This shot of the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) exemplifies the idea that nuclear super carriers are really fortresses at sea. Not to mention that they are some of mankind’s largest and definitely most complex inventions. Here are some “by the numbers” eye opening facts about the USS John C. Stennis:
Commissioned: December 9th, 1995
Home Port: Naval Base Kitsap, Washington
Air Wing: CVW-9, the Navy’s most modern with an all Super Hornet strike fighter force, which includes the following squadrons-
- Strike Fighter Squadron 192 (VFA-192) “Golden Dragons”
- Strike Fighter Squadron 97 (VFA-97) “Warhawks”
- Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) “Black Aces”
- Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14) “Tophatters”
- Strike Fighter Squadron 151 (VFA-151) “Vigilantes”
- Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (VAQ-133) “Wizards”
- Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 112 (VAW-112) “Golden Hawks”
- Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 8 (HSC-8) “Eight-Ballers”
- Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (HSM-71) “Raptors”
- Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 4 (VRC-30) “Providers”
Dimensions: 257 wide by 1,092 feet long by 244 high
Displacement: 103,300 tons
Propulsion: 2 Westinghouse A4W nuclear reactors tied to 4 steam turbines and 4 shafts.
Total Horsepower: 260,000hp
Range: 1,000,000 miles before nuclear refueling
Propellers: 4 screws, each made out of bronze and measuring 22 feet across and weighing 66,200lbs
Rudders: 2, each 29 by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons
Anchor Weights: 30 tons each
Top Speed: Over 30 knots, rumored to be around 35 knots
Combat Aircraft: About 65 with a surge capability of over 85
Elevators: Four high-speed, each over 4,000 square feet.
Catapults: 4 310ft stroke steam catapults capable of pushing a 80,000lb aircraft to 140 knots
Arresting Cables: 4 cross-deck pendents each 2 inches thick made of braided steel and tied to a under-deck hydraulic engine
Flight Deck Size: 4.5 acres
Raw Materials: Close to 55,000 tons of steel and over 1,000,000lbs of aluminum
Operational Life Expectancy: Half a century
Compliment: 6,500 people
Defensive Weaponry: 2 Mk56 Sea Sparrow launchers, 2 RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile launchers, 3 Phalanx CIWS
Jet Fuel Storage Capacity: 3.5 million gallons
Consumable Stores: Enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days
Meals Served Per Day: 18,600
Eggs Served At Breakfast Alone: 12,000
Water distillation per day: 400,000 gallons, enough for 2,000 American homes
Electrical: 30,000 light fixtures, 1,600 miles of cable and wiring, 2,000 phones
Bedding: 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets
Number of compartments and spaces: About 3,500
Capacity of Air Conditioning System: 3,500 tons
Photos via US Navy
Tyler Rogoway is a defense journalist and photographer who maintains the website Foxtrot Alpha for Jalopnik.com You can reach Tyler with story ideas or direct comments regarding this or any other defense topic via the email address Tyler@Jalopnik.com