God Bless USA
New Member
How many ships does the US Navy have in its inventory? How does it break down by type? How does it compare with other contries? All I know is we have 12 aircraft carriers.
US Navy
- Thread starter God Bless USA
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windscorpion
New Member
Here you go http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_ships_of_the_United_States_Navy
The USN's own website also has a nice section on it's ships.
The USN's own website also has a nice section on it's ships.
RubiconNZ
The Wanderer
You don't have 12 aircraft carriers you have 11, The John F. Kennedy was decommissioned early without replacement.
weasel1962
New Member
Re:
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And there are those who wish to cut the Enterprise a few years before her replacement enters the fleet. While the navy in the past has kept 12 carriers in the fleet, homeporting one in Japan has made it easier to maintain only 11 carriers. I am sure if we were able to homeport one in Europe some where, we could possibly cut our carrier force to 10. Unfortunately that doesn't appear likely.
With so many nuclear propelled aircraft carriers, it seems one is undergoing a nuclear refueling at Newport News, Virginia, at any given time. Due to this fact, the navy operates one less aircraft carrier air group than the carriers in the fleet.
The navy wishes to have 12 carriers is based on a rotation policy of three carriers, two deployed overseas, both in the Atlantic and Pacific, with upcoming carriers to be deployed, and with the previous carriers which just came home. 2+2+2=6 in each ocean. 6+6=12. By pulling one deployed carrier from each ocean, two can be deployed in the Indian Ocean. The navy likes to have two carriers deployed to operate around the clock operations. With only one flight deck crew, the crew has to sleep too.
Carriers can be peaked for a short time when the arriving carrier and the departing carrier stay for a while, a month or so, extending that carriers deployment. Eventually that carrier deployed has to return home. Sailors expect 12 months of home duty before sailing abroad for 6 months. If you had watched the PBS show Carrier, the crews do their duty but prefer to be home with their families.
Those aren't VTOL carriers but amphibous assault ships (Tarawa and Wasp classes). The Harriers are there to give support to landing forces. The flight deck is actually a predominantly helicopter force, not a fixed wing force.