Carriers

On the morning of November 29, 2022, there was a fire aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72)

The crew of USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) extinguished a fire that broke out Tuesday, US 3rd Fleet announced on Nov. 30, 2022 in a statement.

According to the press release ‘On the morning of November 29, 2022, there was a fire aboard Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The fire was quickly identified and extinguished through the crew’s fire-fighting efforts. Nine Sailors aboard are reported to have suffered minor injuries and have been treated aboard the ship.

‘Abraham Lincoln was conducting routine operations approximately 30 miles off the coast of Southern California when the incident occurred. The cause of the fire is under investigation. Abraham Lincoln will continue to operate in the area.

‘[…] UPDATE Nov. 30: The nine Sailors who reported minor injuries aboard Abraham Lincoln have all been released from the ship’s medical department.’

Lincoln is currently operating approximately 30 miles off the coast of southern California and will continue to do so despite the fire, Lt. Samuel Boyle, 3rd Fleet spokesperson, told USNI News.

Boyle could not give a damage assessment of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier other than to say it is, “still operating.”

The fire was “quickly” extinguished by crew without assistance from other units, Boyle said. He did not have a specific timeline for when the fire was reported and put out.

Nine sailors reported minor injuries, with the majority of them coming from dehydration, Boyle said.

Lincoln departed San Diego earlier this week for a sustainment underway, according to ship spotters. The strike group returned from a more than seven-month deployment in August to the Western Pacific.

Homeported in San Diego, California, USS Abraham Lincoln is America’s fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier. The ship was named in honor of our nation’s 16th president and is the second ship in the US Navy to bear his name.

Abraham Lincoln is part of Carrier Strike Group Three (CSG-3) with Carrier Air Wing Nine (CVW-9) embarked, with Abraham Lincoln as the flagship of the strike group.

CVW-9 consists of eight squadrons and a fleet logistics support squadron:

• Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) “Black Aces” with Boeing F/A-18F Super Hornets
• Strike Fighter Squadron 14 (VFA-14) “Tophatters” with F/A-18E Super Hornets
• Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 314 (VMFA-314) “Black Knights” with Lockheed Martin F-35C Lightning IIs
• Strike Fighter Squadron 151 (VFA-151) “Vigilantes” with F/A-18E Super Hornets
• Electronic Attack Squadron 133 (VAQ-133) “Wizards” with Boeing EA-18G Growlers
• Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron 117 (VAW-117) “Wallbangers” with Northrop Grumman E-2D Hawkeyes
• Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 14 (HSC-14) “Chargers” with Sikorsky MH-60S Seahawks
• Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron 71 (HSM-71) “Raptors” with MH-60R Seahawks
• Fleet Logistics Support Squadron 30 Detachment 2 (VRM-30) “Titans” with Bell Boeing CMV-22B Osprey

Image: PACIFIC OCEAN (July 28, 2022) The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) sails in formation during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Aleksandr Freutel)

US Navy aircraft carriers USS George H.W. Bush and USS Gerald R. Ford will exercise with carriers from France, Italy and the UK as part of a joint operation across Europe meant to show NATO interoperability

US Navy aircraft carriers USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) will exercise with aircraft carriers from France, Italy and the UK as part of a joint operation across Europe meant to show NATO interoperability, the Pentagon announced on Nov. 17, 2022.

Sabrina Singh, deputy Pentagon press secretary, told reporters that the two American carrier strike groups, their embarked air wings and escorts will be operating in the North Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea along with the UK Royal Navy’s HMS Queen Elizabeth (R08), Italian carrier ITS Cavour (CVH 550) and the French FS Charles de Gaulle (R 91.

“These operations present an opportunity for allied nations to coordinate critical combat power throughout the Euro-Atlantic area while showcasing NATO cohesion and interoperability,” Singh explained. “It is also an opportunity to test allied cooperation and to practice NATO’s deter and defend concepts across all geographic areas, operational domains and functional areas of the alliance.”

Singh referred questions about the joint operations to US European Command.

According to USNI News, the George H.W. Bush CSG replaced the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the Mediterranean in August. Before Truman returned home to Norfolk, Va., Bush and USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) operated together briefly, the first time two US aircraft carriers were in the Mediterranean together in several years. Truman exercised with Charles de Gaulle and Cavour during its deployment.

As of Nov. 17 afternoon, Ford was off Portsmouth, England, according to local ship spotters.

According to a French news release, Charles de Gaulle departed France on Nov. 15 as part of Mission Antares. The mission includes 3,000 service members from France and partners.

As part of Mission Antares, the French carrier will operate with ships from the Hellenic, Italian and American navies, according to the release.

Queen Elizabeth has largely taken over the operations for HMS Prince of Wales (R09), which is undergoing a repair to its propulsion system, USNI News previously reported.

Noteworthy, the first-in-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, flagship of the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG), departed from Naval Station Norfolk on its first deployment to conduct operations and training exercises alongside NATO allies and partners throughout the Atlantic Ocean, Oct. 4.

The US commands and units participating in the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group (GRFCSG) deployment include Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 12, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 8, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 2, USS Normandy (CG 60), USS Ramage (DDG 61), USS McFaul (DDG 74), USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116), USNS Joshua Humpreys (T-AO 188), USNS Robert E. Peary (T-AKE 5), and USCGC Hamilton (WMSL 753).

Aircraft squadrons participating in the GRFCSG deployment are:

• Strike fighter squadrons VFA 213, VFA 31, VFA 37 and VFA 87.
• Tactical electronics warfare squadron VAQ 142.
• Carrier airborne early warning squadron VAW 124.
• Fleet logistics support squadron VRC 40.
• Helicopter maritime strike squadron HSM 70.
• Helicopter sea combat squadron HSC 9.

“It’s an exciting time to lead the aviators of Carrier Air Wing Eight as we embark on Ford’s first deployment,” said Capt. Daryl Trent, Commander, Carrier Air Wing Eight, in a US Navy news release. “This group of individuals have worked so hard to prepare every aspect of the air wing to integrate with Ford’s new technologies and have done so with excellence. It’s also fitting that when USS Nimitz deployed for the first time in 1976, it was CVW-8 who was embarked. Now, in 2022, CVW-8 is again the first air wing to embark on this newest class of aircraft carriers.”

Photo by U.S. Navy and Armando Mancini via Wikipedia

The potable water became safe to use again on Sep. 19 after flushing the system after discovering JP5 in the water while USS Nimitz was at sea on Sep. 16

After jet fuel contaminated the fresh water tanks last week, sailors couldn’t use the potable water system aboard aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN-68) for three days, a Navy official told USNI News on Sep. 21, 2022.

Cmdr. Zach Harrell, a spokesman for Naval Air Forces, said that the potable water became safe to use again on Sep. 19 after flushing the system after discovering JP5 in the water while the carrier was at sea on Sep. 16.

“On September 16, 2022, aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) identified traces of jet propellant-5 (JP-5), used to fuel carrier-based aircraft, in the ship’s potable water supply while operating off the coast of southern California,” he said. “The crew immediately took action to secure access to the ship’s potable water and provide bottled water to the crew. After conducting a thorough flush and inspection of its potable water system, fresh water has been restored to the ship. The water onboard the ship is safe for use and the health and wellbeing of all of our sailors is a top priority.”

The JP5 entered the potable water system due to a procedural “line up” issue, rather than a fuel leak or a tank failure, that accidentally pumped the fuel into the fresh water system.

Harrell said that although social media posts on Instagram and Reddit claimed that several sailors became sick from drinking the contaminated water and suffered rashes from showers, the Navy had no instances of confirmed sickness for sailors aboard the carrier.

Nimitz is in the midst of its Composite Unit Training Exercise (COMPTUEX), the workups that carriers do ahead of a deployment. The Bremerton, Wash., -based carrier recently went through a maintenance period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

Named in honor of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, USS Nimitz is a supercarrier of the US Navy, and the lead ship of her class. One of the largest warships in the world, she was laid down, launched and commissioned as CVAN 68 but was later re-designated CVN 68 (nuclear-powered multi-mission aircraft carrier) on Jun. 30, 1975 as part of the fleet realignment. Nimitz was homeported at Naval Station Norfolk until 1987, when she was relocated to Naval Station Bremerton in Washington State (now part of Naval Base Kitsap).

Following her Refueling and Complex Overhaul in 2001, her homeport was changed to Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego. The homeport of Nimitz was again moved to Naval Station Everett in Washington State in 2012. In January 2015, Nimitz changed homeport from Everett back to Naval Base Kitsap.

Nimitz is now the oldest American aircraft carrier in active service.

Photo by U.S. Navy

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier, the world’s largest warship, is in shape to deploy five years after its commissioning

USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) aircraft carrier, the world’s largest warship, is in shape to deploy five years after its commissioning said the officer who oversees the Navy’s carrier program last week.

According to USNI News, Ford quietly reached its initial operating capability in December and has been in workups since completing a six-month repair availability in March following explosive shock trials off the coast of Florida.

“She’s fully delivered now, she’s met her initial operating capability,” Rear Adm. James Downey told USNI News last week during the American Society of Naval Engineers’ annual Fleet Maintenance and Modernization Symposium. “She’s fully through the operational threshold.”

Since leaving the repair period, Ford and its crew have been operating at a steady pace off of the East Coast with elements of Carrier Air Wing 8. The crew aboard completed system qualification tests, flight deck certification, three phases of air warfare training, and a Combat Systems Operational Readiness Evaluation that included 11,000 aircraft launches and arrested landings, according to the service.

“Over the last couple of years, she’s spent 250 to 300 days at sea,” Downey said. “That’s coming up on about two deployments [of steaming days].”

The delay for the $13 billion Ford to pull its share of the operational load was in large part due to the integration of a bevy of new technologies that Pentagon leaders required the Navy to include in the new class.

Those included the Electromagnetic Launching System, known as EMALS, for the aircraft, the Advanced Arresting Gear or AAG and the Dual Band air search radar. Those also included the installation of 11 Advanced Weapons Elevators which took several years. The last elevator was delivered in December.

Following the completion of the training and certifications, Ford departed Naval Station Norfolk, Va., on Sep. 16 ahead of an Atlantic training cruise later this year.

The Gerald R. Ford-class is the future aircraft carrier replacement class for Enterprise and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers. The lead ship, Gerald R. Ford, was commissioned in 2017. The class brings improved warfighting capability, quality of life improvements for our Sailors and reduced total ownership costs.

The CVN-78 is designed to operate effectively with almost 700 fewer crew members than a CVN 68-class ship (which features 5,000 crew members). Improvements in the ship design will also allow the embarked air wing to operate with fewer personnel. New technologies and ship design features are expected to reduce watch standing and maintenance workload for the crew. Gerald R. Ford is the first aircraft carrier designed with all electric utilities, eliminating steam service lines from the ship, reducing maintenance requirements and improving corrosion control. The new A1B reactor, EMALS, AAG, and Dual Band Radar (DBR) all offer enhanced capability with reduced manning. The Gerald R. Ford-class is designed to maximize the striking power of the embarked carrier air wing. The ship’s systems and configuration are optimized to maximize the sortie generation rate (SGR) of attached strike aircraft, resulting in a 33 percent increase in SGR over the Nimitz- class. The ship’s configuration and electrical generating plant are designed to accommodate new systems, including direct energy weapons, during its 50-year service life.

Photo by U.S. Navy

More than sixty years later, Amerigo Vespucci recreated the moment with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Adriatic Sea, Sep. 1, 2022

On Jul. 12, 1962, the Forrestal-class aircraft carrier USS Independence (CVA 62) operated in the US 6th Fleet area of operations when it sailed past the ITS Amerigo Vespucci in the Mediterranean Sea.

According to a US Navy press release, just more than sixty years later, Amerigo Vespucci recreated the moment with the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Adriatic Sea, Sep. 1, 2022.

“This was an amazing opportunity to honor and reinforce the partnership between our two navies, our countries, and the legacy of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers in maritime diplomacy,” said Capt. David-Tavis Pollard, commanding officer of George H.W. Bush. “The Avengers are warriors who are the teachers, leaders, and ambassadors of America. We are honored to represent our families, hometowns, states and the nation abroad.”

According to Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC) website, when Independence encountered the full-rigged ship in 1962, the carrier signaled to ask the vessel to identify itself, “training ship Amerigo Vespucci, Italian Navy,” was the response.

The Independence reportedly signaled back, “You are the most beautiful ship in the world.”

An old black and white photo highlighted by NHHC in recent years, as well as on the Amerigo Vespucci’s website, marks the encounter six decades ago.

“I am grateful to USS George H.W. Bush and the whole US Navy for accepting my invitation to recreate history after 60 years, celebrating the anniversary of the sail past between USS Independence and ITS Amerigo Vespucci, that delivered the iconic label of ‘the world’s most beautiful ship’ to the vessel that I have the privilege to command,” said Italian Navy Capt. Max Siragusa, commanding officer of Amerigo Vespucci. “This ship brought me to U.S. for the first time in my life in 1992, as a midshipman; six years later I had the opportunity to work for two weeks on board USS Abraham Lincoln, deployed in the Persian Gulf, while performing a one year Personnel Exchange Program with the US Navy; today, in my last fortnight of Command at Sea I am delighted to put together three significant chapters of my professional life.”

When George H.W. Bush hailed Amerigo Vespucci she replied, “This is Italian Navy Ship Amerigo Vespucci, senior national vessel in active duty.”

George H.W. Bush replied, “Amerigo Vespucci, you are still the most beautiful ship in the world!”

Vespucci responded, “We are flattered and with you and the Avenger team fair winds and following seas for your deployment. May your ceiling and visibility remain unlimited.”

The Amerigo Vespucci is the oldest ship in commission in the Italian Navy and her Leonardesque motto is “Non chi comincia ma quel che persevera”. From a technical-structural point of view, the Vespucci is a sailing ship with auxiliary power plant. As concerns the sail rigging, she is a square-rigged ship, with three masts, firesail, main and mizzen (all equipped with yards and square sails) plus the bowsprit, in every respect, the fourth mast. The ship has also fore-and-aft sails, jibs on the bowsprit, stays between the masts and the spanker.

Since she entered service the ship has carried out training cruises every year, except for 1940, because of the war events, and for the years 1964, 1973 and 1997 for the works. The training activity is carried out mainly for the Naval Academy Cadets, but also for the Students of the Military Naval School “Francesco Morosini”, Helmsmen as well as youth members of Sailing Associations such as the Italian Naval League and the Italian Sail Training Association.

Besides several short cruises in the Mediterranean, mostly made in spring and autumn, from 1931 to 2006 the Amerigo Vespucci performed 74 training cruises for the 1st Class Cadets of the Naval Academy: 40 in North Europe, 21 in the Mediterranean, 4 in the East Atlantic, 7 in North America and 1 in South America within the only circumnavigation of the globe carried out between May 2002 and September 2003. On this occasion, the ship was involved in the activities relevant to the New Zealand America’s Cup.

The summer training cruises have a medium length of about three months. As concerns the formative-training aspect, the Cadets extend their basic knowledge of navigation and life at sea, included the use of the sextant to fix the ship’s position. Therefore, the Amerigo Vespucci can be considered a “ school of life” and an indispensable training instrument for the future Naval Officers.

Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10, George H.W. Bush CSG, is on a scheduled deployment in the US Naval Forces Europe-Africa area of operations, employed by US Sixth Fleet to defend US, allied and partner interests.

George H.W. Bush is the flagship of CSG-10 and the George H.W. Bush CSG. CSG-10 is comprised of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 26, the Information Warfare Commander, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

The ships of DESRON 26 within CSG-10 are the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Nitze (DDG 94), USS Farragut (DDG 99), USS Truxtun (DDG 103), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG 119).

The squadrons of CVW-7 embarked aboard George H.W. Bush are the “Jolly Rogers” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 103, the “Pukin Dogs” of VFA-143, the “Bluetails” of Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 121, the “Nightdippers” of Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5, the “Sidewinders” of VFA-86, the “Nighthawks” of VFA-136, the “Patriots” of Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 140, and the “Grandmasters” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 46.

For over 80 years, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVEUR-NAVAF) has forged strategic relationships with allies and partners, leveraging a foundation of shared values to preserve security and stability.

Headquartered in Naples, Italy, NAVEUR-NAVAF operates U.S. naval forces in the U.S. European Command (USEUCOM) and U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) areas of responsibility. U.S. Sixth Fleet is permanently assigned to NAVEUR-NAVAF, and employs maritime forces through the full spectrum of joint and naval operations.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Stuart Posada, Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Apprentice Sasha Ambrose and Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryan Riley / U.S. Navy

‘It’s hard to imagine what a carrier doing flank speed is like,’ Ross Hall, Tactical Action Officer and Anti-Submarine Officer on Nimitz class aircraft carriers

Aircraft carriers are the centerpiece of America’s Naval forces – the most adaptable and survivable airfields in the world.

On any given day, Sailors aboard an aircraft carrier and its air wing come to the fight trained and equipped across a full range of missions. They are ready to control the sea, conduct strikes, and maneuver across the electromagnetic spectrum and cyberspace. No other naval force fields a commensurate range and depth of combat capabilities.

The Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are the largest warships in the world, each designed for an approximately 50-year service life with just a single mid-life refueling. USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) have all completed their refueling complex overhauls (RCOH) at Newport News, Virginia, with USS George Washington (CVN 73) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) currently in Refueling Complex Overhaul.

The lead ship of the next generation of aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) was delivered in 2017 as the force structure replacement for USS Enterprise (CVN 65), which was inactivated in 2012.

With a speed of 30+ knots (34.5+ miles per hour) Nimitz and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are also very fast.

How long does it take (both time and distance wise) for a modern American aircraft carrier to go to flank speed?

‘It’s hard to imagine what a carrier doing flank speed is like,’ Ross Hall, Tactical Action Officer and Anti-Submarine Officer assigned to one of the Nimitz class aircraft carriers, recalls on Quora.

‘During our transit to the North Arabian Sea, we conducted a rendezvous in the Indian Ocean with an amphibious group that was transiting back to the US.

‘That day, the amphib guys showed off their LCACs, and we gave them an impromptu air show, with a couple of fly-bys for good measure.

‘As we parted company, our skipper announced “Let’s show them what an aircraft carrier can do”. We were barely making way at the time. He ordered us to depart at flank speed.’

He continues;

‘I left the combat center, and went to the aft of the ship to watch the fun. At the back of the hangar deck, there is an area (see above) below the flight deck where you can access.

‘When flank speed is ordered, power is applied to the shafts to turn the propellers. On the Nimitz class carriers, the four propellers are approximately 25 feet in diameter, and each weighs about 30 tons. When power is applied, torque on the shafts is limited to prevent damage – the shafts can “twist” up to one and a half times (540 degrees). The longest shafts are 184 feet long.

‘When the propellers start to turn, the water behind the ship begins to churn – it looks like the sea is beginning to boil. You can feel the ship vibrating as the engines ramp up and the propellers start to rotate.’

He concludes;

‘After about 10 minutes (I didn’t time it), we were at flank speed. The rooster tail behind the ship was approximately eye height (15–20 feet above sea level). I guess if you have a long enough cable and a death wish, you could waterski behind the carrier.’

Photo by U.S. Navy

Due to a heavy workload at the US Navy’s yard Puget Sound, the service is looking to contract with a commercial dismantlement facility to dispose of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the service’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier

Due to a heavy workload at the US Navy’s yard Puget Sound, the service is looking to contract with a commercial dismantlement facility to dispose of USS Enterprise (CVN-65), the service’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier.

Commissioned at Newport News, Virginia, on Nov. 25, 1961, USS Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear aircraft carrier. Ordered to assist the Project Mercury Program in February 1962, she tracked and measured the flight of the first American orbital spaceflight, Friendship 7. During the Cuban Missile Crisis that October, Enterprise participated in the blockade of Cuba. Along with USS Bainbridge (DLGN-25) and USS Long Beach (CGN-9), she was part of the nuclear-task force, Operation Sea Orbit, from May to October 1964, circumnavigating the globe without refueling. Following this cruise, Enterprise was redesginated CVAN-65 and was deployed in November 1965 for service in the Vietnam War, becoming the first nuclear-powered ship to engage in combat by utilzing her aircraft against the Viet Cong. On Jan. 14, 1969, an accident involving an F-4 “Phantom” on her flight deck resulted on 27 Sailors killed and 314 injured. After repairs, Enterprise continued to serve off Vietnam until 1973 and assisted in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon, in April 1975. She was redesignated back to CVN-65 the following year. Deployed mainly in the Pacific and Indian oceans during the late 1970s and early 1980s, she entered the Mediterranean in April 1986 to assist in Operation El Dorado Canyon, the bombing of Libya. Two years later, she was assigned to Operation Earnest Will, escorting merchant Kuwaiti tankers in the Persian Gulf. Following a lenghty overhaul, Enterprise returned to sea duty in September 1994 and enforced no-fly zones in Operation Joint Endeavor off Bosnia and Operation Southern Watch over Iraq. In 1998, she successfully attacked Iraqi targets in Operation Desert Fox. To assist in the war against terrorism, she participated, beginning in 2001, in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom and underwent further refurbishments and deployments until deactived in 2012. Enterprise was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on Feb. 3, 2017, and is currently awaiting nuclear recycling.

The ship is currently stored at HII Newport News Shipbuilding and according to a National Environmental Act Policy draft report, any shipyard would not start dismantlement until 2025.

The Navy listed several options for the dismantlement of the aircraft carrier but recommended one that allowed for a commercial yard to perform the work, according to the draft plan, first reported by The Kitsap Sun. According to USNI News, that option would cost $554 million to $696 million and take five years, compared to the other two alternatives that would last 15 years and cost $1.102 billion to $1.358 billion, according to the draft report.

The sea service also considered a no action alternative, which would see the Navy store Enterprise long-term.

In justifying the option to do commercial dismantlement, as opposed to a combined effort between a commercial facility and the Navy, the sea service wrote that the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility has a growing workload due to a “higher fleet operational tempo and capacity shortages across all of the Navy public shipyards,” according to the draft. It has already exceeded its capacity between current and expected projects.

According to the draft, the Navy can focus Puget Sound’s work on active fleet maintenance by using a commercial shipyard.

The 428-page draft looks at the environmental effects of dismantling Enterprise, which was built with eight nuclear reactors. The ship has already been defueled, with the fuel kept at Department of Energy Idaho National Laboratory property.

Under the preferred option, Enterprise would be towed to a commercial facility in Brownsville, Texas, Mobile, Ala., or Hampton Roads, Va. The commercial facility would then take apart the ship.

It’s possible the Navy chooses to send the ship to Hampton Roads, which is closer to its current resting place. However, a shipbreaking company is not named in the draft.

According to the draft, whichever shipbreaking facility wins the Navy contract will disassemble the eight defueled reactors and package them into several hundred small containers.

The low-level radioactive waste will then go to one of the three facilities to be recycled or disposed of in accordance to all applicable laws. The three facilities under consideration are Waste Control Specialists, LLC.,, in Andrews, Texas, EnergySolutions in Clive, Utah, or the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C.

If the Navy were to use Puget Sound to dismantle Enterprise, it would not be able to start until at least 2030, according to the draft.

Photo by U.S. Navy

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy possesses the resources to field up to five aircraft carriers and 10 nuclear ballistic missile submarines by 2030

According to a new think tank report on Beijing’s ongoing military expansion, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) possesses the resources to field up to five aircraft carriers and 10 nuclear ballistic missile submarines by 2030.

As reported by Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment’s study, “China’s Choices,” “the PLA has the resources necessary to continue its modernization over the 2020s.”

For “China’s Choices,” CSBA assumes, as a starting point, Beijing’s military will grow at a rate of 3 percent above inflation into the early 2030s.

According to USNI News, in explaining the report and how the tool was used, Jack Bianchi, a principal author, said on Aug. 18, 2022 that CSBA was not trying to predict China’s actual defense budget since Beijing is no longer breaking out equipment, training and sustainment and personnel costs in figures it releases.

CSBA also did not try to determine the cost of a frigate or aircraft, but rather looked at the military from a “broad, strategic level,” Bianchi said.

CSBA used using US spending percentages for research and development, procurement, sustainment and disposal of a specific weapon systems and applied those to China.

For the PLAN, this can translate into more frigates, missile-boats and diesel electric submarines that can be used for regional defense as well as pressure Taiwan, as China aims to unite the island with the mainland.

They also looked to cutting the army’s size as a potential bill-payer, as well as ridding the air force of legacy aircraft to modernize, he said.

For power projection far from China’s mainland, the report predicted sufficient funds available for “aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, blue water logistics vessels, strategic bombers, and strategic transport and refueling aircraft” into the 2030s.

Former commander of Indo-Pacific Command retired Adm. Phil Davidson said this fits with Beijing’s “long-range goal to achieve great power status by mid-century.” It also aligns with the Chinese Communist Party’s securing its pre-eminence domestically.

The US retains undersea superiority over China, Davidson said, adding that it is an advantage the country should look to expand.

The Chinese, in the last decade, grew its capabilities of sustaining operations far from the mainland in its operations in the Gulf of Aden, as well as quickly learned how to integrate new capabilities across its joint forces, Bianchi and Davidson noted.

As already reported, a clear photo of People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force’s (PLANAF) J-35 carrier-capable stealth fighter appeared on Chinese social media in July.

Designed by Shenyang, the twin engine aircraft will be flown by the PLANAF from China’s future Type-003 Fujian-class aircraft carriers.

Although most open sources call it “J-35” or “J-XY, the official designation of China’s new twin-engine stealth fighter aircraft is not known yet, some even calls it a variant of the FC-31. A full-size mock-up of the stealth plane first appeared in June 2021 on a full-sized mock-up of a real Chinese Navy aircraft carrier, located at Wuhan land based testing facility.

As told above, the aircraft will be operated from the Type-003 Fujian-class aircraft carriers the first of which was launched in June. The Type-003 is China’s biggest most modern and most powerful aircraft carrier. As reported by News18, at 80,000 tons and 318 meters, the Fujian is named after the Chinese province that sits across from Taiwan.

Unlike Liaoning and Shandong, the other two PLAN aircraft carriers, that feature a ski jump (a ramp at the bow of the ship that helps jets take off from the carrier’s short runway), Fujian is reported to have electromagnetic catapult launch systems (EMALS).

The ski jump launches are extremely restrictive as they impose big constraints on the size, weight and payload of the aircraft being launched. Instead EMALS’ main advantage is that it accelerates the aircraft more smoothly, putting less stress on their airframes. Furthermore, it weighs and costs less and also requires less maintenance than a steam piston-driven system. It also reduces the carrier’s requirement for fresh water, thus reducing the demand for energy-intensive desalination. Most US carriers have steam-driven catapults except the new USS Gerald Ford class.

Photo by U.S. Navy and Weibo

The picture in this post features the clearest image to date of China’s future carrier-borne stealth fighter known as the J-35

Surfaced last week on Chinese social media Weibo and likely taken at the Harbin Aircraft Industry Group test facility in Harbin, the picture in this post features the clearest image to date of China’s future carrier-borne stealth fighter known as the J-35.

Designed by Shenyang, the twin engine aircraft will be flown by the People’s Liberation Army Navy Air Force (PLANAF) from China’s future Type-003 Fujian-class aircraft carriers.

According to Naval News, the high-resolution picture shows the third J-35 prototype with tail number 350003 as well as several other interesting details:

• The fighter features an IRST sensor under the nose. It looks similar to the F-35’s Electro-Optical Target System (EOTS) and likely has a similar role.
• The engines feature sawtooth nozzles. This is to reduce heat signature and therefore improve stealth in the infra-red (IR) spectrum.
• The main landing gear is “beefed up” to allow for CATOBAR operations. Sadly, the front landing gear is hidden by a technician and we cannot see the presence of a “launch bar”, typically used for catapult launch. But previous, lower quality, images of the J-35 in flight showed the launch bar on the front landing gear.
• The radar dome (at the nose) appears to be canted. This likely indicates the presence of a tilted Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar antenna.
• The cockpit shows the presence of a good old head-up display (HUD), while on the F-35, the HUD is replaced by an advanced helmet mounted display system (HMDS).
• The canopy configuration and its opening are similar to that of the F-35.
• The tip of the vertical stabilizer shows the “flying shark” logo, typically seen on J-15 carrier borne fighters currently deployed on the PLAN’s Liaoning and Shandong carriers.

The folding wings featured by the airframe were clearly visible in the earlier pictures of the unpainted aircraft. Folding wings are used to reduce the footprint when stored onboard the carrier. But this is almost impossible to tell when looking at the picture of 350003 (potentially indicating a high level of quality).

Although most open sources call it “J-35” or “J-XY, according to Naval News, the official designation of China’s new twin-engine stealth fighter aircraft is not known yet, some even calls it a variant of the FC-31. A full-size mock-up of the stealth plane first appeared in June 2021 on a full-sized mock-up of a real Chinese Navy aircraft carrier, located at Wuhan land based testing facility.

The aircraft will be operated from the Type-003 Fujian-class aircraft carriers the first of which was launched in June. The Type-003 is China’s biggest most modern and most powerful aircraft carrier. As reported by News18, at 80,000 tons and 318 meters, the Fujian is named after the Chinese province that sits across from Taiwan.

Unlike Liaoning and Shandong, the other two People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) aircraft carriers, that feature a ski jump (a ramp at the bow of the ship that helps jets take off from the carrier’s short runway), Fujian is reported to have electromagnetic catapult launch systems (EMALS).

The ski jump launches are extremely restrictive as they impose big constraints on the size, weight and payload of the aircraft being launched. Instead EMALS’ main advantage is that it accelerates the aircraft more smoothly, putting less stress on their airframes. Furthermore, it weighs and costs less and also requires less maintenance than a steam piston-driven system. It also reduces the carrier’s requirement for fresh water, thus reducing the demand for energy-intensive desalination. Most US carriers have steam-driven catapults except the new USS Gerald Ford class.

Photo by Weibo

‘Usually, the planned or estimated gross weight before taxiing will be written in chalk on the aircraft’s nose-gear door,’ John Chesire, former Naval Aviator

An aircraft catapult is a device used to allow aircraft to take off from a very limited amount of space, such as the deck of a vessel, but can also be installed on land-based runways in rare cases. It is now most commonly used on aircraft carriers, as a form of assisted take-off.

In the form used on aircraft carriers the catapult consists of a track, or slot, built into the flight deck, below which is a large piston or shuttle that is attached through the track to the nose gear of the aircraft, or in some cases a wire rope, called a catapult bridle, is attached to the aircraft and the catapult shuttle.

Other forms have been used historically, such as mounting a launching cart holding a seaplane on a long girder-built structure mounted on the deck of a warship or merchant vessel, but most catapults share a similar sliding track concept.

What is the green shirt (actually green shirts are responsible for Catapult and Arresting Gear aboard an aircraft carrier) in the photo of this post showing to the F/A-18 Super Hornet pilot before catapult launch?

‘He is showing to the pilot what he believes is the gross weight of the aircraft on the catapult. This weight is extremely important. It needs to be known for proper setting of the catapult,’ says John Chesire, former Naval Aviator, on Quora.

‘Usually, the planned or estimated gross weight before taxiing will be written in chalk on the aircraft’s nose-gear door. The guy in green will show this weight to the pilot for confirmation. If the pilot agrees with that weight displayed, he will give a “thumbs up”. If the pilot knows that weight shown to him is incorrect, he will signal with his hands to raise or lower the displayed weight until it matches the correct gross weight. He then will give a thumbs up; the catapult crew will set in the proper adjustments for that weight, and the aircraft will soon be shot off the deck.’

Chesire concludes;

‘This occurs on every flight and launch.’

Photo by U.S. Navy