MILNET: U.S.S. Carl Vinson CVN-70

U.S. Navy Fact File

The Carl Vinson is a mature vessel in the Nimitz class of nuclear powered aircraft carriers. The ship sports Sea Sparrow missiles and Phalanx guns for self defense and has a top speed at above 30 knots. With a crew of 161 officers and 3,043 enlisted men, the ship is a vertible city on water. When you also add in the air wing crewman, the total of 6000+ people on board.

With its nuclear reactors for propulsion, the travel distance without refueling is estimated at over 1,000,000 miles. For example, the U.S.S. Nimitz, which began its original deployment on May 3, 1975, is just now being transitioned through her first refueling during a routine deployment refit and overhaul in 1998.

Below we list the specifications:

U.S.S Carl Vinson CVN-70

Nimitz Class Nuclear Powered Aircraft Carrier

For More Information, see the U.S. Navy Fact File

Specification                      Value
Builder Newport News Shipbuilding Co., Newport News, Va.
Displacement 91,487 tons, fully loaded
Dimensions (len, wid, hgt), ft 1,092 x 134 x 37 (deck width 252 feet)
Propulsion 2 A4W nuclear reactors, 4 shafts each powered by a A1G geared steam turbine, total of 260,000 shp
Performance 30+ knots
Crew 3,000 ships complement, 3,000 airwing, total of 6,000 (numbers are approximate)
Catapults 4 C13-1 steam (two long runs angled stern to left of island, two shorter bow runs)
Elevators 4 (2 starboard ahead of island, one each side behind island)
Armament 4 Mk15 20mm Phalanx CIWS (2 barrell gatling gun, depleted uranium rounds), 4 Mk29 IPDMS Launchers (each with 2 4x4 boxes) firing RIM-7H NATO Sea Sparrow SAM (one set of gun and launchers at each corner of bow)
Aircraft

The list contains estimates of embarked aircraft.

On board spares are probably comprised of airframes, engines and full maintenance stocks as well as munitions.    

One article quotes the logistics chief as saying some 360,000 pounds of bombs were stored in the munitions holds.

 80+
Type Mission Count
F-14C Tomcat Air-Superiority/Reconaissance 12
F/A-18C Hornet Close Air Support/Interdiction 34
EA-6B Prowler Electronic Counter Measures 4
E-2C Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning Control 
(AEW&C)		 4
S-3B Viking Anti-Submarine Warfare/Air-to-air Refueling 6
ES-3 Shadow Electronic Reconnaissance 2
ES-3B  Electronic Surveillance/Air-to-air Refueling 4
SH-60F Anti-Submarine / Logistics&Supply Helicopters 6
HH-60H Air Search&Rescue Helicopters 6



Sensors SLQ-32 Electronic Warfare Suite, SPS-48 long range 3D Air Search Radar, SPS-49V 2D Air Search radar, SPS-67V and SPS-64 Surface Search Radar, LN-66 Navigation and URN-20 TACAN antenna


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