What is the size of an Aircraft Carrier?

As far as the size of aircraft carriers goes, the US Navy’s Nimitz supercarriers are without question the biggest in the world. The following are the specifications for the USS George H. W. Bush, the USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Harry Truman.

Dimensions of the USS Abraham Lincoln

The displacement of the USS Abraham Lincoln is 101,000 long tons (equal to 103,000 tons); this is at full load. It is 1,092 ft long (332.8 m). The waterline has been measured at 1,040 ft (or 317 m). The beam is 252 ft (76.8 m) while the draft is 37 ft / 11.3 m (max navigational).

The propulsion is courtesy of two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, 4 shaft and 4 steam turbines. Despite the huge size of aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, the vessel can move at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph).

There is no range limit. The complement is 3,200 and the air wing is 2,480. The carrier’s armaments include the Mk 57 Mod3 Sea Sparrow, the Phalanx CIWS and the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe missiles.

There are also 90 helicopters onboard. The ship was ordered on December 27, 1982 and built by Newport New Shipbuilding co. It was launched on February 13, 1988.

Dimensions of the USS Harry Truman

The USS Harry Truman is 1,092 ft long (332.8 m). The displacement
is 101,000 long tons (103,000 tons). The beam reaches a length of 252 ft (76.8 m). The draught (max navigational) is 37 ft (11.3 m).

The size of the aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman requires two Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors, shafts and steam turbines. Like the USS Lincoln, the USS Truman can move at 30 knots and has unlimited range.

The vessel employs numerous state of the art sensors. This includes AN/SPS-48E 3-D and AN/SPS-49(V) 5 2-D search radars; the AN/SPN-46 air traffic control radar is also included. It has the AN/SPQ-9B target acquisition radar and electronic warfare and decoys.

Aside from nearly a hundred fixed choppers, the USS Truman is heavily armored. The armor components remain classified. The ship was ordered on June 1988 and cost US$4.5 billion. The aircraft carrier was launched on September 7, 1996.

Dimensions of the USS George H. W. Bush

The size of aircraft carrier George H. W. Bush and its
specifications are similar to the other carriers in the Nimitz class. The displacement is over 100,000 tons and nearly 1,100 ft (332 m) long. The beam is 250 ft (77 m) high. Its propulsion is made up of a couple of nuclear reactors and 8 shaft and steam turbines.

The speed is over 30 knots. The carrier comes with sophisticated radars, Mk 29 ESSM launcher, the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles and countermeasures against torpedoes. The carrier was commissioned on January 10, 2009.

Common Features

All these carriers can function for two decades without the need to refuel. They also come with various aircraft including the Super Hornet, F/A-18 Hornet, the C-2 Greyhound and others.

The sizes of aircraft carriers in the Nimitz class have no equal. Aside from the features specified, there are other aspects of these carriers that remain classified.