Page 426 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

424 AMERICAN AIRCRAFT CARRIER Radar Bridge flight deck

Forward
GE 1945–PRESENT USS GEORGE Superstructure Elevator SIDE VIEW Anchor
mast
Flight deck

WASHINGTON

Rudder
Aircraft carriers are the ultimate symbol of naval power. The

the US Navy—the largest military vessels ever to take to the seas.
flight deck
wires deflectors
A George Washington is one of 10 Nimitz-class supercarriers in Arrestor Jet blast Catapult tracks Angled
THE NUCLEAR including fighter, strike, and transport landing, and being maneuvered, refueled, ▲ USS GEORGE WASHINGTON PLAN VIEW
During flying operations, the deck is a
Commissioned in 1992, the George
hive of activity, with aircraft taking off and
Washington can accommodate 85 aircraft,
and armed. Aircraft are launched by four
planes, airborne early warning (AEW)
Elevator
Superstructure
aircraft, and helicopters. It is also a floating catapults, two at the forward end of the
home for around 6,000 service men and
angled deck and two in the bows. The
women. Although designed primarily to
landing deck is angled to the port side
offer an offensive strike capability, the ship
1,092ft (333m) long and displaces about 103,000 tons.
is equipped with its own defenses, such
aircraft return to the ship. When touching
It is powered by two nuclear reactors.
down, a pilot must ensure that the plane’s
as anti-aircraft and anti-missile weapon to allow other activities to take place as The sixth Nimitz-class carrier, the George Washington is
systems, and rapid-fire 20mm guns. tailhook catches one of four high-tensile ▼ PREPARING FOR TAKE-OFF
On the starboard side and overlooking steel arrestor wires that run across the flight Deck crew secure a Northrop
the deck is the island superstructure—the deck. These decelerate the aircraft rapidly Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW
ship’s command-and-control center, which and bring it to a halt within two seconds. aircraft to a catapult shuttle.
houses the bridge and primary flight-control When not in use, most aircraft are stored
area. From here, officers keep a careful beneath the flight deck in the vast hangar,
watch on the massive flight deck, which which stretches for much of the ship’s
covers 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares)—about length. On the decks below are living
the size of two-and-a-half football fields. quarters for the ship’s personnel.

TAKE-OFF AND LANDING

▲ CATAPULT CONTROL POD ▲ CATAPULT SHUTTLE ▲ SHUTTLE TRACK
This observation pod, which retracts below the flight deck, enables For a catapult launch, a shuttle is attached The catapult shuttle runs along a
the crew controlling catapult launches to see what is happening to a plane’s undercarriage and propelled track set into the surface of the ship’s
while remaining safe from moving aircraft and their exhausts. along a track by a steam-powered piston. flight deck.

▲ JET-BLAST DEFLECTOR ▲ GRUMMAN F-14 TOMCAT LANDING
The yellow deflector shield behind this McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet A pilot increases the throttle at touch-down, so that if the aircraft fails
prevents the plane’s exhaust from causing damage or injury during takeoff. to catch the arrestor wires it still has enough speed to take off again
The deflector shield is cooled by sea water. and attempt another landing—a practice called “touch and go.”