BRAD ELWARD                     ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL WRIGHT

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

ORIGINS OF THE SUPERCARRIER

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE NIMITZ CLASS

• The Nimitz Carrier Structure

• The Flight Deck

• Aircraft Launch and Recovery Operations

• LSOs and the Lens

• The Hangar Bay

• The Island and Significant Inner Structures

• Defensive Systems

• Electronic Systems and Radars

• Integrated Air Defense

• The Carrier Air Wing (CVW)

• Propulsion and Powerplant

OPERATIONAL HISTORY

• The Carriers

• Nimitz-Class Follow-on: The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) Class

BIBLIOGRAPHY

NIMITZ CLASS AIRCRAFT CARRIERS

INTRODUCTION

US naval aviation began on November 14, 1910, when Curtiss Aircraft test pilot Eugene Ely made the first ship-launched flight in history, from the deck of the light cruiser USS Birmingham (CL 2), which was at anchor in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Ely followed up this achievement on January 18, 1911, when he made the first landing aboard the armored cruiser USS Pennsylvania (ARC 4) in San Francisco Bay. Shortly thereafter, the US Navy began funding training for the initial cadre of naval aviators.

Aircraft carriers have come a long way since the commissioning of the first US Navy carrier, the USS Langley (CV 1), on March 3, 1922. During the early 1920s, the Navy, impressed with the fleet’s previous work with shipboard aircraft, as well as with the Royal Navy’s early carrier experiments with HMS Hermes and Furious, converted the collier USS Jupiter (AC 3) into an experimental carrier on which to test the emerging theories of sea-based airpower. The resultant Langley, although too slow and small to be an effective carrier, nevertheless provided a means for early naval aviators to train in carrier operations.

A recent image of the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) provides a good profile of its island structure; the aft mast has been relocated to the island. (US Navy, Spike Call)

In 1922, the Navy began exploring further developments in carrier aviation, and authorized the conversion of two battlecruisers, which became USS Lexington (CV 2) and USS Saratoga (CV 3). These two ships were the largest carriers of the time, displacing more than 36,000 tons (32,659 tonnes), and were the also fastest, capable of speeds of more than 35 knots (65km/h). They each operated more than 90 aircraft, over twice the capability of competing British and Japanese designs. The Lexington and Saratoga, together with the construction of the first planned-from-keel-up aircraft carrier, USS Ranger (CV 4), marked the emergence of the United States as one of the world’s premier carrier powers.

From what began as a means to enhance scouting, reconnaissance, and gunnery spotting, the aircraft carrier and its embarked air wings have grown into the jewels of the US fleet, at the head of US Navy force projection and American military prestige. Today, the ten nuclear-powered carriers of the Nimitz class and the nuclear-powered USS Enterprise (CVN 65; formerly CVAN 65) form the core of US carrier power, the Carrier Strike Group (CSG). Launched in 1975, USS Nimitz (CVN 68) represents the first of what is undeniably the most potent and capable warship class ever built. Fully loaded, a Nimitz-class carrier displaces more than 97,000 tons (87,997 tonnes) and, with a flight deck greater than 4½ acres (1.8 hectares) in extent, can operate an air wing of more than 85 of the most sophisticated high-performance aircraft in the world. Nimitz-class carriers are the ultimate symbolic representations of American military muscle, and will remain so for the next 50 years.

What follows is an overview of the Nimitz-class vessels. Obvious security concerns make obtaining in-depth technical details about the carriers nearly impossible. The discussions here, therefore, focus on how the class came about, the carriers’ primary electronic and defensive systems, and some of the more significant differences between the various carriers within the class. This book will also look at changes over time – most Nimitz carriers have been heavily modified since their initial launch, with original radars and communications antennas replaced and enhanced with more capable systems, and weapons platforms upgraded to meet new and emerging threats. Some discussion will also cover the Carrier Air Wings, which provide the offensive punch to the carrier fleet, and the next generation of carriers, the Gerald R. Ford class.

ORIGINS OF THE SUPERCARRIER

The vast naval campaigns of the Pacific theater of World War II were the coming of age for the aircraft carrier. Beginning with the December 1941 Japanese carrier strike on Pearl Harbor, and continuing through the final US air assaults in 1945 against Okinawa and the Japanese home islands, the offensive value of the aircraft carrier became clear, as did its supplanting of the battleship as the primary naval battle piece. By war’s end, the US Navy operated more than 100 aircraft carriers, 17 of which were of the 27,100-ton (24,584-tonne) Essex class, the backbone of the fast carrier task forces. Although fast and capable of fielding a large air group, these carriers were already overcrowded and becoming obsolete with the advent of jet aircraft, which began entering service in the late 1940s.

The proposed supercarrier USS United States (CVA 58) featured a flush deck and four steam-powered catapults, two of which were located on the edge of the flight deck. United States was cancelled just five days after its keel was laid down. (National Archives)

Just prior to the war, the Navy had begun design work on the larger Midway (CVB 41)-class carrier. Three of the new battle carriers were ordered on December 29, 1942, two days before the commissioning of the first Essex-class carrier, USS Essex (CV 9). Displacing some 45,000 tons (40,823 tonnes), the Midway-class carriers each operated an air group of more than 120 fighter and bomber aircraft, and incorporated many innovations derived from the lessons learned during early fighting in the war. As the war ended and defense funding dried up, the Midway class was limited to just three examples, Midway, Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB 42), and Coral Sea (CVB 43). The two remaining Midway carriers, CVB 56 and 57, were canceled. Midway-class carriers would be the last US carriers built around the straight-deck design and the last to have prominent features of a traditional capital ship. Future carriers would be designed purely around aircraft operations.

In early 1946, work began on a new carrier design (initially termed the CVB X), one specifically able to operate the heavy jet bombers the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics (BuAer) had anticipated as entering service in the late 1940s/early 1950s. As was already apparent from the initial experimental jet fighter operations, the emergence of jet-powered aircraft presented a host of operational problems for the carriers when compared to propeller-driven aircraft. Because of their slow engine spool time, jet aircraft needed a longer take-off distance or at least assistance from catapults; likewise, the faster approach speed meant that the jets needed increased room to land and heavier arresting gear. Jet aircraft also burned large amounts of fuel, a situation that necessitated more storage on the carrier for jet fuel. The Essex-class carriers, as they then existed, were simply too small for such aircraft. Moreover, there was concern over the added weight of the new aircraft and the wear and tear on the wooden flight decks. The issue of jet bombers presented an even more significant problem. At the time, the Navy was pursuing several jet designs in the 100,000lb (45,454kg) range, which were too heavy for even the larger Midway-class carriers. It was envisioned that these bombers would carry atomic weapons, providing the Navy with a strategic asset to complement its tactical role. The initial solution to creating a carrier suited to the new demands was Navy Ship Control Board (SCB) design 6A, later named USS United States (CVA 58).

United States represented a monumental leap forward in capability, intended to be the first aircraft carrier specifically designed to operate jet aircraft. With an overall length of 1,090ft (332m) and a molded beam of 130ft (40m), it would displace more than 65,000 tons (58,967 tonnes), making it easily the largest warship of its time. It was to feature four catapults – two on the bow and one on each side of the flight deck – capable of launching the new heavy jet bombers. The carrier was of a flush-deck design with four aircraft elevators, in an effort to provide as much operational space for air operations as possible. The total air wing was planned at 12–18 heavy bombers, each with a planned 2,000-mile (3,218km) range, and 54 jet fighters. Reflecting its immense size and capabilities, the Navy termed the United States a “supercarrier.”

As the Navy moved forward with its design, a rivalry that already existed between the Navy and the US Air Force (USAF), concerning the proper mission and organizational structure of the various services, escalated even further. The Air Force, which at the time placed all of its faith in strategic bombing, had proposed a large fleet of heavy bombers (70 air groups) based on the Convair B-36 Peacemaker, which had entered service in August 1946. Fearful that the Navy’s supercarriers and carrier-based bombers would encroach on its strategic bombing mission, the Air Force bitterly fought the construction of United States and its jet bombers. The Navy, while desiring an organic atomic capability, nevertheless saw the nuclear mission as a supplement to rather than a replacement for the Air Force’s strategic bombing role. Clearly the Navy sought a platform that could continue to enhance the tactical strike capabilities developed during World War II, as well as one for sea control and support of amphibious operations.

With the limited funding available after the war and a massive demobilization underway, the US military could not afford to pursue a fleet based around the $189 million supercarriers, and at the same time purchase the proposed 100 B-36 strategic bombers sought by the Air Force. Based on its experiences in the Pacific theater during World War II, the Navy argued that the bombers would be of limited value against Soviet air defenses and that the flexible supercarrier battlegroups offered the most cost-efficient means of striking Soviet targets.