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Aircraft Carrier of the Future 8 Minutes ... Pause for eight minutes, and experi- ence how long it feels. Now imagine that same eight minutes spent pinned down by someone trying to kill you. The next-generation of aircraft car- rier must fulfill old and new roles alike. The question now: what will it look like, and how much will it cost? Strategic air superiority is invaluable in every single future war scenario, cru- cial to hitting land-based targets and field troop support. Army planners reck- on that eight minutes is the maximum amount of time from initial target call to weapons on target. As the U.S. Navy literally reinvents itself over the next decade, questions turn to the role of the premier symbol of U.S. power and foreign policy — the nuclear powered aircraft carrier — referred to "90,000 tons of diplomacy" by its Newport News, Va.-based builder. A recent report from the Defense Science Board Task Force dubbed "Future of the Aircraft Carrier" helps shed some light. The creation of the modern aircraft carrier is nothing short of a production miracle. It takes about seven years, almost 50,000 tons of pre- cision-welded steel, a billion parts from 3.000 suppliers and hundreds of miles of wire and cable to build what is easily the most formidable and dominating war machine afloat. Special bonuses: No two are exactly alike; each is designed to dominate the seas for 50 years, stopping for refueling just once in its lifetime. There is little doubt as to a nuclear air- craft carrier's value, both physically and psychologically. It provides a launching pad for U.S. forces when a land-based alternative is unavailable, and undoubt- edly has played a major role in directing any number of delicate negotiations. But as the U.S. Navy focuses more on the gathering, dissemination and incor- poration of information, with more intent focus on smaller, faster craft to carry out a number of new initiatives that better reflect today's political and military environment, questions ranging from the need for to the look and role of next-generation carriers has been loudly debated. Seen largely as a tool of the Aircraft Carriers Built at Northrop Grumman Newport News Shipbuilding Name Launched Commiss. Length o.a. Beam Depth Displ. RANGER (CV4) 02-25-33 6-04-34 7690" 800" 510" 15.758 YORKTOWN (CV5) 04-04-36 09-30-37 824'9" 82'3" 526" 23,547 ENTERPRISE (CV6) 10-03-36 05-12-38 8249" 823" 52'6" 23,547 HORNET (CV8> 12-14-40 10-20-41 8249" 82'3" 52'6" 23.297 ESSEX (CV9) 07-31-42 12-31-42 856'0" 930" 54'6" 33.292 YORKTOWN (CV10) 01-21-43 04-15-43 856'0" 930" 546" 33.292 INTREPID (CV 11) 04-26-43 08-16-43 8560" 930" 54'6" 33.292 HORNET (CV 12) 08-30-43 11-29-43 856'0" 930" 54'6" 33.292 FRANKLIN (CV13) 10-14-43 01-31-44 8560" 930" 546" 33,292 TICONDEROGA (C V14) 02-07-44 05-08-44 8880" 930" 54'6" 33,292 RANDOLPH (CVI51 06-28-44 10-09-44 888'0" 930 54'6" 33.292 BOXER (CV21) 12-14-44 04-16-45 88S'0" 930" 54'6" 33.292 MIDWAY (CV41) 03-20-45 09-10-45 9680" 1130" 57'6" 56.957 CORAL SEA (CV43) 04-02-46 10-01-47 9680" 1130" 57'6" 56.957 LEYTE (CV.12) 08-23-45 04-11-46 888'0" 930" 54'6" 33.292 FORRESTAL (CV59) 12-11-54 10-01-55 1.0390' 1294" 60' 10" 75.900 RANGER (CV61) 09-29-56 08-10-57 1,046'0" 129'4" 60'10" 75,900 ENTERPRISE (CVN65) 09-24-60 11-25-61 1.1012" 1330" 63'0" 86.818 AMERICA (CV66I 02-01-64 01-23-65 l.047'6" 1294" 6010" 79.166 JOHN F. KENNEDY (CV67) 05-27-67 09-07-68 1.0400" 128'6" 6010" 81.119 NIMITZ (CVN68) 05-13-72 05-03-75 1,0920" 1340" 100'6" 90.702 DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER (CVN69) 10-11-75 10-18-77 1,0920" 1340" 100'6' 91.258 CARL VINSON (CVN70) 03-15-80 03-13-82 1,0920" 1340" 100'6' 91,496 THEODORE ROOSEVELT (CVN71) 10-27-S4 10-25-86 1,0920" 1340" 100'6' 91,209 ABRAHAM LINCOLN (CVN72) 02-13-88 C 11-11-89 1,0920" 1340" 100'6' 91.209 GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN73i 07-21-90 C 07-04-92 1,0920" 1340" 1006' 91.209 JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN74) 11-11-93
