Northrop Grummans Newest Aircraft Carrier Takes a Bow(Bow laid for newest carrier)

Spacewar ^

[MARKUSPRIME]

The carrier is under construction at Northrop Grumman's Newport News sector, the nation's sole designer, builder and refueler of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. Weighing 780 tons and made up of 25 steel sections, the upper bow is one of the heaviest crane lifts in the ship's production plan. Newport News began construction on the upper bow unit last February.

"Landing the fully-outfitted upper bow on the ship is a significant milestone in the design and construction of CVN 77, and most importantly, a great team effort by our shipbuilders," said Scott Stabler, vice president for the CVN 77 program at Northrop Grumman Newport News. "We are on track for record shipboard construction progress at launch in October."

[Wombat101]

Will the French carrier ever put to sea, or will it have the wrong propellers, a leaky reactor, and a tendancy to break down at slow speeds like the current French flattop?

It would be good to see the Brits back in the carrier business, however, since they invented the concept and they would be a valuable adjunct to US Naval Aviation (the same holds true of the Indian Navy).

It's been proven throughout history: he who controls the sea, controls the course of events.

[A.A. Cunningham]

Never happen.

[Cvengr]

Sometimes, just as important is the angle of dangle.

[Squantos]

Does SWATH technology / design have a place in something as large as a Carrier ?

Seemed a possibility from what I have seen and read.....I'll yeild to those with time and knowledge of the carrier for answers.

[Laz711]

That is standard Navy speak for the power of the carriers.

[A.A. Cunningham]

CVN 77 Upper Bow Lift - March 15, 2006
The nation's tenth and final Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, George H.W. Bush (CVN 77), grows by 780 tons as the upper bow unit is placed onto the ship. Photo by Chris Oxley

CVN 77 Upper Bow Lift - March 15, 2006
The George H.W. Bush is the second carrier with the bulbous bow design. USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) is the first. Photo by Rick Thompson

CVN 77 Upper Bow Lift - March 15, 2006
The addition of the upper bow on the George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) completes the flight deck and extends the overall length of the carrier to its full size, which is as long as the Empire State Building is tall. Photo by Rick Thompson

[magslinger]

How thick is the metal on an aircraft carrier?

It varies. The outer hull is about an inch thick.

Does the Navy still use wood for decks or steel?

Steel decks. IIRC the last wood deck carrier was decommissioned in the early '70's.

Are sailors still portioned a measure of rum each day or did that custom end?

Prohibition ended that little bennie. Since the late '70's they don't even give brandy to aircrew fished out of the water. When that happened, you could hear the scream of outraged pilots over the sound of a F-4 winding up to full afterburners.

[Jeff Head]

Well said wombat and spot on.

VTOL is great for close in work and fleet air defense. But as you say, they are severely limited in the amount of ordinance they can carry over long distances. Same applies in a large measure even to VSTOL and ski jumps. Makes their power rojection and strike at sea, or land capabilities very limited compared to large deck carriers like ours.

For a great comparison of ALL carrier classes wolrd-wide, including the large deck amphibs, see my:

The "compare all" link tells the story.

[68skylark]

The British (and possibly French) are looking to build carriers more comparable in size to our Nimitz-class carriers.

Yeah, I've been following this, and I think it's good that the UK will have more capable carriers. (The French carrier won't be helpful to the free world, but I guess its construction will help keep costs down for the Brits, by spreading their development costs over an additional vessel.)

If I've read the news right, their ships will displace about 2/3's as much as our Nimitz-class ships.

[lawgirl]

I didnt' realize this new carrier was going to be named after 41. The USS Poppy Bush! :)

[magslinger]

If anyone wants to be truly impressed, visit Newport News. Go downtown to the shipyard area and look at a carrier under construction or refit – the tallest building in Newport News is any carrier in the shipyard. These ships are truly huge, but they don’t look all that big until you get within a few blocks of the shipyard.

It's all perspective. A carrier looks positively tiny when seen from the back window of a C-2 circling around to land (crash?) on board.

[Laz711]

From what I gathered while I was still in the Navy, the 77 is going to be a hybrid between the Nimitz class and the new CVN-X class carrier....stuff like magnetic catapults, new reactor systems, and other things to minimize maintenance and therefore crew requirememts, just like the new class of SSNs.

[Wombat101]

By SWATH, I'm assuming you mean a catamaran-type hull?

Probable answer is: no. Because the gear and contrivances necessary to run the carrier (catapults, arrestor gear, angled flight deck, elevators, hanger space, ordnance storage, crew accomodations, just as examples) could not be crammed into a catamaran hull without astounding problems in design and engineering, or creating a totally different beast altogether, at enormous expense.

It is simply easier to keep the standard design and make improvements to it as technology comes along.

[Question_Assumptions]

See the page I linked to. It has a comparison diagram. The tonnage is about 2/3rds and it holds less than half the aircraft, but it's almost as long and wide as a Nimitz (more like 75%-80% in those dimensions) so that it can handle non-S/VTOL aircraft.

[Question_Assumptions]

The French are jumping on the British design in exchange for some of the contracts to built it and possibly contracts for some planes to put on it. It's also cheaper for the French than to build their own. The speculative name for the French carrier is interesting -- "Cardinal Richelieu". The two UK carriers are speculatively named "Queen Elizabeth" and "Prince of Wales".

[Wombat101]

Cool. The Frogs can barely get their (single) CV and (single) CVN to float, let alone turn them into effective weapons of war or deterrence.

I will, however, give the French Navy high marks for their skill in ASW and the quality of their pilots, having seem them in action. The same is true (even more so) for the Brits -- I'd sail into Harm's Way with them any day of the week.

[Question_Assumptions]

I believe the current plan is for the CVF to not be nuclear.

[Wombat101]

Interesting. I'll assume gas turbine of some sort for propulsion, but what about generating steam to launch planes?

[Kozak]

Are sailors still portioned a measure of rum each day or did that custom end?

The daily "grog" ration was a British tradition that ended in the 1970.

" On January 28, 1970 the "Great Rum Debate" took place in the House of Commons, and July 30, 1970 became "Black Tot Day," the last pipe of "Up Spirits" in the Royal Navy.(5)"

[Kozak]

The USS Clinton.....