Biggest Warship

The biggest warship ever made is the USS Enterprise. It is 342 m / 1,123 ft long. The displacement is 93,284 long tons (94,781 t) at full load.

General Characteristics

The beam is 132.8 ft (40.5 m) (waterline) and 257.2 ft (78.4 m) (extreme). The draft is 39 ft (12 m). The propulsion consists of 8 × Westinghouse A2W nuclear reactors. The Enterprise has a speed of 33.6 kn (38.7 mph; 62.2 km/h). The aircraft carrier has an unlimited range. The flight deck is 1,123 ft (342 m).

Armament and Sensors

The maximum complement of the Enterprise is 5,828. These are usually made up of 1,550 support personnel, 250 pilots, 150 officers, 150 chiefs and 2,700 sailors. The aircraft carrier uses AN/SPS-48 3D air search radar and AN/SPS-49 2D air search radar.

The USS Enterprise has numerous weapons. They include 2 × NATO Sea Sparrow launchers, 2 × 20 mm Phalanx CIWS mounts and 2 RAM
launchers. Its armor consists of 8 in (20 cm) aluminum belt.

Notes on the Construction

915 engineers designed the biggest warship ever made. Over 2,400 blueprints and 16,100 drawings were used as well. The Enterprise has 37 mi (60 km) of ventilation ducts. It has 625 mi (1,000 km) of electrical cables. There are 4 steam powered catapults on the ship.

Class Overview

The ship was built by the Newport News Shipbuilding. The ship was ordered on 15 November 1957. The cost was $451.3 million. The ship was launched on 24 September 1960. It was christened on the same date. It was acquired on 29 October 1961 and commissioned 25 November 1961. Its maiden voyage was 12 January 1962.

Other Information about the USS Enterprise

The USS enterprise is a nuclear powered aircraft carrier. Its moniker is the Big E. It is the eleventh heaviest aircraft carrier after the 10 Nimitz aircraft carriers. The Enterprise is the only aircraft carrier in its class. Upon its scheduled retirement in 2013, it will have served 51 years. That would make it the longest serving naval vessel in the US Navy.

Future Plans

It is still uncertain as to what will happen to the Enterprise after it is decommissioned. There are reports that it will be turned into a museum ship.

However, there is nothing definite as to what will happen after it is decommissioned. Until that time comes, the USS Enterprise will remain the biggest war ship in the world.