I had an opportunity to go onboard the Nimitz-class nuclear powered aircraft carrier, the USS Ronald Reagan. The huge flagship of the US Navy’s Carrier Strike Group 5 (CSG 5), with its array of aircraft, a flight deck of 1.82 hectares, a complement of some 5000 and a above water profile that rises some 20 storeys, is nothing short of impressive.
Displacing some 88,000 tonnes, the carrier has a length of 333 metres and a beam of 77 metres. With her huge complement and the various services required to meet the personnels’ needs – some 15,000 meals are served daily – the carrier is sometimes thought of as a floating city. More on the carrier can be found at: https://www.reagan.navy.mil/media.html.
On the flight deck.
The hangar bay of the carrier, in which aircraft are stowed.
The hangar bay decked out for the carrier’s visit to Singapore.
An elevator, seen from the hangar bay. It is capable of moving two aircraft to the flight deck in 6 seconds.
A view of the hangar bay.
Another view of the hangar bay.
A F/A-18 Hornet marked in memory of FDNY firefighters during 9/11.
Another view of the memorial marked Hornet.
An E-2 Hawkeye on the flight deck.
On the elevator
More views of the flight deck:
