How Big Is the USS Ronald Reagan Aircraft Carrier?

Transcript

NARRATOR: 4 and 1/2 acres of floating military might. Enough brute force to move massive ships across the globe. A mammoth 300-foot fire breathing, metal melting monster. An unprecedented design that blew the roof of the traditional sports stadium. And giant robots taking over the world-- forget what you heard. Size does matter. Now, World's Bigges... Read More

Key Insights

• The USS Ronald Reagan, also known as CVN 76, is the ninth ship in the Nimitz class. It has a flight deck of 4.5 acres, capacity for 80 aircraft and 6,000 personnel, and a recorded length of 1,592 feet.
• Its flight deck is what makes the Ronald Reagan the biggest of the nearly identical Nimitz-class ships. The deck angle went from 9.05 to 9.15 degrees off the center line, so aircraft can launch and land at the same time without getting in each other's way.
• Two nuclear reactors power the carrier, which is driven by four bronze propellers that each weigh over 66,000 pounds. It reaches speeds above 30 knots and needs refueling only once in its projected 50-year lifespan.
• The carrier works as a self-sufficient floating city. It serves about 18,000 meals a day, makes about 400,000 gallons of water daily, generates its own electricity, and carries over 3 million gallons of fuel for its aircraft.
• Onboard services include a police department, hospitals, laundry and dry cleaning, a TV station, a movie theater, a legal department, a fire department, a library and a museum. The commanding officer acts as the mayor, and the ship is completely cashless.
• The aircraft carrier's history began in 1920, when the cruiser Jupiter was converted into CV 1, the USS Langley. There have been 56 aircraft carriers since then, and some hull numbers belong to ships that were started but never completed.
• The Battle of Midway in June 1942 proved what carriers could do in war. It was the first naval engagement in which the opposing fleets never saw each other, because the whole fight was carried out by aircraft launched from carriers.
• Northrop Grumman in Newport News, Virginia, built the Ronald Reagan from 1,392 steel blocks of 150 to 300 tons each, lifted by a gantry crane that handles up to 900 tons. The work used 10 million parts from 48 states and 325,000 gallons of paint.

Questions & Answers

Q: How big is the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier?

The USS Ronald Reagan, CVN 76, has a recorded length of 1,592 feet and a flight deck of 4.5 acres. It can carry 80 aircraft and up to 6,000 personnel, about half of them ship's crew and half aircraft community. Its flight deck, angled at 9.15 degrees from the center line, is what makes it the biggest Nimitz-class carrier.

Q: What powers the USS Ronald Reagan and how fast can it go?

The USS Ronald Reagan runs on two nuclear reactors and is driven by four bronze propellers that each weigh over 66,000 pounds. This gives it speeds of more than 30 knots. The carrier needs to be refueled only once during its projected 50-year lifespan, so it can stay deployed for long periods.

Q: Why is an aircraft carrier called a floating city?

A carrier like the USS Ronald Reagan has to be self-sufficient, because there is little or no access to outside supplies while it is under way. It serves about 18,000 meals a day and makes its own electricity and about 400,000 gallons of water daily. It also has its own police, hospitals, fire department, legal department, TV station, movie theater, library and museum, and the commanding officer serves as the mayor.

Q: How was the USS Ronald Reagan built?

Northrop Grumman built the USS Ronald Reagan in Newport News, Virginia, much like a large erector set. The ship was assembled from 1,392 steel blocks of 150 to 300 tons each, loaded into the dock one at a time by a gantry crane that can lift 900 tons. Workers installed about 1 million feet of pipe and 8 million feet of cable and applied 325,000 gallons of paint. The ship was launched after about two years in the dock.

Q: How much did the USS Ronald Reagan cost to build?

The USS Ronald Reagan cost almost $5 billion. It took 45 million man hours to build and used over 10 million parts brought in from 48 states. Engineers designed it with 3D design concepts and computer modeling, so they could solve potential problems before they became real problems during construction.

Q: What was the first US aircraft carrier?

Aircraft carrier history starts in 1920, when the cruiser Jupiter was converted into CV 1, the USS Langley. The first ship built to be a carrier from the start was the USS Ranger, completed in 1934 at Newport News. There have been 56 aircraft carriers since the Langley. The Ronald Reagan's number, CVN 76, is higher than that because some carriers were started but never completed.

Q: Why was the Battle of Midway important for aircraft carriers?

The Battle of Midway in June 1942 was the first naval engagement in which the opposing forces never saw each other. Japanese and US carriers launched aircraft that bombed each other's fleets and fought air-to-air dogfights. The battle devastated the Japanese fleet and showed the US how important carriers were, which led to more of them being built.

Q: What new features does the USS Ronald Reagan have compared with other Nimitz-class carriers?

The USS Ronald Reagan added a bulbous bow for buoyancy and stability, a new ship self-defense system, and fiber optic systems for machinery and voice controls. It also got a redesigned island superstructure for better visibility and the largest pilot house and bridge of any Nimitz-class carrier. It was designed as the first paperless carrier, relying only on electronic navigation. Its defenses include NATO SEASPARROW missiles, a rolling airframe missile system and Phalanx guns.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The USS Ronald Reagan, CVN 76, is described as the biggest and most technologically advanced aircraft carrier in the world. It has a 4.5-acre flight deck, holds 80 aircraft and 6,000 people, and runs on two nuclear reactors and four bronze propellers to reach speeds above 30 knots.

• The carrier runs 24/7 as a floating city. It serves about 18,000 meals a day and has about 2,000 telephones, hospitals, police and fire departments, a TV station and a movie theater. It makes its own electricity and about 400,000 gallons of water each day, and it is a cashless ship.

• Northrop Grumman built the ship in Newport News using 3D design and computer modeling, 1,392 steel blocks, 10 million parts and 45 million man hours, at a cost of almost $5 billion. New features include a bulbous bow, fiber optic controls, a redesigned island, paperless navigation and layered missile defenses.