Well these are going to Texas so, no doubt Texas will ignore any enviro laws. NOT! Years ago (late 60’s) we went to Orange Texas on the Sabine river to salvage material from old destroyers that were to be scrapped. Pretty sure neither of these could get up the Sabine river so off to Brownsville. Interesting trip for the Kitty Hawk being towed around the Straits of Magellan. I’ve been on open ocean tows. It can be, uh, exciting at times. Can it not go through the Panama Canal? Due to being towed or do the Chinese not want it transiting there. Anyone? Bueller?
Made me look. From Wiki:
“Ship dimensions
Panamax container ship
USS Missouri, one of the Iowa-class battleships, makes a very tight fit as she passes through the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal in October 1945.
Panamax is determined principally by the dimensions of the canal’s original lock chambers, each of which is 110 ft (33.53 m) wide, 1,050 ft (320.04 m) long, and 41.2 ft (12.56 m) deep. The usable length of each lock chamber is 1,000 ft (304.8 m). The available water depth in the lock chambers varies, but the shallowest depth is at the south sill of the Pedro Miguel Locks and is 41.2 ft (12.56 m) at a Miraflores Lake level of 54 ft 6 in (16.61 m). The clearance under the Bridge of the Americas at Balboa is the limiting factor on a vessel’s overall height for both Panamax and Neopanamax ships; the exact figure depends on the water level.
The maximum dimensions allowed for a ship transiting the canal using the original locks and the new locks (New Panamax) are:[1]
Length
Overall (including protrusions): 950 ft (289.56 m). Exceptions:
Container ship and passenger ship: 965 ft (294.13 m)
Tug-barge combination, rigidly connected: 900 ft (274.32 m) overall
Other non-self-propelled vessels-tug combination: 850 ft (259.08 m) overall;
New Panamax increases allowable length to 366 m (1,201 ft).[2]
Width (beam)
Width over outer surface of the shell plating: 106 ft (32.31 m). General exception: 107 ft (32.61 m), when draft is less than 37 ft (11.3 m) in tropical fresh water.
New Panamax originally allowed a width of 49 m (161 ft).[2] Expanded to 51.25 m (168.14 ft) during June 2018.[3]
Draft
The maximum allowable draft is 39.5 ft (12.04 m) in Tropical Fresh Water (TFW). The name and definition of TFW is created by ACP using the freshwater Lake Gatún as a reference, since this is the determination of the maximum draft. The salinity and temperature of water affect its density, and hence how deep a ship will float in the water. Tropical Fresh Water (TFW) is fresh water of Lake Gatún, with density 0.9954 g/cm3, at 29.1 °C (84 °F).[4] The physical limit is set by the lower (seaside) entrance of the Pedro Miguel locks. When the water level in Lake Gatún is low during an exceptionally dry season the maximum permitted draft may be reduced. Such a restriction is published three weeks in advance, so ship loading plans can take appropriate measures.
New Panamax increases allowable draft to 15.2 m (49.9 ft),[2] however due to low rainfall, the canal authority limited draft to 43 feet when the new locks opened in June 2016, increasing it to 44 feet (13.41 meters), in August “based on the current level of Gatun Lake and the weather forecast for the following weeks.”[5]
Height
Vessel height is limited to 190 ft (57.91 m) measured from the waterline to the vessel’s highest point; the limit also pertains to New Panamax in order to pass under the Bridge of the Americas at Balboa harbor.[6] Exception: 205 ft (62.5 m) when passage at low water (MLWS) at Balboa is possible.[citation needed]
Cargo capacity
A Panamax cargo ship would typically have a DWT of 65,000–80,000 tonnes, but its maximum cargo would be about 52,500 tonnes during a transit due to draft limitations in the canal.[7] New Panamax ships can carry 120,000 DWT.[8] Panamax container ships can carry 5,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU); with 13,000 TEU for New Panamax vessels.
Records
The longest ship ever to transit the original locks was San Juan Prospector, now Marcona Prospector, an ore-bulk-oil carrier that is 973 ft (296.57 m) long, with a beam of 106 ft (32.31 m).[9] The widest ships to transit are the four battleships of both the South Dakota class and Iowa class battleships, which have a maximum beam of 108’ 2” (32.96 m), leaving less than 6 in (15 cm) margin of error between the ships and the walls of the locks.[10]”
Dimensions USS Kitty Hawk:
“Class and type Kitty Hawk-class aircraft carrier
Displacement
61,351 long tons (62,335 t) standard
81,985 long tons (83,301 t) full load[2]
Length 1,068.9 ft (325.8 m) LOA[2]
Beam
282 ft (86 m) extreme
130 ft (40 m) waterline[2]
Draft 38 ft (12 m)[2]”
Looks like a very tight fit if at all.
I looked at an old freighter docked on the Sabine once...decent size....450 foot....prolly 14 foot draft fresh water empty...7000 dwt
Auction
Swedes bought it....for around one million or four times what I woulda paid
This ship was up near the Port Arthur basin but I’m with you I don’t think ships go into Sabine lake
And the KH is big....35 foot draft.....wow