USS Carl Vinson

USS Carl Vinson
USS Carl Vinson in the Pacific Ocean in 2015
History
United States
NameCarl Vinson
NamesakeCarl Vinson
Ordered5 April 1974
BuilderNewport News Shipbuilding
Laid down11 October 1975
Launched15 March 1980
Commissioned13 March 1982
HomeportSan Diego[1]
Identification
Motto
  • Vis Per Mare
  • (Strength from the Sea)
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
Class and typeNimitz-class aircraft carrier
Displacement101,300 long tons (113,500 short tons)[2][3]
Length
  • Overall: 1,092 feet (332.8 m)
  • Waterline: 1,040 feet (317.0 m)
Beam
  • Overall: 252 ft (76.8 m)
  • Waterline: 134 ft (40.8 m)
Draft
  • Maximum navigational: 37 feet (11.3 m)
  • Limit: 41 feet (12.5 m)
Propulsion
Speed30+ knots (56+ km/h; 35+ mph)[6]
RangeUnlimited distance; 20–25 years
Complement
  • Ship's company: 3,532
  • Air wing: 2,480
Crew6,012
Sensors and
processing systems
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament2 × Mk 57 Mod13 Sea Sparrow Launchers

2 × RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile Launchers

2 × Phalanx CIWS
ArmorUnknown
Aircraft carried90 fixed wing and helicopters

USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) is the United States Navy's third Nimitz-class supercarrier. She is named for Carl Vinson (1883–1981), a congressman from Georgia, in recognition of his contributions to the U.S. Navy. The ship was launched during Vinson's lifetime in 1980, undertook her maiden voyage in 1983, and underwent refueling and overhaul between 2005 and 2009.

Along with deployments in Operation Desert Strike, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Enduring Freedom, Carl Vinson has been involved in a number of notable events. The body of Osama bin Laden was buried at sea in 2011 from the deck of Carl Vinson, and that same year, on Veterans Day, she played host to the first NCAA basketball game on an aircraft carrier, between North Carolina and Michigan State.

  1. ^ "USS Carl Vinson returns to San Diego". FOX 5 TV. 2 September 2020.
  2. ^ Polmar, Norman (2004). The Naval Institute Guide to the Ships and Aircraft of the U.S. Fleet. Naval Institute Press. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-59114-685-8. Retrieved 7 November 2016. nimitz class displacement.
  3. ^ "CVN-68: NIMITZ CLASS" (PDF).
  4. ^ Kuperman, Alan; von Hippel, Frank (10 April 2020). "US Study of Reactor and Fuel Types to Enable Naval Reactors to Shift from HEU Fuel". International Panel on Fissile Materials. Archived from the original on 5 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  5. ^ Hanlon, Brendan Patrick (19 May 2015). Validation of the Use of Low Enriched Uranium as a Replacement for Highly Enriched Uranium in US Submarine Reactors (PDF) (MSc). Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2021. Retrieved 26 February 2022.
  6. ^ Gibbons, Tony (2001). The Encyclopedia of Ships. London, United Kingdom: Amber Books. p. 444. ISBN 978-1-905704-43-9.