# How Many Generations of Nuclear Aircraft Carriers Has The US Built? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 23, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419 "2016-12-23T01:55:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SHARKBITEATTACK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@SHARKBITEATTACK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SHARKBITEATTACK)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/1 "2016-12-23T01:55:20Z")
Title Sent from my SM-G920T using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/2 "2016-12-23T02:38:19Z")
Enterprise Class: Enterprise Nimitz Class: Nimitz, Eisenhower, Vinson, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, Stennis, Truman, Reagan, Bush Ford Class: Ford, Kennedy ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/3 "2016-12-23T04:44:37Z")
How about the WWII Essex Class and the Casablanca Class Escort carriers? Midway Class: Midway, Coral Sea, Franklin D. Roosevelt. ---
**Author:** ![wevets](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9a140/32.png) [@wevets](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wevets)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/4 "2016-12-23T04:58:00Z")
Those will only be powered by nuclear reactors after the Time Interventionists win their war in 4829… only after that’s happened will/was your statement become true. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/5 "2016-12-23T07:51:23Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > Enterprise Class: > Enterprise > > Nimitz Class: > Nimitz, Eisenhower, Vinson, Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, Stennis, Truman, Reagan, Bush > > Ford Class: > Ford, Kennedy Has anyone else produced even one? ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/6 "2016-12-23T08:02:57Z")
> [@chacoguy](#): > > Has anyone else produced even one? France. [Charles de Gaulle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_aircraft_carrier_Charles_de_Gaulle). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/7 "2016-12-23T08:18:09Z")
Either 3, or 9 depending on how you define “class”. The _Bush_ is a completely different beast from the _Nimitz_. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/8 "2016-12-23T12:57:39Z")
Ship classification gets fun because of how large and complicated the construction of a ship is, and how long it takes. By the time you finish building the second ship, you’ve likely incorporated a wide number of changes due to things like lessons learned, new equipment that needs to be incorporated, streamlining of the design/construction process, etc. This is why back in the first half of the 20th Century, it was relatively rare to have a class of Battleships with more than two or three ships to enter service before a new class was introduced. Rapidly advancing state of the art combined with expensive and lengthy construction. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/9 "2016-12-23T14:27:41Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Either 3, or 9 depending on how you define “class”. The _Bush_ is a completely different beast from the _Nimitz_. The Navy considers the Bush to be the 10th and final ship of the Nimitz class. As the older Nimitz class carriers come in for refit and refuel (fission plants) they are updated to the latest standards. The basic hull and layouts remained largely the same throughout the long life of this class of ships. Now the Navy does break them into 3 sub-classes but that is not the same. _Nimitz_ subclass _Theodore Roosevelt_ subclass _Ronald Reagan_ subclass ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/10 "2016-12-23T17:43:46Z")
“Generation” is being taken to mean “class”. At one time warships of multiple classes would be viewed as of the same ‘generation’, if that term were anachronistically applied. But in case of the USN CVN’s I think it more or less corresponds, and the sub classes of the Nimitz type are not separate ‘generations’. So I agree with three: Enterprise, Nimitz types, Ford. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/11 "2016-12-23T19:01:23Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > Either 3, or 9 depending on how you define “class”. The _Bush_ is a completely different beast from the _Nimitz_. What makes the **Bush** so different from the **Nimitz**? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/12 "2016-12-23T19:22:00Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > What makes the **Bush** so different from the **Nimitz**? Hull differences (bulbous bow), different and repositioned island, more fuel storage. ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2016, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-generations-of-nuclear-aircraft-carriers-has-the-us-built/775419/13 "2016-12-23T23:31:54Z")
Just noticed “nuclear” in original question. Duh.