# If an Nimitz class aircraft carrier was found in a cornfield in Kansas... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2012, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794 "2012-01-08T03:51:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/41 "2012-01-09T15:42:12Z")
> [@coremelt](#): > > 546,000 pounds is 243 long tons. > > Displacement of a Nimitz is 104,000 long tons. So it will take somewhere around 427 Hindenburg sized blimps to lift the Nimitz. That’s the loaded weight though. Subtract 3200 people for the ship crew, 2400 people for the aircrew and at least 85 aircraft. If you guess 175 lbs a person (probably low) and 32,000 lbs an aircraft (that’s the F-18 Super Hornet’s empty weight) you come up with 1850 tons you can off-load. True, you are only down to 102,150 tons, but that’s 7 less Hindenburgs (Hbs). There is also the food, supplies, and luggage of those people, ammunition and armaments of the ship and aircraft, fuel, water, toilet paper, (etc.) and it you can probably subtract another few Hbs. Someone else will have to look up those numbers though as I don’t have them with me. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/42 "2012-01-09T16:31:33Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > That’s the loaded weight though. Subtract 3200 people for the ship crew, 2400 people for the aircrew and at least 85 aircraft. > > If you guess 175 lbs a person (probably low) and 32,000 lbs an aircraft (that’s the F-18 Super Hornet’s empty weight) you come up with 1850 tons you can off-load. True, you are only down to 102,150 tons, but that’s 7 less Hindenburgs (Hbs). > > There is also the food, supplies, and luggage of those people, ammunition and armaments of the ship and aircraft, fuel, water, toilet paper, (etc.) and it you can probably subtract another few Hbs. Someone else will have to look up those numbers though as I don’t have them with me. Not to mention empty the ballast tanks, potable, unpotable water tanks, grey and blackwater tanks, bunker and aircraft bunker. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/43 "2012-01-09T16:46:00Z")
So, if we take **Gedd’s** modification, that means we’re down to 420 Hindenburgs.[sup]\*[/sup] If we take the length of a Nimiz to be [1,092 feet](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimitz_class_aircraft_carrier), and the diameter of a Hindenburg-class airship to be [135 feet](http://www.airships.net/hindenburg/size-speed), that means we can fit about 8 Hindenburgs squooshed next to each other over the length of the ship. That can probably be bumped up to 10 per row, as one extending over the bow/stern shouldn’t be problematic. Which means it can be done with enough cabling and rigging to hold 42 rows of Hindenburgs. At 135’ in diameter, that means a Hinden-depth of 5,670’. I don’t know how the weight of the cabling and materials would affect things, but if you’ve already got a mile of Hindenburgs, what’s an extra row or two? [sup]\* No offense to **aruvqan’s** note, but there was nothing specific to work with, plus 420 is such a nice, er, round number. [/sup] ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/44 "2012-01-09T17:15:16Z")
what if we fill it full of birds and make them all fly? ---
**Author:** ![Gedd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gedd/32/4938_2.png) [@Gedd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gedd)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/45 "2012-01-09T17:15:46Z")
I don’t know how easily parts of an aircraft carrier come off, but looking at the [USS Eisenhower specifically](http://www.eisenhower.navy.mil/)if you can take off the anchors and chains, screws, and rudders you can subtract an additional 927.4 tons. Only 101,223 tons (417 Hbs) to go! ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/46 "2012-01-09T17:20:01Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > …that means we’re down to 420 Hindenburgs. 420 _idealized_ Hindenburgs with a lift capacity equal to that of the gas they contain, without any allowance for their envelope, structure, engines, fuel, crew etc. This [Wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_class_airship) says (scroll down near bottom) the actual useful lift of the Hindenburg was 10 long tons. So you’d need around 10,000 of them to do this job. Much cheaper to scrap the Nimitz and build another. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/47 "2012-01-09T17:32:23Z")
> [@Gedd](#): > > I don’t know how easily parts of an aircraft carrier come off, but looking at the [USS Eisenhower specifically](http://www.eisenhower.navy.mil/)if you can take off the anchors and chains, screws, and rudders you can subtract an additional 927.4 tons. Only 101,223 tons (417 Hbs) to go! While you are at it, cut a big hole and take out the reactor, turbines, and shafts. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/48 "2012-01-09T17:32:47Z")
> [@simster](#): > > what if we fill it full of birds and make them all fly? An African swallow may be able to do it, but they’re not migratory. ---
**Author:** ![Heracles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heracles/32/487_2.png) [@Heracles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heracles)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/49 "2012-01-09T17:35:25Z")
Build a giant treadmill so the ship can take off on its own. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/50 "2012-01-09T17:53:54Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > 420 _idealized_ Hindenburgs with a lift capacity equal to that of the gas they contain, without any allowance for their envelope, structure, engines, fuel, crew etc. > > This [Wiki article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindenburg_class_airship) says (scroll down near bottom) the actual useful lift of the Hindenburg was 10 long tons. So you’d need around 10,000 of them to do this job. Much cheaper to scrap the Nimitz and build another. The thread I quoted **Squink** from asked about building a dirigible with modern materials and engineering. While that wouldn’t zero out the materials overhead, it should go pretty far in increasing the lifting capacity. Further, since the primary goal is to lift the ship off the ground, guidance and propulsion can be wholly separate (i.e. a fleet of John Deer tractors (Johns Deer?) could provide the pull). That means no engines, fuel, cabins, crew, etc. Can anyone without a math deficiency use Squink’s numbers to figure out the volume of hydrogen needed to lift 101,223 tons? Because fuel efficiency and aerodynamics wouldn’t be a concern, I imagine it’s also possible to build different shapes to maximize lift and increase density/packing. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/51 "2012-01-09T18:56:58Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > [sup]\* No offense to **aruvqan’s** note, but there was nothing specific to work with, plus 420 is such a nice, er, round number. [/sup] Well, if I could find my damned copy of Jane’s Fighting Ships I could actually look up the data properly, but hubby made it vanish into the barn to free up shelf space. :smack: I would be willing to bet that bunker is probably in the range of at least 40 or 50K gallons for the aircraft, and at least that much for the auxilliary diesels, potable is probably at least 10K gallons - not sure of the deSal plant’s throughput, but 3500 people take a hell of a lot of showers, and cooking requirements not to mention reactor cooling requirements daily. Distillation is something mrAru would probably have the numbers on. I do know someone on the Carl Vinson right now, not sure if they are in port offhand. Hmmmm, [this](http://www.nvr.navy.mil/nvrships/details/CVN68.htm)might help a bit. Light displacement is 78280tons, full load is 101196 tons, so the weight of crew, consumables, ammo and belongings is figured to be 22916 tons, so now all we have to figure is the 2 bunkers, the ballast, potable and unpotables. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/52 "2012-01-09T19:00:30Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > Well, if I could find my damned copy of Jane’s Fighting Ships I could actually look up the data properly, but hubby made it vanish into the barn to free up shelf space. :smack: Did you say “it’s good that you wished Jane’s Fighting Ships into the cornfield, hubby!”? ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/53 "2012-01-09T21:11:29Z")
Previous post vanished, so second time lucky… The U.K. is building several Aircaft Carriers at the moment. To get votes HMG has different locations building different segments of the ships . They are taken by road for short distances and then sent by sea for joining together at a place on the South Coast of England. So you COULD theoretically, cut the ship up and move it. But good luck with that one. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/54 "2012-01-09T21:21:05Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Previous post vanished, so second time lucky… Some Kansan corn farmers are wondering what the hell is up with all this crap littering their fields. Hasn’t been this busy since some schizophrenic decided to build a baseball field. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/55 "2012-01-09T21:37:18Z")
> [@Lust4Life](#): > > Previous post vanished, so second time lucky… > > The U.K. is building several Aircaft Carriers at the moment. > > To get votes HMG has different locations building different segments of the ships . > They are taken by road for short distances and then sent by sea for joining together at a place on the South Coast of England. > > So you COULD theoretically, cut the ship up and move it. > > But good luck with that one. Final assembly is at Rosyth, on the Firth of Forth. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/56 "2012-01-09T21:42:43Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Final assembly is at Rosyth, on the Firth of Forth. I can’t be the only one who thought you were quoting Lewis Carol. I was all set to PM Slithy Tove, too. Why yes I am American, how can you tell? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/57 "2012-01-09T22:11:14Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > The thread I quoted **Squink** from asked about building a dirigible with modern materials and engineering. While that wouldn’t zero out the materials overhead, it should go pretty far in increasing the lifting capacity. Well, [modern airships](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeppelin_NT) have indeed been built, but they haven’t demonstrated any dramatic improvement over the Hindenburg in terms of specific lifting capacity or cost. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/58 "2012-01-09T22:30:11Z")
> [@appleciders](#): > > Simply sitting in the dirt would probably be enough to snap the keel. These ships are designed very carefully to be supported by the water that surrounds them, and to simply be balanced on the keel would probably cause it to snap. Remember in _Titanic_ when the keel snapped simply from being out of the water? That would happen. Even worse, carriers have a pretty pronounced V-shape cross-section, so it would certainly be lying on its side, a position it was not designed for and probably couldn’t maintain. You’d have some extremely critical welds simply ripped out of position, and the whole thing would be ruined. Ummm, not unless the ground was uneven. Links to photos of carrier in drydock, resting on bottom only (no side supports): [http://instapinch.com/?attachment\_id=1588](http://instapinch.com/?attachment_id=1588) > **[THE TENSION: Family Christens USS George HW Bush](http://thetension.blogspot.com/2006/10/family-christens-uss-george-hw-bush.html)** > > Veritas vincit > **[strangemilitary.com](http://www.strangemilitary.com/content/item/142461.html)** > > This domain may be for sale! [http://www.highironillustrations.com/adventure/abraham\_lincoln.html](http://www.highironillustrations.com/adventure/abraham_lincoln.html) Is it wrong to assume that a cornfield will generally be made flat? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2012, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/59 "2012-01-09T23:38:06Z")
hmmm - just had a thought - why dont we use it as the basis for the secondary hull of the future Starship Enterprise? ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/60 "2012-01-10T01:08:00Z")
> [@Rhythmdvl](#): > > Did you say “it’s good that you wished Jane’s Fighting Ships into the cornfield, hubby!”? But it isn’t in the cornfiled, it is in a box with other books out in the barn. If it was in the cornfield it would probably be easier for me to find 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794.md?page=4)