You have to realize, even though the aircraft carrier is the biggest ship on the sea; it never travels alone! My son put it best; even the biggest cities have their suburbs!
Escort battleships: “Ok, try to keep up, because China “accidentally” caused minor damage to Yorktown and Hornet to draw out Enterprise. And she tends to rush into-“. “She’s already gone”. Enterprise: *angrily speeding towards the enemy for revenge* Chinese Navy: “Why do I hear boss music”? Japan: “Oh that’s not boss music, you pissed off the Grey Ghost and now she is hunting you. That’s funeral music”.
@@jamesphillips2529 The USS Gerald R. Ford is escorted by the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt. They do not have to be close to it to protect it from missiles. They also run with one or two attack submarines underneath protecting.
@@chrisrobinson2410 Not any battle. Especially if the only aircraft your side has is helicopters, because you can't maintain air superiority with Apaches. Any 4th gen fighter wing would absolutely shred a contingent of attack helicopters if that side only has what the US army has... which is why the USAF exists.
Yes, advanced weapon systems are scary BUT.... LOGISTICS wins wars. The best weapon system in the world is useless without ammunition and food to feed the operators. Which is the reason for the Carrier Group. It's NOT just the Carriers.
We need more oilers, ice breakers, and those service/maintenance ships (the one with the crane on the ship that can load other ships) just as badly, if not more so than fighting craft. IE: we desperately need to re-built our old ship yards.
@@Just_sum_guy_ig 😆 I recall a brief scene in the film “Battle Of The Bulge,” where a Kraut general brings in a captured American chocolate cake into a briefing during the battle. He made the point that while the advancing German troops were dangerously short of fuel for their tanks, the “Americans have enough fuel to fly chocolate cake across the ocean!” You are correct. Logistics wins wars.. The American military has ginormous support/logistics assets.
Part of being a "floating city" isn't just the size. They have basically all the amenities that one would be able to find in any small city in the US. Post office, laundromat, convenience store, barber shop, gyms, library, TV network, hospital, jail, and police station. Also many areas can be readily converted into things like a church, movie theater, beach, or almost anything else one could want. It is a floating city in pretty much every sense of the word with its own "international airport".
I took a tour of the Midway out in San Diego a few months ago which is only half the tonnage of the Ford and some of the newer carriers and was still absolutely incredible. Highly recommend anyone to take a tour of the decommissioned monsters if they get the chance.
What I want to know is: Which deck is best to fish off of? Because you know your bunkies would be stoked if you reeled in a 90-pound tuna for sushi night.
the US has a surprisingly lengthy list of ships powered by a nuclear reactor, including AFAIK all the submarines. The main thing they run out of at sea is food, requiring a resupply. US ship deployment work on the rule of thirds: 1/3 are coming in for maintenance, 1/3 are undergoing maintenance, and 1/3 are deployed. So the US current aircraft carrier fleet has 4 deployed at any one time on average. So 15,000 sailors deployed rather than 45,000 (still a lot in my eyes). They do have multiple galleys, and a full sized hospital. Its the reason US aircraft carriers are sometimes sent for humanitarian relief efforts: they can feed thousands of people a day, and medically treat hundreds; much more than any mobile relief efforts can muster aid.
At one point we had an entire battle group carrier and escorts completely nuclear powered. The Ticonderoga class cruisers were originally supposed to be nuclear powered, but the expense of Aegis and nuclear propulsion was too much for even the U.S. Navy and aegis ended up in a spruance class destroyer hull, which they then designated as a cruiser.
There are 10 Nimitz-class aircraft cariers, and so far the Gerald Ford is the first of it's class. Then, there are 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines with 4 more guided missile submarines, 19 Virginia-class fast attack submarines, 32 Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines, and 2 Seawolf-class fast attack submarines. That is 11 aircraft carriers and 71 submarines that are all nuclear-powered.
@kdrapertrucker I sailed on USS Antietam , CG 54 for almost four years as an Operations Specialist 2nd Class. I sailed on USS Sellers , DDG 11 for almost four years and served as a US Navy Military Policeman in Yokosuka Japan before sailing on USS Antietam .
The USS Gerald R Ford did visit the UK in Portsmouth. It also went to Oslo Norway before being deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Israel.
Love the channel. We have as others mentioned, 11 Nimitz super carriers. Each new one will replace the previous one. As for 10 off the coast of China, that would never happen, we may have 11, but that is so we have 9 strike groups, one carrier each. Two carriers are generally then in maintenance at any given time. Additionally we would not part 10 off the coast, we would only need 1 or 2 and the rest need to stay active in their assigned areas as well.
Close but no cigar. The US has built 10 Nimitz carriers. The US then built 1 ford carrier. Totaling 11 carriers. The 1st Nimitz was just decommissioned dropping back down to 10. The Nimitz will be replaced 1 to 1 with ford's. Due to construction schedules of the ford's and the decommissioning schedules of the Nimitz class the navy will peak at 12 carriers before returning to 10. There is the rule of 3. You must have 3 carriers to keep 1 out at sea. 1 is deployed. 1 is in training. The 3rd is in maintenance. 3-4 strike groups are all that can be deployed at any given time
the US already has 11 carriers. does he not realize the newer carriers will have less crew members to run it. the old carriers will be decommissioned as each newer carrier is built.
I am often astounded about how little information he has learned about kinda basic military stuff. I mean...he does not know about the Nimitz class supercarriers that are only a tiny bit smaller than the Ford class, and have been around since the 1970s...so his Navy knowledge is over 40 years out of date!?
16:10 "Imagine seeing that just rock up." That's part of the point of these trips, among other things. Power Projection is a big part of American military doctrine. Appear so big and powerful people don't dare mess with you.
There's a video out there somewhere that shows the resupply ships rolling up next to the carrier and the process of transferring. It isn't just food. They actually shoot harpoons across with heavy lines and link the ships and then pull big fuel hoses across so they can fill up the tanks with jet fuel for the air wing. And food obviously, spare parts, clothes, sundries, literally anything, can be secured on palettes and moved across the lines. They will also use the ship's helicopters to move stuff between the supply ship and carrier just to help speed up the process. They even have a dedicated mail flight to the carrier which has it's own mailing address. The DoD just has the mail forwarded to the next nearest US port base along the patrol route of the ship and the plane flies there to pick up/deliver mail to the carrier. So the family only ever needs that one address. The logistics behind keeping a single carrier group fully supplied, staffed, operational, would ruin most countries. Which is why the country with the 2nd most carriers in the world is the UK. Followed by Russia and now China. Anyone else who has one can barely afford to maintain it much less use it for anything beyond naval parade day.
Take russia off the list. The only carrier they have has been in dry dock for years and there is no way russia can afford to repair it. Plus when it was last operated it was a failure of epic proportions. It always had to have an ocean going tug boat with it to tow it back to port when it broke down.
@@mycroft16 you know, but you specifically said carriers did you not? Did you serve or you get your info off of Google or TH-cam, refueling ships and resupplying the ship was my job as BM, so I've been a part of it, on 2 carriers as well as an LHA
I sailed on a DDG and a CG . The mess decks served four meals a day , and had some chow laid our 24/7 . Usually , coffee , tea , milk , bread , peanut butter , jelly , bananas , and other fruits . The SKs ran the ship's store and a couple of Geedunk machines . Coca Cola and potato chips .
It's not just the 10 ships of this class. Think of the carrier battle group. Subs,, Frigates, Cargos ships, Destroyers, and all the other ships that make it up.
In addition to the Carrier Strike Groups, there are the Expeditionary Strike Groups which are centered on amphibian assault ships (which most people mistake for aircraft carriers).
3:41 - Its not quite on par with Contenants. However if you counted space on the Aircraft carrier as land area it would be larger than the smallest country in the world (Vatican City). 4:44 - Actually it is powered by two reactors. It has two A1B reactors each capable of running all the carrier systems and are rated at 700MW each. They generate 125MW for use with electrical load and 260MW to the propeller shafts in normal conditions.
I got to take a day cruise aboard the USS Bush several years ago. She is the last of the Nimitz class and an amazing piece of machinery. They had all the necessities of a small town, including movie theaters, barber shops, and a hospital.
"Can you imagine China attacking that ship?" You do know what happens when you mess with America's boats right? 1812, Barbary Wars, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Operation Praying Mantis...... I probably left a few out.
China can barley handle fishing boats. Their military is dangerous to civilians and parade routes. Its nearly no threat to any decent military. Ukraine could take China.
@@Doomcharger will see omerican pendos, abasrams and huiper also was wonder weapons, before brave Russian warriors don't kick yours omerican metal crap 😂
5:45 That's because by law we're required to maintain a fleet of 11 carriers. The plan is to gradually replace the existing fleet of class of carriers with the new class of carriers. We have 11 carriers so about a third is on active deployment, a third are in minor maintenance but can be immediately redeployed as needed and the final third are in major refit that'd require extensive lead time before redeployment. This way we can maintain the carriers AND still have a sizable posse available whenever and wherever as needed.
Built in my backyard ,Newport News ship yard Newport News Virginia. Watch it and others being built every day I crossed the James river bridge since 1975 🇺🇸
There's a video from the Wendover Productions channel called "Cities at Sea: How Aircraft Carriers Work". I highly recommend it because it helps give a sense of scale and explains some of the tactics involved with carriers. It's also just well-produced and has a lot of cool statistics into all the general info about carriers
It’s nice to hear somebody who understands how crazy 90 aircraft is, I mean it’s quite literally more firepower than most nations have and have 11 of them. It’s almost ridiculous. Truth is, I’m all for it, though I do think we need a lot more destroyers too, and get our summary warfare capabilities up to our air skills
My pop served on the Roosevelt, I've heard lots of stories about life on a carrier but his favorite service story is about building an orphanage in Greece.
7:37 You won't really have 45,000 on the ships at one time. The 4500 crew includes both the ships company who live on the ship all the time and those from various squadrons and servicemen deployed to support those squadrons that only are aboard during deployment. Not all carriers are deployed at once, right now it is usually no more than 3 or 4 at once. The rest are receiving maintenance or preparing to cycle out replacing currently deployed ships. So using your 10 ship numbers, you're looking at around 33,600 living on those ships at any given time with 15,600 of them being in their home port.
8:00 And don't forget, an American aircraft carrier never leaves port alone they always travel as a carrier strike group, usually comprised of an aircraft carrier, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers or frigates. Also, on occasion a carrier strike group includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship. Roughly 7,500 personnel. China's problem with their DF21D's is that PRC officers often sell off the fuel on the black market to line their pockets.
Hell we have 4 battleships from WW2 still left over, just 1 of those is enough to make any other Navy the 2nd most powerful in the world. We use them as Naval museums. Also fun fact, there are only 12 nuclear powered carriers in the world all from the US and France...France only has 1 of those 12. Other fun fact. The super carrier in this video houses enough aircraft to make that one boat the 6th largest Air Force in the world.
You are wrong. Each aircraft carriers are part of a carrier group- it will never be anywhere alone. Even if you “see it by itself” you missed the nuclear attack sub swimming under it protecting it. But a carrier group is usually 9+ more shops.
You're forgetting the carriers security detail as well. Destroyers. Support ships. At least 1 submarine it's air wings and many more protection ships. Not to mention all the Marines ready to jump off and storm the shores, will bring more than 4500 combat personal off of any enemy coast. So poke the Pilgrims and find out what a carrier and the security detail can bring knocking on the front door. 😁🇺🇸🇺🇸
We already hve 10+ carriers in service - this new class is retiring the last class one for one. The new class isn't a revolution - just a lot of improvements like the magnetic EMALS launch vs stream, better reactors, and a lot of people-focused improvements. They're a little bigger. As for the money - the initial award of $2.7B was a down payment, and the $4. something billion R&D is spread over the 10 hulls.
several kitchens that serve enlisted, chief petty officers and officers. All supplies provided through Under-Way Replenishment - Ship to ship cargo transfer via cable and multiple helicopters - Looks like a bee's nest from the distance when this is occurring. Underway replenishment would be a great video to put out - pretty amazing.
Fun fact Newport News, Virginia is the oldest English named city in the United States. It was named shortly after the Jamestown settlement when they needed to establish a good position for ship docks. It was names Newport after the Newport in Wales. The News is debated as if it originated from Ness (a word for a point), or if it was Newes (which is an Old English plural of new, as in New style, New things, or like the french Nouveau). This is also where later the word News got associated with current even reporting... News was a slang for a listing of the new things.
Since you were wondering where it be able to dock in the UK it is around the size of Cruise Ship so major ports like Dover, Southampton, Liverpool and others.
It is absolutely horrifying not gonna lie. I was army but I can't imagine anyone seeing that with all the support ships along with it coming to fight. Videos or pictures don't do it justice. When you see it in person it makes you want to yell calm down.
The Nimitz class Carriers these are replacing need between 5 & 6 thousand pepole. Just one of the many ways the new ones are cheaper to run/maintain is fewer pepole to pay for and feed.
900 aircraft is already near the numbers used during air raids in WW2. America doesn't mess around when it comes to their boats. Really hope that the release date for the game squadron 42 is announced this next weekend because in that game there is a space carrier that is 1000 meters long. Also a react suggestion SpaceX ift5 that happened yesterday is really cool.
12:51 There's a cafeteria a store a gym a medical office. When they said city they mean everything you see in a city that they need on the ship is on the ship
These are super-carriers now,when I was in the navy ( assigned to carriers ) we'd have 2,000 to 3,000 sailors aboard.Boy,have times have changed huh ???
Aircraft carriers ("big decks" in Navy slang) are HUGE. There are more than 5,000 people on the ship; it is like a small city, with every service you would find in a small city. When the USS Carl Vinson was berthed in Anacostia, California, it was the largest manmade object there and the tallest.
Top speed of a carrier is still top secret, my cousins estimated the Enterprise would due 45 knots, these would never hit a carrier, with air defense as well.
After 9/11/01 the enterprise, returning from a med cruise set course for the Persian Gulf and went to flank speed. She was on station several days before her battle group caught up with her.
The new Quick Sink 2000 lb bomb can make quick work of any Ship. Can sink a ship in just 2-3 minutes, as it's designed to split a ship into. They did a test on the decommissioned USS Tarawa (an amphibious assault ship/helicopter and VTOL aircraft carrier) where they hit it first with ship to ship Artillery, and then a special torpedo, the torpedo did significant more damage but failed to sink it. But one hit with the Quick Sink bomb dropped by a B-2 stealth bomber, it sent Tarawa to the bottom in just 3 minutes.
There's more than one galley on a carrier. They operate 24/7: 1. Captain 2. Officers 3. Senior non-commissioned officers (E7-E9) 4. Crew (E1-E6) If a large enough pier is not available, carriers will anchor close to shore and use boats to shuttle sailors to and from shore.
If you think the Gerald Ford is a big ship, sit one of the hospital ships (USNS Mercy or USNS Comfort) next to it and look at how small the carrier is. The carrier displaces more tonnage, but the hospital ships are taller. The hospital ships require 2 crew to operate. One crew drives and maintains the ship. The 2nd crew conducts operations the ship was built for (medical missions). The hospital ships are 1,000 bed floating hospitals with its own blood bank, operating rooms for surgery, the ability to desalinate a few thousands gallons of water per hour so it can provide fresh water to civilians in a disaster, and a whole lot more. Basically, the hospital ships are former oil tankers. Oh, and they also have their own flight deck. It used to carry 2 UH-60 helicopters, but the flight deck was upgraded for 1 V-22 Osprey.
The US has Nimitz class super carriers already. There are slightly smaller than the Ford class, but use older technologies. A Nimitz class will be decommissioned as a Ford Class comes online. The US keeps 11 carriers.
That number is not fixed! Congress passed a law at the end of the 2nd World War that the United States will always have 1 more than the rest of the navy's combined! China is building carriers. Expect that number to go up.
You crack me up! You have what I call a 'contagious laugh'! Can't wait to see your new channel! Keep up the reactions because I can't be the only one who you make smile or laugh with you just being you!
There is a video showing the carrier arriving in Portsmouth England!! Just search ford super carrier arriving in Portsmouth and Oslo Norway… the videos are awesome.
I was on the Nimitz, and I can tell you just to leave port and come back into port is was over 3 million $ for everything including tugs and clearing the waterways and oil. Also our crew was about 3000 crew consisted of everyone that ran the day to day of the ship, then we added about 3500 when we put planes aboard for the squadron compliment. Also I have friends on the Ford that said the new catapults are shit, they always go down and its difficult to fix. So that sounds fun. We had a Starbucks aboard so take that as you will.
Depending on which carrier, the standard crew compliment can range from 3 to 5,000 during peacetime. Double that in war. Each is the center of a carrier task group. Each carrier never travels alone and are always accompanied by destroyers, cruisers, tenders, submarines, etc. Any time a carrier group moves out, there's at least 10, 000 crew members total being put to sea
A bit of insight into this class of carrier from somebody who works for a Navy/Department of Defense contractor. This ship is CVN-78 and we are already working on various parts for CVN-83 (contrary to what this video says) so theres more strength on the way. These ships are designed to only use half of the power they are able to generate to cover future upgrades without power limitations. They also have 4X the power output capabilities of previous carrier classes. One thing that stands out to me is how deceiving the size of it appears in the video compared to how enormous it really is in person. Im fortunate to have been on that ship once for 3 weeks many years ago before it started sea trials prior to being commissioned and officially handed over to the Navy. At one point during my stay onboard, i didnt see any coworkers of mine for 3 days because its just that big and we were working on separate sections. Saying "floating city" doesnt do it justice. In answer to your question about the maintenance cost, its estimated too be about $700 Million per year, per ship. And when they mention about not being able to defend against China's DF-21D hypersonic anti ship missiles, i'll just say thats false and leave it at that.
Former Navy here. Served on board the USS Nimitz, and one deployment on the USS Kittyhawk. It has, TWO, nuclear reactors. A single one, can power the entire ship. 10 carriers, yes. 5 on the east coast. 5 on the west coast. 4 would be deployed at any given time A fully crewed carrier is approximately 5000 sailors, give or take. But it's capable of housing 7000 people. Each carrier has 2 Galleys. One Fore, and one Aft. Between the 2, you can get something to eat, 24/7. East Coast Carriers home ported in Norfolk, go on deployment to Europe. The Mediterranean sea, specifically. Sometimes, if needed, they'll transit the Red Sea and deploy to the Persian Gulf for 1 or 2 full months. When an Aircraft carrier deploys, it is never alone. At least one submarine is within a couple of miles of a carrier, at all times. And there's always at least 1 destroyer nearby as well.
Most of the modern USN ships and subs have removable/replaceable food storage compartments that are pre-stocked and ready for replacement upon arrival to port. no more hand over hand loadouts. The ships are pretty large. Imagine being "stuck" at sea but still having access to a full gym, weight rooms, basketball court, bowling alley, oh yeah, and a MacDonald's...
Many people seem to get this confused. The reason why there are so many is because the ship is being operated 24/7. So there are two shift, 1st and 2nd shift. 1st shift takes over day operations while 2nd shift takes up night operations. So you don't have your own bunk. You share one with someone who is a different shift than you. That way the ship can operate night and day without needing the facilities and structure to support so many crew members. So everyone shares the same facilities. Though bunk rooms do exist and it is nice because you only share a room with one other person.
We already have that many nuclear powered super carriers- the Nimitz class. These are their replacements. Those began rolling out in the 80's, and are wearing out. Much of the cost is in systems designed to lower crew requirements- which will ultimately lower the costs of running them. As well as advancing them to the current state of the art -With room for future improvements. The Nimitz class is maxed out, as far as upgrades and additions go. The reason to have that many is to actually have half that number deployed- with the others undergoing repairs and maintenance. A rotational system. Plus, we maintain a 2 ocean navy, with several carrier battle groups divided between them. to be in several places at once, with the ability to get anywhere needed quickly. you wouldn't see all 10 in one place, or even all 5 groups-more like 2, maybe 3, if things are really popping. AND we have Amphibious groups as well with amphibious assault ships- essentially baby carriers with HUGE cargo capacity. Those carry F-35B's for the Marine Corps. Marines get annoyed when someone sends aircraft to kill them- so they bring their own, to shoot the bastards down. lol. (or blow up the schmucks shooting at them)
well as to the missiles that they were showing that could be fired at our cv. They seem to forget that america has shot space borne objects traveling just as fast as those missles out of the sky more than once.
As each supercarrier is commissioned one is retired. There should be 10 or 11 commissioned aircraft carriers at once. Even though there are currently 11 carriers only some are in active duty at once. According to an June article I just read, four are deployed, three are preparing to deploy, three are in maintenance which takes about a year, and one (CVN-74) is in RCOH (the major refueling complex overhaul) that can take about four years started in 2021 (or 2019 by Wikipedia) and is expected to return to service in 2025. The ships have a 50 year service life and at 25 years require the RCOH.
Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 - November 24, 1943) was a U.S. Navy sailor who was the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. As a second-class mess attendant in the United States Navy, The ship is the first aircraft carrier named for an enlisted sailor and an African American. The ship will be the second to honor Miller, who received the Navy Cross for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor; the first ship was USS Miller (FF-1091).
I saw a story or short about him. He manned a machine gun I think and was credited with being the first to shoot down Japanese aircraft during the attack.
I myself served aboard and aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War. Though not as large as the Gerald Ford at 990 feet, it was a huge ship. When it comes to protection of power, you can’t beat parking an airbase on your enemies doorstep.
A quick search for operating costs: Estimated Carrier Operational Cost- 6 to 8 million daily or around $330,000.00 per hour Estimated Carrier Maintenance Cost- 1.9 million per day or 700 million a year The estimated cost to operate a whole Carrier Strike Group is around $6.5 million a day (An entire Air wing, five surface combatant ships, one attack submarine, plus personnel)
When I was in the Navy, back in the early 1980s, we were told that the daily operating costs of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN70) was a million dollars a day, but I don't know if that also included the ships in the support fleet group.
On a Nimitz Class carrier, the "Crew" [3500] which runs the ship doesn't include the "Air Wing" [2480] which flies and services the aircraft. If the carrier is a Flagship, you can probably add at least another 100. The maximum number on a Nimitz is 6,500. The Ford Class requires fewer personnel in total, only 4500.
The USS Gerald R Ford has the same footprint as the Nimitz, but due to advances in technology, there is more room for other services and uses. Regarding the question of galleys, the Nimitz had five galleys while the Ford has two. However, those two galleys are conglomerate galleys that cater to the whole ship's compliment, from enlisted to officer, and only one galley is manned continuously (the other is manned only when the carrier's air wing is aboard).
I've been on the USS Midway museum ship and I've seen the Nimitz carriers across the bay from San Diego. They are huge. When visiting SD once I happened to catch one leaving port and heading out to sea. IIRC there were two fighters in the ready position to be launched. I assume they had defensive armaments loaded. The USS Midway was a testbed for many modern advances in carrier design and had some major revisions during its lifetime. It was the first carrier to have a (retrofitted) angled flight deck. You should at least read the Wikipedia entry for it, which starts: USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. Commissioned eight days after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest warship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a museum ship at the USS Midway Museum, in San Diego, California, and is the only remaining inactive U.S. aircraft carrier that is not an Essex-class aircraft carrier.
yes it (they) do have defensive weapons to take out 'hypersonic' missles, called lasers. they are the main reason why the railgun was not implemented. but who knows what or how many aircraft are hidden in bunkers for shtf only purposes ...
Thankfully the UK doesn't have to worry about us. They weren't always but have been our buds for a long time. I have tons of UK friends, all of us here in US appreciate you guys
I was on the USS America, which is a LHA, or amphibious assault ship, which isnt nearly as big. It was 850ft and could carry nearly 4,000 people. There were more people on that ship than in my hometown.
6:00 You're forgetting that we already have 11 carriers in service, with CVN-78 being one of them. Yes we will have enough personnel because one new carrier being commissioned means another is lined up to be decommissioned.
As others are saying, we already have a crapload of really really big carriers. Way more than anybody else, each equipped better than almost any other on the planet. lol Not talking them down because each is lethal. But, we never have all of them out at sea. Remember, we prepare for long conflicts. lol They are on relatively strict schedules. Time at sea. Time for repairs when soldiers are rotated home for leave and/or in training. That has some carriers being worked on while others are on station around the globe 24/7/365. Same with out subs. Never 100% up. Never 100% down.
A Carrier is always going to be a 'missile magnet', but that is only effective if the attack is a swarm attack that can make it out of the Boost Phase (on the way up). Just as large of a threat to a carrier is torpedos, mine fields, and sinking the supply ships that support the carrier battle group.
We had nuclear powered Guided missile cruisers in the past, The USS Long Beach. These ships were/ are the fastest on the seas able to kick up rooster tails when pushed to flank speed.
Something to keep in mind, they are not all going to be on the water at once. They still need to have refit, rearmament, and resupply. Therefore, when one ship goes into dry dock, another ship leaves. We do that with quite a few of our ships already.
As many have said, the us currently operates 10 carriers. The Ford class is just the replacement. The US actually needs 10 (preferably 12). Our navy's mission is to always be on station, ready to respond in hours to a global security situation. That means our military doctrine always requires we put at least 2 carriers at sea conducting a tour 365 days a year, war or peace. Most carrier ships crews during peacetime have a 6 month tour or cruise, that is either transiting the Atlantic or pacific ocean (generally all the way to or near the middle east for the past few decades). Then they go home, the ship and crew spend 18 months re crewing and training, having g a shipyard period for maintenance, repair, and tbe updating of various systems and equipment, and then conducting sea trials and exercises to train up the crew, until they put to sea again. This 6 months on 18 months off means it takes 4 ships to always have one on a tour. The 5th ship is usually undergoing a more extensive 2 year yard period. So that ls 5 carriers per coast, 10 carriers. We've been known to keep an old carrier or two and have them homeport overseas in Japan. So yeah, things would have to be all or nothing crazy for us to send all 10 carriers anywhere. Or really more than 2 at a time to a conflict. It just takes 10 to have 2 (or possibly 4 in tines of crisis)
100,000 tons of displacement. The two largest most powerful heaviest armored battleships with the largest guns ever, 18 inch, had a full load displacement of almost 72,000 long tons ... the IJN Yamato and the IJN Musashi.
I've watched carriers getting supplies in San Diego Bay watching blackhawks using cargohooks, grabbing and hauling, then setting down on deck without ever landing, and doing this for hours between it looked like 5 or 6 helicopters... I would say each cargo crate probably weighed a few tons each. So basic math makes me think that within a couple hours, those few helicopters reloaded/supplied the carrier with 10-15 tons per 15 min for 2 hours comes out to 80 to 120 tons of supplies... however, these cargo nets can carry more, so it's just a basic idea. Best I can guess without actual numbers, but I imagine it was much much more.
I recommend Habitual Line Crosser, and his USA vs the world series. He breaks down the entire force that the United States, and whatever country is being compared, has. He also breaks down how experience and general fighting tactics of each country would affect the outcome of a 1V1 fight. He also has hilarious short form content, definitely worth a watch even if it's not worth making a video out of. As for the number of carriers, it's important to note that ships of this caliber need to be in maintenance for months after each deployment. It's important to have not only enough ships, but enough that you can keep up on maintenance cycles and still have a force ready for combat immediately if war were to start. Also, the United States has the logistical capabilities that it can resupply ships with other ships, so port size doesn't really matter. During WW2, the United States actually had ice cream barges that it was sending over to Europe (Fat Electrician video). So that really sums up the logistical capabilities that the US has had, and continues to improve.
![[TH] 2024 PMGC League | Survival Stage วันที่ 1 | PUBG MOBILE Global Championship](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/FVFT-PFwU80/mqdefault.jpg)
You have to realize, even though the aircraft carrier is the biggest ship on the sea; it never travels alone! My son put it best; even the biggest cities have their suburbs!
Escort battleships: “Ok, try to keep up, because China “accidentally” caused minor damage to Yorktown and Hornet to draw out Enterprise. And she tends to rush into-“. “She’s already gone”.
Enterprise: *angrily speeding towards the enemy for revenge*
Chinese Navy: “Why do I hear boss music”?
Japan: “Oh that’s not boss music, you pissed off the Grey Ghost and now she is hunting you. That’s funeral music”.
@@garrettviewegh9028 Enterprise is a swift reminder to all of exactly how much fucking around will lead you to find out
I don't think it can fit into Pearl Harbor.
And you don't see the other ships protecting the carriers. They only come in close for photo ops.
@@jamesphillips2529 The USS Gerald R. Ford is escorted by the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Normandy, as well as the Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyers USS Thomas Hudner, USS Ramage, USS Carney, and USS Roosevelt. They do not have to be close to it to protect it from missiles. They also run with one or two attack submarines underneath protecting.
Fun fact: US Navy is the second largest air force behind US Air Force
US Army has more aircraft than a lot of other nations' air forces as well. MOSTLY transport aircraft and helicopters, but still....
@@captin3149 the Army heli fleet doesn't constitute an "air force".
@@colbunkmustYer quibbling. The US Army still have more air assets than most, if not all, other militaries in the world.
@@colbunkmustbut all it takes is one gun ship to change the outcome of any battle
@@chrisrobinson2410 Not any battle. Especially if the only aircraft your side has is helicopters, because you can't maintain air superiority with Apaches. Any 4th gen fighter wing would absolutely shred a contingent of attack helicopters if that side only has what the US army has... which is why the USAF exists.
Yes, advanced weapon systems are scary BUT.... LOGISTICS wins wars. The best weapon system in the world is useless without ammunition and food to feed the operators. Which is the reason for the Carrier Group. It's NOT just the Carriers.
We need more oilers, ice breakers, and those service/maintenance ships (the one with the crane on the ship that can load other ships) just as badly, if not more so than fighting craft. IE: we desperately need to re-built our old ship yards.
We have a ship ( ion know the name off the top of my head) that brings ice cream to other ships
An army marches on its stomach is an aphorism going back millennia for a reason.
@@Just_sum_guy_ig
😆 I recall a brief scene in the film “Battle Of The Bulge,” where a Kraut general brings in a captured American chocolate cake into a briefing during the battle.
He made the point that while the advancing German troops were dangerously short of fuel for their tanks, the “Americans have enough fuel to fly chocolate cake across the ocean!”
You are correct. Logistics wins wars..
The American military has ginormous support/logistics assets.
That's what MSC is for
Part of being a "floating city" isn't just the size. They have basically all the amenities that one would be able to find in any small city in the US. Post office, laundromat, convenience store, barber shop, gyms, library, TV network, hospital, jail, and police station. Also many areas can be readily converted into things like a church, movie theater, beach, or almost anything else one could want. It is a floating city in pretty much every sense of the word with its own "international airport".
Dope didn't know all those things were on carriers tbh I never thought about what all they could have on those things
Pretty sure the Bush had its own dedicated chapel area, but not sure as I never attended a service. The chaplain for sure had his own office tho
@@MockZaylin it did indeed the Dorothy Bush Library had a chapel in the back
I took a tour of the Midway out in San Diego a few months ago which is only half the tonnage of the Ford and some of the newer carriers and was still absolutely incredible. Highly recommend anyone to take a tour of the decommissioned monsters if they get the chance.
What I want to know is: Which deck is best to fish off of? Because you know your bunkies would be stoked if you reeled in a 90-pound tuna for sushi night.
Mate this ship was literally in Portsmouth two years ago. You missed it. US navy carriers visit Portsmouth every few years.
Broaden your horizons and realize it was literally built across the river. Iirc, they started building the Ford before 2012.
@@domin8ss
He means Portsmouth , England.
@@billpike-cn5pz He should've said that
*continues patiently waiting for his Fat Electrician reaction to Percy Hobart*
Same here, I think he'd love it.
Yeah I think he needs to do that one as well
th-cam.com/video/hRl0VICYS9c/w-d-xo.html
19:46 US B21 Raider in china’s airspace, singing Here comes the sun dududu 💣☀️
The current 10 Nimitz carriers use more crew than 10 Ford carriers will.
That means less loss of life
@@ActuallyJamie I mean, I suppose less theoretical loss of life but the carriers aren't going to be sunk.
@@JohnW-yv6yp We might lose 1 or 2 nothing is impossible, nothing is indestructible.
9
@@ActuallyJamie Especially in today's World with how sophisticated Weapons are
the US has a surprisingly lengthy list of ships powered by a nuclear reactor, including AFAIK all the submarines. The main thing they run out of at sea is food, requiring a resupply.
US ship deployment work on the rule of thirds: 1/3 are coming in for maintenance, 1/3 are undergoing maintenance, and 1/3 are deployed. So the US current aircraft carrier fleet has 4 deployed at any one time on average. So 15,000 sailors deployed rather than 45,000 (still a lot in my eyes).
They do have multiple galleys, and a full sized hospital. Its the reason US aircraft carriers are sometimes sent for humanitarian relief efforts: they can feed thousands of people a day, and medically treat hundreds; much more than any mobile relief efforts can muster aid.
Also power areas on shore if needed but also create clean water for victims of natural disasters.
At one point we had an entire battle group carrier and escorts completely nuclear powered. The Ticonderoga class cruisers were originally supposed to be nuclear powered, but the expense of Aegis and nuclear propulsion was too much for even the U.S. Navy and aegis ended up in a spruance class destroyer hull, which they then designated as a cruiser.
There are 10 Nimitz-class aircraft cariers, and so far the Gerald Ford is the first of it's class. Then, there are 14 Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines with 4 more guided missile submarines, 19 Virginia-class fast attack submarines, 32 Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines, and 2 Seawolf-class fast attack submarines. That is 11 aircraft carriers and 71 submarines that are all nuclear-powered.
@kdrapertrucker I sailed on USS Antietam , CG 54 for almost four years as an Operations Specialist 2nd Class. I sailed on USS Sellers , DDG 11 for almost four years and served as a US Navy Military Policeman in Yokosuka Japan before sailing on USS Antietam .
The USS Gerald R Ford did visit the UK in Portsmouth. It also went to Oslo Norway before being deployed to the Eastern Mediterranean off the coast of Israel.
Love the channel. We have as others mentioned, 11 Nimitz super carriers. Each new one will replace the previous one. As for 10 off the coast of China, that would never happen, we may have 11, but that is so we have 9 strike groups, one carrier each. Two carriers are generally then in maintenance at any given time. Additionally we would not part 10 off the coast, we would only need 1 or 2 and the rest need to stay active in their assigned areas as well.
Close but no cigar. The US has built 10 Nimitz carriers. The US then built 1 ford carrier. Totaling 11 carriers. The 1st Nimitz was just decommissioned dropping back down to 10. The Nimitz will be replaced 1 to 1 with ford's. Due to construction schedules of the ford's and the decommissioning schedules of the Nimitz class the navy will peak at 12 carriers before returning to 10.
There is the rule of 3. You must have 3 carriers to keep 1 out at sea. 1 is deployed. 1 is in training. The 3rd is in maintenance. 3-4 strike groups are all that can be deployed at any given time
@@chefjamesmacinnis yup, good catch, I mistyped it.
@breckohlson7410 no problem dude.
@@chefjamesmacinnisNimitz is potential for one more deployment before her inactivation period. She's still in service until next year
@@peterson7082 I stand corrected
the US already has 11 carriers. does he not realize the newer carriers will have less crew members to run it. the old carriers will be decommissioned as each newer carrier is built.
I am often astounded about how little information he has learned about kinda basic military stuff. I mean...he does not know about the Nimitz class supercarriers that are only a tiny bit smaller than the Ford class, and have been around since the 1970s...so his Navy knowledge is over 40 years out of date!?
20 if you consider our amphibious assault ships as mini carriers
I think technically it's 11 super carriers 20 carriers in total
Yep
11 built, but less with 25 year overhaul and decommission of USS Nimitz puts us in Carrier shortage, overhaul takes around 18 months each
16:10 "Imagine seeing that just rock up." That's part of the point of these trips, among other things. Power Projection is a big part of American military doctrine. Appear so big and powerful people don't dare mess with you.
Speak softly
And carry a BIG FING STICK
Think about that, the US Navy flew 11,000 combat sorties in this carriers maiden voyage. 5 more are almost sea worthy.
We are different
There's a video out there somewhere that shows the resupply ships rolling up next to the carrier and the process of transferring. It isn't just food. They actually shoot harpoons across with heavy lines and link the ships and then pull big fuel hoses across so they can fill up the tanks with jet fuel for the air wing. And food obviously, spare parts, clothes, sundries, literally anything, can be secured on palettes and moved across the lines. They will also use the ship's helicopters to move stuff between the supply ship and carrier just to help speed up the process. They even have a dedicated mail flight to the carrier which has it's own mailing address. The DoD just has the mail forwarded to the next nearest US port base along the patrol route of the ship and the plane flies there to pick up/deliver mail to the carrier. So the family only ever needs that one address. The logistics behind keeping a single carrier group fully supplied, staffed, operational, would ruin most countries. Which is why the country with the 2nd most carriers in the world is the UK. Followed by Russia and now China. Anyone else who has one can barely afford to maintain it much less use it for anything beyond naval parade day.
Take russia off the list. The only carrier they have has been in dry dock for years and there is no way russia can afford to repair it. Plus when it was last operated it was a failure of epic proportions. It always had to have an ocean going tug boat with it to tow it back to port when it broke down.
You do know that's how all ships resupply not just carriers and the hose connected from ship to ship is fuel
@@PaulJohnson-lv6tt i literally said fuel hoses. And yes... we know.
@@mycroft16 you know, but you specifically said carriers did you not? Did you serve or you get your info off of Google or TH-cam, refueling ships and resupplying the ship was my job as BM, so I've been a part of it, on 2 carriers as well as an LHA
Because it's a 24-hour workday on a ship they also eat 4 meals a day and the mess hall never closes for in-between meals of special detail units.
I sailed on a DDG and a CG . The mess decks served four meals a day , and had some chow laid our 24/7 . Usually , coffee , tea , milk , bread , peanut butter , jelly , bananas , and other fruits . The SKs ran the ship's store and a couple of Geedunk machines . Coca Cola and potato chips .
It's not just the 10 ships of this class. Think of the carrier battle group. Subs,, Frigates, Cargos ships, Destroyers, and all the other ships that make it up.
In addition to the Carrier Strike Groups, there are the Expeditionary Strike Groups which are centered on amphibian assault ships (which most people mistake for aircraft carriers).
3:41 - Its not quite on par with Contenants. However if you counted space on the Aircraft carrier as land area it would be larger than the smallest country in the world (Vatican City).
4:44 - Actually it is powered by two reactors. It has two A1B reactors each capable of running all the carrier systems and are rated at 700MW each. They generate 125MW for use with electrical load and 260MW to the propeller shafts in normal conditions.
I got to take a day cruise aboard the USS Bush several years ago. She is the last of the Nimitz class and an amazing piece of machinery. They had all the necessities of a small town, including movie theaters, barber shops, and a hospital.
Now add 7 Assault Ships. Read: Smaller Carriers with F35B's with a buttload of deployable Marines.
Yes, F-35Bs and V-22 Ospreys, Ch-35E Super Stallion helos, AH-12 Viper helos, and MH-60S Seahawk helos.
"Can you imagine China attacking that ship?" You do know what happens when you mess with America's boats right? 1812, Barbary Wars, Spanish American War, WWI, WWII, Vietnam, Operation Praying Mantis...... I probably left a few out.
From what little I know of this, China has been investing a lot of money in missiles.
A country’s navy gets sunk and their Air Force gets decimated by Big E and the Mothball fleet?
@@quintrankid8045 And are likely crap as the rest of their tech.
China can barley handle fishing boats. Their military is dangerous to civilians and parade routes. Its nearly no threat to any decent military. Ukraine could take China.
@@Doomcharger will see omerican pendos, abasrams and huiper also was wonder weapons, before brave Russian warriors don't kick yours omerican metal crap 😂
5:45 That's because by law we're required to maintain a fleet of 11 carriers. The plan is to gradually replace the existing fleet of class of carriers with the new class of carriers. We have 11 carriers so about a third is on active deployment, a third are in minor maintenance but can be immediately redeployed as needed and the final third are in major refit that'd require extensive lead time before redeployment.
This way we can maintain the carriers AND still have a sizable posse available whenever and wherever as needed.
Built in my backyard ,Newport News ship yard Newport News Virginia. Watch it and others being built every day I crossed the James river bridge since 1975 🇺🇸
804 and 757 represent!
There's a video from the Wendover Productions channel called "Cities at Sea: How Aircraft Carriers Work". I highly recommend it because it helps give a sense of scale and explains some of the tactics involved with carriers. It's also just well-produced and has a lot of cool statistics into all the general info about carriers
It’s nice to hear somebody who understands how crazy 90 aircraft is, I mean it’s quite literally more firepower than most nations have and have 11 of them. It’s almost ridiculous. Truth is, I’m all for it, though I do think we need a lot more destroyers too, and get our summary warfare capabilities up to our air skills
I live 30 minutes from Newport News Shipbuilding the only place they build supercarriers it's wild to see the progress on the new ships
My pop served on the Roosevelt, I've heard lots of stories about life on a carrier but his favorite service story is about building an orphanage in Greece.
7:37 You won't really have 45,000 on the ships at one time. The 4500 crew includes both the ships company who live on the ship all the time and those from various squadrons and servicemen deployed to support those squadrons that only are aboard during deployment. Not all carriers are deployed at once, right now it is usually no more than 3 or 4 at once. The rest are receiving maintenance or preparing to cycle out replacing currently deployed ships. So using your 10 ship numbers, you're looking at around 33,600 living on those ships at any given time with 15,600 of them being in their home port.
19:34 dont touch the fricken boats
Unless you want an up close and personal meeting with the sun
@@pauldistasio4385 exactly
Re the Food-- don't forget the ice cream.
Whenever I think what our military does is insane, i then remember. We're America, we don't make sense, we make dollars
TFE.
@@TheRagratus Yup
technically we SPEND dollars more than we make them. 30 TRILLION in debt...
@@bobdam4478that debt also includes personal debt of the population. You realize that right? That’s not all government based debt
The perpetual complaint of people who suck at making dollars and resent those who can.
8:00 And don't forget, an American aircraft carrier never leaves port alone they always travel as a carrier strike group, usually comprised of an aircraft carrier, a destroyer squadron of at least two destroyers or frigates. Also, on occasion a carrier strike group includes submarines, attached logistics ships and a supply ship. Roughly 7,500 personnel. China's problem with their DF21D's is that PRC officers often sell off the fuel on the black market to line their pockets.
PS resupply is usually done ship to ship, not requiring need to dock.
ITS CALLED UNREP! Underway replenish
Hell we have 4 battleships from WW2 still left over, just 1 of those is enough to make any other Navy the 2nd most powerful in the world. We use them as Naval museums. Also fun fact, there are only 12 nuclear powered carriers in the world all from the US and France...France only has 1 of those 12. Other fun fact. The super carrier in this video houses enough aircraft to make that one boat the 6th largest Air Force in the world.
You are wrong. Each aircraft carriers are part of a carrier group- it will never be anywhere alone. Even if you “see it by itself” you missed the nuclear attack sub swimming under it protecting it. But a carrier group is usually 9+ more shops.
they are to replace the older nimitz class 1 for 1 trade, take actually less people to crew than previous carriers
You're forgetting the carriers security detail as well. Destroyers. Support ships. At least 1 submarine it's air wings and many more protection ships. Not to mention all the Marines ready to jump off and storm the shores, will bring more than 4500 combat personal off of any enemy coast. So poke the Pilgrims and find out what a carrier and the security detail can bring knocking on the front door. 😁🇺🇸🇺🇸
Yes, they fly in food. On planes and helicopters. Just like the mail and all the other supplies.
They also refit while in port.
lol you still have to add all the support ships in the fleet and subs to this equation...mind blown!
3:26 is definitely a sound bite I'm adding to my arsenal, thanks
We already hve 10+ carriers in service - this new class is retiring the last class one for one. The new class isn't a revolution - just a lot of improvements like the magnetic EMALS launch vs stream, better reactors, and a lot of people-focused improvements. They're a little bigger. As for the money - the initial award of $2.7B was a down payment, and the $4. something billion R&D is spread over the 10 hulls.
several kitchens that serve enlisted, chief petty officers and officers. All supplies provided through Under-Way Replenishment - Ship to ship cargo transfer via cable and multiple helicopters - Looks like a bee's nest from the distance when this is occurring. Underway replenishment would be a great video to put out - pretty amazing.
I was one three. The Lincoln, the Eisenhower, and the Roosevelt. Food is stored literally everywhere. Lol
I currently serve on Ike-atraz. Absolute nightmare.
Fun fact Newport News, Virginia is the oldest English named city in the United States. It was named shortly after the Jamestown settlement when they needed to establish a good position for ship docks. It was names Newport after the Newport in Wales. The News is debated as if it originated from Ness (a word for a point), or if it was Newes (which is an Old English plural of new, as in New style, New things, or like the french Nouveau). This is also where later the word News got associated with current even reporting... News was a slang for a listing of the new things.
Fun fact, I am just outside Newport Washington.
And this is just whats being produced publicly, whats being built on the down-low is the scary part.
Since you were wondering where it be able to dock in the UK it is around the size of Cruise Ship so major ports like Dover, Southampton, Liverpool and others.
It is absolutely horrifying not gonna lie. I was army but I can't imagine anyone seeing that with all the support ships along with it coming to fight. Videos or pictures don't do it justice. When you see it in person it makes you want to yell calm down.
The Nimitz class Carriers these are replacing need between 5 & 6 thousand pepole. Just one of the many ways the new ones are cheaper to run/maintain is fewer pepole to pay for and feed.
900 aircraft is already near the numbers used during air raids in WW2. America doesn't mess around when it comes to their boats. Really hope that the release date for the game squadron 42 is announced this next weekend because in that game there is a space carrier that is 1000 meters long. Also a react suggestion SpaceX ift5 that happened yesterday is really cool.
12:51 There's a cafeteria a store a gym a medical office. When they said city they mean everything you see in a city that they need on the ship is on the ship
If I remember correctly there's 5000 sailors on an Aircraft carrier.
Thats nuts!!
A lot of nuts.........
Including the air wing personnel, yes.
5000 for Nimitz class 4500 for Ford class
These are super-carriers now,when I was in the navy ( assigned to carriers ) we'd have 2,000 to 3,000 sailors aboard.Boy,have times have changed huh ???
Aircraft carriers ("big decks" in Navy slang) are HUGE. There are more than 5,000 people on the ship; it is like a small city, with every service you would find in a small city. When the USS Carl Vinson was berthed in Anacostia, California, it was the largest manmade object there and the tallest.
Top speed of a carrier is still top secret, my cousins estimated the Enterprise would due 45 knots, these would never hit a carrier, with air defense as well.
After 9/11/01 the enterprise, returning from a med cruise set course for the Persian Gulf and went to flank speed. She was on station several days before her battle group caught up with her.
It visited Portsmith England Nov. 14 2022, anchored in Stokes Bay
The USS Enterpelrise was built in like the late 60s and it's nuclear powered.
Yep, it had 8 nuclear reactors. She was the prototype for the nuclear powered carriers. The New U.S.S. Enterprise CVN-80 is currently being built.
The new Quick Sink 2000 lb bomb can make quick work of any Ship. Can sink a ship in just 2-3 minutes, as it's designed to split a ship into. They did a test on the decommissioned USS Tarawa (an amphibious assault ship/helicopter and VTOL aircraft carrier) where they hit it first with ship to ship Artillery, and then a special torpedo, the torpedo did significant more damage but failed to sink it. But one hit with the Quick Sink bomb dropped by a B-2 stealth bomber, it sent Tarawa to the bottom in just 3 minutes.
There's more than one galley on a carrier. They operate 24/7:
1. Captain
2. Officers
3. Senior non-commissioned officers (E7-E9)
4. Crew (E1-E6)
If a large enough pier is not available, carriers will anchor close to shore and use boats to shuttle sailors to and from shore.
Don't forget the Starbucks open 10ish hours a day
If you think the Gerald Ford is a big ship, sit one of the hospital ships (USNS Mercy or USNS Comfort) next to it and look at how small the carrier is. The carrier displaces more tonnage, but the hospital ships are taller. The hospital ships require 2 crew to operate. One crew drives and maintains the ship. The 2nd crew conducts operations the ship was built for (medical missions). The hospital ships are 1,000 bed floating hospitals with its own blood bank, operating rooms for surgery, the ability to desalinate a few thousands gallons of water per hour so it can provide fresh water to civilians in a disaster, and a whole lot more. Basically, the hospital ships are former oil tankers. Oh, and they also have their own flight deck. It used to carry 2 UH-60 helicopters, but the flight deck was upgraded for 1 V-22 Osprey.
The US has Nimitz class super carriers already. There are slightly smaller than the Ford class, but use older technologies. A Nimitz class will be decommissioned as a Ford Class comes online. The US keeps 11 carriers.
That number is not fixed!
Congress passed a law at the end of the 2nd World War that the United States will always have 1 more than the rest of the navy's combined!
China is building carriers. Expect that number to go up.
You crack me up! You have what I call a 'contagious laugh'! Can't wait to see your new channel! Keep up the reactions because I can't be the only one who you make smile or laugh with you just being you!
There is a video showing the carrier arriving in Portsmouth England!! Just search ford super carrier arriving in Portsmouth and Oslo Norway… the videos are awesome.
I was on the Nimitz, and I can tell you just to leave port and come back into port is was over 3 million $ for everything including tugs and clearing the waterways and oil. Also our crew was about 3000 crew consisted of everyone that ran the day to day of the ship, then we added about 3500 when we put planes aboard for the squadron compliment.
Also I have friends on the Ford that said the new catapults are shit, they always go down and its difficult to fix. So that sounds fun.
We had a Starbucks aboard so take that as you will.
Depending on which carrier, the standard crew compliment can range from 3 to 5,000 during peacetime. Double that in war. Each is the center of a carrier task group. Each carrier never travels alone and are always accompanied by destroyers, cruisers, tenders, submarines, etc. Any time a carrier group moves out, there's at least 10, 000 crew members total being put to sea
The Ford has already visited Liverpool. There are videos of its arrival and departure on You Tube.
A bit of insight into this class of carrier from somebody who works for a Navy/Department of Defense contractor. This ship is CVN-78 and we are already working on various parts for CVN-83 (contrary to what this video says) so theres more strength on the way. These ships are designed to only use half of the power they are able to generate to cover future upgrades without power limitations. They also have 4X the power output capabilities of previous carrier classes. One thing that stands out to me is how deceiving the size of it appears in the video compared to how enormous it really is in person. Im fortunate to have been on that ship once for 3 weeks many years ago before it started sea trials prior to being commissioned and officially handed over to the Navy. At one point during my stay onboard, i didnt see any coworkers of mine for 3 days because its just that big and we were working on separate sections. Saying "floating city" doesnt do it justice. In answer to your question about the maintenance cost, its estimated too be about $700 Million per year, per ship. And when they mention about not being able to defend against China's DF-21D hypersonic anti ship missiles, i'll just say thats false and leave it at that.
Former Navy here. Served on board the USS Nimitz, and one deployment on the USS Kittyhawk.
It has, TWO, nuclear reactors. A single one, can power the entire ship.
10 carriers, yes. 5 on the east coast. 5 on the west coast. 4 would be deployed at any given time
A fully crewed carrier is approximately 5000 sailors, give or take. But it's capable of housing 7000 people.
Each carrier has 2 Galleys. One Fore, and one Aft. Between the 2, you can get something to eat, 24/7.
East Coast Carriers home ported in Norfolk, go on deployment to Europe. The Mediterranean sea, specifically. Sometimes, if needed, they'll transit the Red Sea and deploy to the Persian Gulf for 1 or 2 full months.
When an Aircraft carrier deploys, it is never alone. At least one submarine is within a couple of miles of a carrier, at all times. And there's always at least 1 destroyer nearby as well.
One of the good things about the Ford Class carriers is, due to the advanced systems, it's crew requirement is substantially less than a Nimitz.
She actually made a port call at Portsmouth. They had to anchor off-shore, and, ferry people back, and, forth on small boats.
Ex Navy Rescue Swimmer here - the total personnel during combat operations is ~6000 on the newer carriers - the increase is due to Squadron crews
Meanwhile, China's 'latest and greatest' submarine is conducting 'extended submersion exercises' on the bed of the Yangtze. XD
Most of the modern USN ships and subs have removable/replaceable food storage compartments that are pre-stocked and ready for replacement upon arrival to port. no more hand over hand loadouts.
The ships are pretty large. Imagine being "stuck" at sea but still having access to a full gym, weight rooms, basketball court, bowling alley, oh yeah, and a MacDonald's...
Many people seem to get this confused. The reason why there are so many is because the ship is being operated 24/7. So there are two shift, 1st and 2nd shift. 1st shift takes over day operations while 2nd shift takes up night operations. So you don't have your own bunk. You share one with someone who is a different shift than you. That way the ship can operate night and day without needing the facilities and structure to support so many crew members. So everyone shares the same facilities. Though bunk rooms do exist and it is nice because you only share a room with one other person.
We already have that many nuclear powered super carriers- the Nimitz class. These are their replacements. Those began rolling out in the 80's, and are wearing out. Much of the cost is in systems designed to lower crew requirements- which will ultimately lower the costs of running them. As well as advancing them to the current state of the art -With room for future improvements. The Nimitz class is maxed out, as far as upgrades and additions go.
The reason to have that many is to actually have half that number deployed- with the others undergoing repairs and maintenance. A rotational system. Plus, we maintain a 2 ocean navy, with several carrier battle groups divided between them. to be in several places at once, with the ability to get anywhere needed quickly. you wouldn't see all 10 in one place, or even all 5 groups-more like 2, maybe 3, if things are really popping.
AND we have Amphibious groups as well with amphibious assault ships- essentially baby carriers with HUGE cargo capacity. Those carry F-35B's for the Marine Corps. Marines get annoyed when someone sends aircraft to kill them- so they bring their own, to shoot the bastards down. lol. (or blow up the schmucks shooting at them)
well as to the missiles that they were showing that could be fired at our cv. They seem to forget that america has shot space borne objects traveling just as fast as those missles out of the sky more than once.
As each supercarrier is commissioned one is retired. There should be 10 or 11 commissioned aircraft carriers at once.
Even though there are currently 11 carriers only some are in active duty at once. According to an June article I just read, four are deployed, three are preparing to deploy, three are in maintenance which takes about a year, and one (CVN-74) is in RCOH (the major refueling complex overhaul) that can take about four years started in 2021 (or 2019 by Wikipedia) and is expected to return to service in 2025. The ships have a 50 year service life and at 25 years require the RCOH.
Doris "Dorie" Miller (October 12, 1919 - November 24, 1943) was a U.S. Navy sailor who was the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. As a second-class mess attendant in the United States Navy, The ship is the first aircraft carrier named for an enlisted sailor and an African American. The ship will be the second to honor Miller, who received the Navy Cross for his actions during the attack on Pearl Harbor; the first ship was USS Miller (FF-1091).
I saw a story or short about him. He manned a machine gun I think and was credited with being the first to shoot down Japanese aircraft during the attack.
I myself served aboard and aircraft carrier during the Vietnam War. Though not as large as the Gerald Ford at 990 feet, it was a huge ship. When it comes to protection of power, you can’t beat parking an airbase on your enemies doorstep.
Wait.....
HOBART makes welders!!
And I gotta say I Love my HOBART it never fails.
A quick search for operating costs:
Estimated Carrier Operational Cost- 6 to 8 million daily or around $330,000.00 per hour
Estimated Carrier Maintenance Cost- 1.9 million per day or 700 million a year
The estimated cost to operate a whole Carrier Strike Group is around $6.5 million a day (An entire Air wing, five surface combatant ships, one attack submarine, plus personnel)
When I was in the Navy, back in the early 1980s, we were told that the daily operating costs of the U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CVN70) was a million dollars a day, but I don't know if that also included the ships in the support fleet group.
On a Nimitz Class carrier, the "Crew" [3500] which runs the ship doesn't include the "Air Wing" [2480] which flies and services the aircraft. If the carrier is a Flagship, you can probably add at least another 100. The maximum number on a Nimitz is 6,500. The Ford Class requires fewer personnel in total, only 4500.
The USS Gerald R Ford has the same footprint as the Nimitz, but due to advances in technology, there is more room for other services and uses. Regarding the question of galleys, the Nimitz had five galleys while the Ford has two. However, those two galleys are conglomerate galleys that cater to the whole ship's compliment, from enlisted to officer, and only one galley is manned continuously (the other is manned only when the carrier's air wing is aboard).
I've been on the USS Midway museum ship and I've seen the Nimitz carriers across the bay from San Diego. They are huge. When visiting SD once I happened to catch one leaving port and heading out to sea. IIRC there were two fighters in the ready position to be launched. I assume they had defensive armaments loaded.
The USS Midway was a testbed for many modern advances in carrier design and had some major revisions during its lifetime. It was the first carrier to have a (retrofitted) angled flight deck. You should at least read the Wikipedia entry for it, which starts:
USS Midway (CVB/CVA/CV-41) is an aircraft carrier, formerly of the United States Navy, the lead ship of her class. Commissioned eight days after the end of World War II, Midway was the largest warship in the world until 1955, as well as the first U.S. aircraft carrier too big to transit the Panama Canal. She operated for 47 years, during which time she saw action in the Vietnam War and served as the Persian Gulf flagship in 1991's Operation Desert Storm. Decommissioned in 1992, she is now a museum ship at the USS Midway Museum, in San Diego, California, and is the only remaining inactive U.S. aircraft carrier that is not an Essex-class aircraft carrier.
the Ford is 4.5 acres of sovereign USA SOIL
yes it (they) do have defensive weapons to take out 'hypersonic' missles, called lasers. they are the main reason why the railgun was not implemented. but who knows what or how many aircraft are hidden in bunkers for shtf only purposes ...
Thankfully the UK doesn't have to worry about us. They weren't always but have been our buds for a long time. I have tons of UK friends, all of us here in US appreciate you guys
I was on cvn 72. I think it was almost 7000 people when you add in aircraft pilots and squadrons that fly in for a full active tour.
I was on the USS America, which is a LHA, or amphibious assault ship, which isnt nearly as big. It was 850ft and could carry nearly 4,000 people. There were more people on that ship than in my hometown.
6:00 You're forgetting that we already have 11 carriers in service, with CVN-78 being one of them. Yes we will have enough personnel because one new carrier being commissioned means another is lined up to be decommissioned.
As others are saying, we already have a crapload of really really big carriers. Way more than anybody else, each equipped better than almost any other on the planet. lol Not talking them down because each is lethal. But, we never have all of them out at sea. Remember, we prepare for long conflicts. lol They are on relatively strict schedules. Time at sea. Time for repairs when soldiers are rotated home for leave and/or in training. That has some carriers being worked on while others are on station around the globe 24/7/365. Same with out subs. Never 100% up. Never 100% down.
1. the 10 additional carriers will replace 10 existing carriers on a 1-for-1 basis. The oldest US CVN, USS NIMITZ, is already 49.5 years old.
A Carrier is always going to be a 'missile magnet', but that is only effective if the attack is a swarm attack that can make it out of the Boost Phase (on the way up). Just as large of a threat to a carrier is torpedos, mine fields, and sinking the supply ships that support the carrier battle group.
We had nuclear powered Guided missile cruisers in the past, The USS Long Beach. These ships were/ are the fastest on the seas able to kick up rooster tails when pushed to flank speed.
Something to keep in mind, they are not all going to be on the water at once. They still need to have refit, rearmament, and resupply. Therefore, when one ship goes into dry dock, another ship leaves. We do that with quite a few of our ships already.
As many have said, the us currently operates 10 carriers. The Ford class is just the replacement.
The US actually needs 10 (preferably 12).
Our navy's mission is to always be on station, ready to respond in hours to a global security situation.
That means our military doctrine always requires we put at least 2 carriers at sea conducting a tour 365 days a year, war or peace.
Most carrier ships crews during peacetime have a 6 month tour or cruise, that is either transiting the Atlantic or pacific ocean (generally all the way to or near the middle east for the past few decades).
Then they go home, the ship and crew spend 18 months re crewing and training, having g a shipyard period for maintenance, repair, and tbe updating of various systems and equipment, and then conducting sea trials and exercises to train up the crew, until they put to sea again.
This 6 months on 18 months off means it takes 4 ships to always have one on a tour.
The 5th ship is usually undergoing a more extensive 2 year yard period.
So that ls 5 carriers per coast, 10 carriers.
We've been known to keep an old carrier or two and have them homeport overseas in Japan.
So yeah, things would have to be all or nothing crazy for us to send all 10 carriers anywhere. Or really more than 2 at a time to a conflict.
It just takes 10 to have 2 (or possibly 4 in tines of crisis)
100,000 tons of displacement. The two largest most powerful heaviest armored battleships with the largest guns ever, 18 inch, had a full load displacement of almost 72,000 long tons ... the IJN Yamato and the IJN Musashi.
I saw a carrier coming in one time.. it was amazing!!!! hard to really understand how large it was.. moved the water up a bit.
One of the ways the carrier gets its supplies is by using UNREP , or Underway Replenishment using Navy cargo ships.
It is closer to 6000 per carrier and there currently 11 commissioned. I served on the carl Vinson CVN-70 and the Stennis CVN 74
I've watched carriers getting supplies in San Diego Bay watching blackhawks using cargohooks, grabbing and hauling, then setting down on deck without ever landing, and doing this for hours between it looked like 5 or 6 helicopters... I would say each cargo crate probably weighed a few tons each. So basic math makes me think that within a couple hours, those few helicopters reloaded/supplied the carrier with 10-15 tons per 15 min for 2 hours comes out to 80 to 120 tons of supplies... however, these cargo nets can carry more, so it's just a basic idea. Best I can guess without actual numbers, but I imagine it was much much more.
I recommend Habitual Line Crosser, and his USA vs the world series. He breaks down the entire force that the United States, and whatever country is being compared, has. He also breaks down how experience and general fighting tactics of each country would affect the outcome of a 1V1 fight. He also has hilarious short form content, definitely worth a watch even if it's not worth making a video out of.
As for the number of carriers, it's important to note that ships of this caliber need to be in maintenance for months after each deployment. It's important to have not only enough ships, but enough that you can keep up on maintenance cycles and still have a force ready for combat immediately if war were to start. Also, the United States has the logistical capabilities that it can resupply ships with other ships, so port size doesn't really matter. During WW2, the United States actually had ice cream barges that it was sending over to Europe (Fat Electrician video). So that really sums up the logistical capabilities that the US has had, and continues to improve.