World-Wide Aircraft Carriers Site Announced by Freeper Jeff Head

World-Wide Aircraft Carriers ^ | 16 October 2005 | Jeff Head

[Jeff Head]

Air wings will be a great addition and future update...if I can find the time. Lots of good suggestions here, thanks!

[NY Attitude]

I remember going on-board a French carrier in 1959, they carried livestock because of their lack of adequate reefer (refrigerator) space.

[Enterprise]

"Am I missing the USS Ronald Reagan?"

It's listed under the "Nimitz" class.

[Jeff Head]

Amazing...like the "real old" days, huh? Butcher those puppies right there in the hold did they?

[Rodney King]

The strategic, political, and preventive benefits are difficult to put a dollar sum to...until you fight a war, or lose some strategic resources or access because you didn't have them.

Right, but anyway, I find thinking about it fascinating. Take Brazil, for example. (Or Spain or Italy really). You only have one carrier. If you base your naval objectives around it, you better be dammned sure it is protected. You buy all that protection, and still, you are scared to employ the carrier anywhere that it might face danger. When all is said and done, maybe you would have been better with a couple of Ticonderoga cruisers.

Anyway, the Thai carrier makes a lot of sense given the intense need to be able to patrol their waters to protect merchant shipping from Pirates.

[doug from upland]

This is great news, Jeff. Other than an ICBM, a carrier is the greatest projection of our military power.

[Eastbound]

Thanks for the ping, Jeff.

[Eaker]

This exact issue came up at lunch with a bunch of Engineers.

I was able to present facts and figures because of your clearly written analysis of the world wide situation.

I asked them some very pointed questions too.

It was great to be informed.

In other words, thanks for all of this honest and well defined information!

[tarheelswamprat]

Beautiful site, Jeff! Thanks for putting it together. It'll be a great source of information, and provide hours of enjoyment as well.

[nuconvert]

pong

[HHKrepublican_2]

I just skimmed the site, looks good. Offhand do you know of any US plans to build more carriers, specifically in the Pacific? What are the locations of the current carriers.

[Jeff Head]

All of those nations do have pretty good escorts...Spain in particular with their F100 Aegis frigates.

What I was surprised about with the Spain Asturias is that it only has one prop. Pretty risky that.

Also, with one carrier, it is necessarily only going to be available about 30-40% of the time with training, maintenance, refits, yard time, etc. That's why we keep twelve, so that any one time we will have five available...and the ability to surge seven or eight total.

A lot to do with politics and national pride for the single carrier nations.

[xrp]

Looks good! I hope you'll add the history of aircraft carriers as well. The history of the Lexington/Saratoga carriers, Yorktown class and Essex class carriers during World War II is incredible.

[Jeff Head]

Amen...they are powerful and effective tools in the hans of liberty...and a great threat in the hands of tyrants.

[Jeff Head]

You are welcome my friend.

[rlmorel]

Very good job!!! As ex-flight deck crew...very interesting to me!

[fallujah-nuker]

Checked it out, thanks for the heads up. I recall in the early eighties Vickers was proposing the V-VAC, a 13,000 ton light carrier similar to a CVE. Inspired by their experience with the Atlantic Conveyor, it would have been modified from a container ship design.

It would not surprise me if China would go down that path, her shipbuilding industry is far bigger than ours, and growing bigger. They are building a new yard near Shanghai that could produce a larger amount of merchant shipping each year than the entire US merchant marine!

[Jeff Head]

Thank you my friend. Hope this site is equally beneficial. I had a kick putting it together.

[dagnabbit]

Very nice.

[NY Attitude]

They carried sheep, goats, and chickens as a mainstay for their menus.