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From: swilliam@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Steve Williams)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Questions (Carriers & Corps)
Message-ID: <1991Feb21.025948.11001@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 21 Feb 91 02:59:48 GMT
References: <1991Feb20.052409.29442@cbnews.att.com>
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From: swilliam@oasys.dt.navy.mil (Steve Williams)

>Of all the Aircraft Carrier's in the US arsenal, which is considerred
>the most capable?  If I am not mistaken, some years ago, it would have been
>the John F. Kennedy "Super Carrier".

Exactly what do you mean by "most capable"?  

If you're talking about endurance, then it is the Nimitz class carriers 
(USS NIMITZ, USS DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, USS CARL VINSON, USS THEODORE 
ROOSEVELT, AND USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN).  They all are nuclear powered carriers 
and can cruise for 13 years without "refueling," or estimated 800,000 
to 1,000,000 miles.  By comparison, conventional carriers need to be 
refueled every few days, depending on how fast they are cruising.  Nuclear
powered carriers can cruise at maximum speed constantly whereas conventional
carriers could not; hence nuclear powered carriers could get to combat
areas faster. However, like the conventional carriers, the nuclear powered 
carriers do need replenishment (e.g. restocking food pantry & aviation 
part shelves, refilling aviation fuel tanks, etc.) at time intervals.

If you're talking about the attack capability, I guess there is not
much difference among the carriers, if there are any - it depends mainly 
on the number and type of plane the carrier has.  For example, if carrier 
A has more attack planes than carrier B, then carrier A has more attack
capability.

   Carrier                Full Load      Aircrafts    Complement
  -------------------    -----------     ---------    ----------
  NIMITZ class           91,487 tons     90+             6,300
  ENTERPRISE             90,970 tons     90 approx.      5,500
  KITTY HAWK class:
    KITTY HAWK           81,123 tons     85 approx.      4,950
    CONSTELLATION        81,773 tons      "   "            "
    AMERICA              79,724 tons      "   "            "
    JOHN F. KENNEDY      80,941 tons      "   "            "
  FORRESTAL class:
    FORRESTAL            79,250 tons     70 approx.      6,180
    SARATOGA             80,383 tons      "   "            "
    RANGER               81,163 tons      "   "            "
    INDEPENDENCE         80,643 tons      "   "            "
  MIDWAY class:
    MIDWAY               64,002 tons     75 approx.      4,502
    CORAL SEA            65,241 tons      "    "         4,974

Source: Jane's Fighting Ships 1985-86