The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has been the mainstay of the U.S. Navy’s carrier fleet for nearly five decades
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By Maya Carlin, Warrior Contributor
Over the years, the U.S. Navy has had some stellar ships in its fleet that really stand out and deserve recognition.
Here is what many would consider as the most powerful warships in the Navy’s arsenal today:
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier:
The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier has been the mainstay of the U.S. Navy’s carrier fleet for nearly five decades, and with good reason. Weighing in at 100,000 tons, with a crew complement of over 5,000 members, the Nimitz-class was a dominant force for years.
While this wasn’t the first class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, these ships arguably perfected the design. With its embarked carrier air wing including F/A-18 strike hornets, E/A-18G Growlers for electronic attack, as well as anti-submarine helicopters and airborne early warning assets, the Nimitz-class is a powerful force as both a deterrent and for power projection abroad.
The Ford-class aircraft carrier:
The newest carrier class to be introduced, the USS Gerald R. Ford represents a major step forward in aircraft carrier technology and capability. Like its predecessors, it is nuclear powered however the newly designed reactor, the A1B, gives it a much greater power output than the Nimitz-class.