald W. Reagan sailing into the Sasebo Port, western Japan, Saturday, Feb. 24 2007. The newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier made a port call at Sasebo U.S. naval base Saturday. (AP Photo/Kyodo News)

Aircraft Carrier Heads to Persian Gulf as Iran Warning NewsMax.com Wires Jan. 4, 2007 WASHINGTON -- The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis is scheduled to leave the United States this month for the Persian Gulf region in a Naval buildup aimed partly as a warning to Iran. Officials decided to send the Stennis strike group on top of a carrier group already in the region on a request late last year from the U.S. Central Command, the military unit in charge of activities there as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, a senior Pentagon official said Thursday....

By Bill Gertz THE WASHINGTON TIMES November 13, 2006 The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier The USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier (AFP/Getty Images) A Chinese submarine stalked a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group in the Pacific last month and surfaced within firing range of its torpedoes and missiles before being detected, The Washington Times has learned. The surprise encounter highlights China's continuing efforts to prepare for a future conflict with the U.S., despite Pentagon efforts to try to boost relations with Beijing's communist-ruled military. The submarine encounter with the USS Kitty Hawk and its accompanying warships also is an embarrassment...

"Mission Accomplished" vs. "Halp us jon carry - we r stuck hear n irak" (media bias) Compare the coverage in the liberal media of the "Halp us jon carry - we r stuck hear n irak" banner by our troops in Iraq this week vs. the feeding frenzy over the "Mission Accomplished" banner from the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln returning from an extended deployment so they could participate in Iraqi Freedom back in March 2003. This morning ONE major newspaper decided to run a picture of the banner along with a cover story... The New York Post, ironically the only...

At first, you see nothing but X's. To see the images, follow the instructions in the following. Go to the original link and come back using the back button. The original site has the protection mechansim which bars a third party from displaying their images via links unless the site has been visited first. Click the following link and then click the back button on the browser menu at the tophttp://brd3.chosun.com/brd/view.html?tb=BEMIL085&pn=2&num=77634Again click the following link and then click the back button on the browser menu at the top http://brd3.chosun.com/brd/view.html?tb=BEMIL085&pn=2&num=77635Once again click the following link and then click the back button...

President Bush and Mrs. Bush joined former President George H. W. Bush and Barbara Bush for the christening of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, the USS George H. W. Bush CVN 77. Click here for a transcript of the GWB’s remarks. Also in attendance at the ceremony were Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, General Peter Pace, Virginia Senator George Allen, Doro Bush Koch and Florida Governor Jeb Bush. Enjoy your Saturday visit to Sanity Island

Updated Ark Royal sails back to sea with new muscle SHÂN ROSS THE Royal Navy's biggest warship passed under the Forth Bridge and headed out for sea trials yesterday after a comprehensive £25 million refit to transform her into the service's only combined troop and aircraft carrier. HMS Ark Royal has had an internal refurbishment which will enable her to transport up to 600 Royal Marines to any flashpoint in the world. The impressive aircraft carrier is now considered "one of a kind" following the £25 million upgrade at Babcock's shipyard in Rosyth, Fife. The upgrade includes a third mast...

Russian air carrier to rejoin Navy by end of 2006 16:16 | 27/ 09/ 2006 MOSCOW, September 27 (RIA Novosti) - The Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia's only aircraft carrier, will join the Northern Fleet by the end of the year after modernization, the Navy's chief said Wednesday. The ship, also known as Project 1143.5 heavy aircraft carrier, was commissioned in the Russian Navy in 1991 and became fully operational in 1995. But it was plagued by technical problems, including faulty arrester gear, and was put into dock earlier this year for a technical overhaul. "All preparatory work has been completed on...

The Polish navy says it is almost certain that it has located the wreck of Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin. A Polish firm searching for oil first detected the wreck in the Baltic Sea, 55km (34 miles) offshore. The ship's whereabouts had been a mystery since the end of World War II. The navy investigated and said it was 99% certain that the wreck was the Graf Zeppelin. The ship, built in 1938, never saw action in the war. The navy said it was unlikely that the 250-metre (820-foot) wreck would be recovered from the seabed, as...

"GRAF ZEPPELIN" REDISCOVERED Hitler's Showpiece Aircraft Carrier Found A Polish oil firm working in the Baltic Sea has found the remains of the "Graf Zeppelin," Hitler's first -- and last -- aircraft carrier. The ship sank for good sometime after World War II, but exactly where and why is an enduring mystery of the early Cold War. Divers working for the Polish oil firm Petrobaltic on Monday discovered the rusting hulk of Nazi Germany's only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, sunk in mysterious circumstances by the Soviets after World War II. Its exact location had been a riddle for almost...

The location of the wreck of the Graf Zeppelin had been a mystery for more than half a century POLISH divers have discovered the rusting wreckage of Nazi Germany’s only aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, solving one of the most enduring maritime riddles of the Second World War. For more than half a century the location of the huge vessel was kept secret by the Soviet authorities. Even the opening of the Moscow archives in the 1990s failed to produce a precise bearing. The once-proud ship was simply one of dozens of wrecks that littered the bed of the Baltic...

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is suggesting NATO take over the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier, which the U.S. Navy and the Bush administration want to retire early for budget reasons.

The carrier is under construction at Northrop Grumman's Newport News sector, the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Weighing 780 tons and made up of 25 steel sections, the upper bow is one of the heaviest crane lifts in the ship's production plan. Newport News began construction on the upper bow unit last February. "Landing the fully-outfitted upper bow on the ship is a significant milestone in the design and construction of CVN 77, and most importantly, a great team effort by our shipbuilders," said Scott Stabler, vice president for the CVN 77 program at Northrop...

Britain and France finally signed the deal to build three new aircraft carriers. This followed several years of negotiations. What's surprising about all this is not the large size of the carriers (about 58,000 tons, the largest ships ever for both navies), or the unique cooperation (two of the carriers are British, one is French, and both nations will cooperate on design and construction, with the Brits taking the lead.) No, what is amazing about all this is the aggressive plans for automation. These "Queen Elizabeth" class carriers are planning on having a ships crew of 800 (or less) and...

PARIS: French President Jacques Chirac has ordered the asbestos-lined warship Clemenceau to return to France on Wednesday, after a top administrative court suspended its transfer to India. Chirac's decision was a victory for environmentalists who had assailed the decision to send the asbestos-carrying Clemenceau to India, where it was to be broken up. "This is a victory for international law, a victory for Indian workers, and a victory for workers all across Asia," Greenpeace France director Pascal Husting said. "I congratulate the president on this decision." The fate of the decommissioned Clemenceau, once a symbol of French naval prowess, has...

An aircraft carrier for China? By David Lague International Herald Tribune MONDAY, JANUARY 30, 2006 BEIJING As China builds a military to match its growing economic power, its neighbors and potential rivals including the United States have puzzled over a key question: When will the Chinese Navy launch an aircraft carrier?

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) departed San Diego Jan. 4 on a deployment to conduct naval operations in support of the global war on terrorism, as well as national and theater cooperative security commitments in the western Pacific. This will be the maiden deployment for the Navy’s newest Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. “During both COMPTUEX (Composite Unit Training Exercise) and JTFEX (Joint Task Force Exercise), Ronald Reagan and CVW (Carrier Air Wing) 14 proved to be a formidable fighting force,” said Rear Adm. Michael H. Miller, Ronald Reagan Strike Group commander. “Both of these major exercise,...

For Gorshkov, Navy pilots head to US for training SHIV AROOR NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 23: By the time Russian-built aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov arrives in 2008, the Navy will have a contingent of 32 pilots, trained in specialised deck-based fighter operations at the US Navy training command in Pensacola, Florida. With the first batch of four Lieutenant-rank officers are already under training there, the next is scheduled to go in March. The selection of venue for training to operate Russian-built MiG-29K fighters off the Gorshkov may seem strange but the government was compelled to accept the Pentagon’s offer because Russia...

In the last months there has been a lot of interest expressed on FR about aircraft carriers. I have found that there is a lot of interest all over the net. So, I created a web site about all of the World's Aircraft Carriers. It will surprise you how many countries operate at least one...and also how many are building large-deck Amphibious Assault ships. Of course, no one holds a candle at this time to America's capabilities in this regard. Please enjoy, and let me know what you think. I hope it serves as a resource for naval enthusiasts everywhere....

WASHINGTON - United States and Japanese officials have agreed to allow the Navy to station a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in Japan for the first time, the Navy announced Thursday. Though American troops have been based in Japan since the end of World War II, the Japanese public has long been wary of a U.S. nuclear presence because of concerns about possible radiation leaks. The decision comes 60 years after the United States brought the war to an end by dropping atomic bombs on a pair of Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. "The security environment in the Western Pacific region increasingly...

27 militants held in raid  BAQUBA: Iraqi forces seized 27 Islamic militants in Baquba, 60km north of Baghdad, yesterday along with weapons and leaflets linked to the Al Qaeda network, the army said. "Sixteen of the arrested, including two Egyptians, are wanted by authorities for crimes they are believed to have been committed," said Colonel Ismael Ibrahim. "Large quantities of weapons were seized ... and leaflets of the Jordanian Islamist Abu Musab Al Zarqawi urging militants to carry out attacks against US and Iraq forces were found too." The defence ministry said it had also arrested 49 suspects in raids...

[Let me begin by expressing my heartfelt condolences to the survivors of our nation's most devastating natural disaster to date. I can't imagine the pain and the loss they must be experiencing.] It's clear that many of the people living in those Mississippi coast towns like Waveland and Ocean Springs and Biloxi and Gulfport were unable to comprehend the magnitude of the danger to their persons and property that Hurricane Katrina represented as it churned towards them. What could these people, and also knowledgeable people in authority, have done to better inform themselves of the threat they faced? For...

Chinese shipyard workers have been repairing a badly damaged ex-Russian aircraft carrier and have repainted it with the country's military markings, raising the question once again of whether China is pursuing longer-term plans to field its first carrier. In the latest developments, images show that workers at the Chinese Dalian Shipyard have repainted the ex-Russian Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Varyag with the markings and colour scheme of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy (PLAN). Additional new photographs show that other work, the specifics of which could not be determined, appears to be continuing and that the condition of the vessel is...

NAVAL STATION NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) arrived at its new homeport of Naval Station Norfolk July 31, after completing a seven-month trip around the world. Carl Vinson Sailors embarked on a journey that took them from their Naval Station Bremerton, Wash., homeport into the Persian Gulf for a four-month deployment, then to their new home at Naval Station Norfolk. Carl Vinson’s arrival in Norfolk accomplished the final leg of a homeport shift to Norfolk for a scheduled 36-month Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH). “We’re absolutely thrilled to have the Vinson here,” said Capt....