United States Navy Ships - Aircraft Carriers

Aircraft Carriers

Due to their ability to put most nations within striking distance of U.S. air power, aircraft carriers are the cornerstones of the United States' forward deployment and deterrence strategy. Multiple carriers are deployed around the world to provide military presence, respond quickly to crises, and participate in joint exercises with allied forces; this has led the Navy to refer to their Nimitz-class carriers as "4.5 acres of sovereign and mobile American territory". Former President Bill Clinton summed up the importance of the aircraft carrier by stating that "when word of crisis breaks out in Washington, it's no accident the first question that comes to everyone's lips is: where is the nearest carrier?" The power and operational flexibility of a carrier lie in the aircraft of its carrier air wing. Made up of both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, a carrier air wing is able to perform over 150 strike missions at once, hitting over 700 targets a day. Carrier air wings also protect friendly forces, conduct electronic warfare, assist in special operations, and carry out search and rescue missions. The carriers themselves, in addition to enabling airborne operations, serve as command platforms for large battle groups or multinational task forces. U.S. Navy aircraft carriers can also host aircraft from other nations' navies; the French Navy's Rafale has operated, during naval exercises, from U.S. Navy flight decks.

Following below is a list of all carriers (and their homeports) on active duty or under construction as of 10 January 2009 (2009 -01-10). For a list of all carriers see List of aircraft carriers of the United States Navy and List of escort aircraft carriers of the United States Navy.

Enterprise class (Six originally planned, only one ever constructed)

• USS Enterprise (CVN-65) — Norfolk, Virginia

Nimitz class (10 ships)

• USS Nimitz (CVN-68) — Everett, Washington
• USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) — Norfolk, Virginia
• USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) — San Diego, California
• USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) — Norfolk, Virginia
• USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) — Everett, Washington
• USS George Washington (CVN-73) —Yokosuka, Japan
• USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74) — Bremerton, Washington
• USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) — Norfolk, Virginia
• USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) — Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego, California
• USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) — Norfolk, Virginia

Ford Class (Two under construction, one more planned)

• USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) — Under Construction, will replace the USS Enterprise
• USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) — Under Construction, may replace the USS Nimitz
• CVN-80 — Planned, may replace the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower