# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/101 "2012-01-12T00:36:04Z")
The aliens from Close Encounters and Cowboys and Aliens had no trouble moving very large ships around . They could hire them. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/102 "2012-01-12T00:42:32Z")
> [@mlees](#): > > What is the airspeed of a Nimitz-laden swallow? It depends on the coconut, of course. Preliminary research of the coconut/aircraft carrier problem [has been done.](http://www.setcorp.ru/main/pressrelease.phtml?news_id=20331&language=english) ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/103 "2012-01-12T01:11:08Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I actually saw a version of the OP scenario this summer. I think it was in Oklahoma driving along the major high way in flatish desert country. All of a sudden along side the road is a frickin large WW2 Sub. WTF? How did that get there? Ah, the good ole USS Batfish. They floated it up the river, parked it in the gulley, then closed and drained the gulley. Landlocked submarine. > [@Heracles](#): > > Steam requires heat from the nuclear reactor, right? Can the reactor work in dry dock? Is it under the waterline, uh, cornline, and does it matter? How is the cooling accounted for? Is seawater part of the exchange? If so, the reactor is gonna be a mess. > [@Arkcon](#): > > Since everyone seems to be playing along nicely, I’d add a question: If you tow/roll on jacks/ dig a canal and get it, undamaged, to the Mississippi River in the general vicinity of Kansas, can the carrier navigate the river? Is it deep enough the whole length? Is there enough width everywhere for the carrier to navigate? And no significant sand bars? The Mississippi River isn’t in the general vicinity of Kansas. You could, however, reach the Arkansas River, and from there sail it to the Mississippi. If you wanted to do the carve up and relocated, I’d suggest barges. As far as airships go, they may not have made them yet, but DARPA was proposing new modern airships that could haul 500 to 1000 tons. [http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/walrus-heavylift-blimp-getting-off-the-ground-01103/](http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/walrus-heavylift-blimp-getting-off-the-ground-01103/) This is still being discussed commercially. So with those babies (1000 ton payload), we’d only need ~100 to airlift the carrier intact. I don’t see any reason the ship would be destroyed merely by sitting on its bottom in the middle of a field. Leaning on the flight deck might not be too good for it, but sitting upright? I would expect it to be structurally sound to hold together whether in sea or on land. Now, how it got parked there is a different story. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/104 "2012-01-12T02:46:36Z")
> [@golear](#): > > Easy solution to reduce the number of Hindenburgs: wrap carrier in plastic wrap and fill it with hydrogen… :smack: Will it meet the Typhoon class submarine at the front door with a martini? Could it navigate the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence to the ocean? They look closer than another deep water. ---
**Author:** ![Antonius\_Block](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/51bf81/32.png) [@Antonius\_Block](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antonius_Block)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/105 "2012-01-12T03:12:20Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Could it navigate the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence to the ocean? Previous SDMB thread: [Could an aircraft carrier reach Chicago?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=427946) (2007) And another related one: [How far “inland” can I get a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=522631) (2009) ---
**Author:** ![Walther\_Ego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/106 "2012-01-12T11:46:31Z")
Let’s see if we can make this project full of hot air. It seems that hot air inside a hot air balloon provides 0.05kg/m3 of buoyancy. Let’s assume 80% of that is net and the rest is lost in fabric and rigging. Let’s strip the carrier of everything unnecessary but put transportation rigging instead, say 70 000 000 kg. We need 1 750 000 000 m3 of air. For redundancy, the transport should have 16 balloons, so that with a puncture or loss of power it could land gracefully from its average hovering height of some feet. Additionally, the rigging should facilitate transfer of balloon support on the fly to avoid excessive trim in emergencies. One balloon is thus 109 000 000 m3. The diameter is 600m and they are arranged in a 2x2x4 formation. The heat comes from the vessels reactor. This kind of wind area needs a heavy anchor, provided by a fleet of towing trucks, providing also the cooling water for the reactor. This kind of fleet tramples a large area, particularly considering the distance, so it would be convenient to have them harvest the corn at the same time. If we can afford more buoyancy, so that the cooling water can be facilitated inside the vessel, I suggest we add skirts and make it a hovercraft (most of the buoyancy still coming from the thin air). Hovercrafts are fast vessels but have automatic brakes. I think we can rely on frequent western winds to provide the propulsion. It would be best to add wheels that hardly touch the ground when sailing. I wonder how much buoyancy we lose because the top of the balloons are now min 1.2km high? ---
**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 12, 2012, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/107 "2012-01-12T14:12:02Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > It’s Kansas. It’s all flat. That’s kind of exaggerating don’t you think? I saw a speed bump when I was there. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/108 "2012-01-12T14:27:27Z")
> [@Walther\_Ego](#): > > Let’s see if we can make this project full of hot air. Check calculations from previous pages. Wouldn’t using hydrogen give much more lifting power than hot air? Plus, you don’t need the added weight and complications related to needing a heat source. ---
**Author:** ![Walther\_Ego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8dc957/32.png) [@Walther\_Ego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walther_Ego)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/109 "2012-01-12T14:31:28Z")
Yeah, I was inspired by them. Those were rigid body airships. Air is not a fuel and it’s free but it may not be best. At least hydrogen is flammable, so any failure would get maximum cool factor. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/110 "2012-01-12T16:44:17Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > …Did I miss it when they built the USS Ulysses S. Grant… Apparently so. I served on the [USS _Ulysses S. Grant_ (SSBN-631)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ulysses_S._Grant_(SSBN-631)) back in the late '80s. > [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > The first three in your list were built 😉 Exactly. > [@Heracles](#): > > …Can the reactor work in dry dock? Is it under the waterline, uh, cornline, and does it matter? The reactor cannot operate in dry dock. While you do need seawater for cooling water, this could be replaced by hooking up hoses in dry dock. However, the surrounding seawater also functions as a shield for the reactor, especially for neutrons. (Water is an excellent attenuator for a neutron flux.) ---
**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 12, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/111 "2012-01-12T17:08:52Z")
> [@Walther\_Ego](#): > > Yeah, I was inspired by them. Those were rigid body airships. Air is not a fuel and it’s free but it may not be best. At least hydrogen is flammable, so any failure would get maximum cool factor. A burning aircraft carrier crashing to the ground? Mega coolness. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/112 "2012-01-12T18:22:58Z")
Get a wicked witch, raft her in the ocean, and wait for a tornado. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/113 "2012-01-13T01:44:44Z")
Walter Ego gets points for harvesting the corn. So, apparently some version of this topic comes up every two years? ---
**Author:** ![RadicalPi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/radicalpi/32/9806_2.png) [@RadicalPi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RadicalPi)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/114 "2012-01-13T02:57:22Z")
> [@Irishman](#): > > Ah, the good ole USS Batfish. They floated it up the river, parked it in the gulley, then closed and drained the gulley. Landlocked submarine. In Chicago, they took a more direct approach with the U-505, and rolled it right out of the lake. ([http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online\_books/butowsky1/u505p.htm](http://www.nps.gov/history/history/online_books/butowsky1/u505p.htm)) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/115 "2012-01-13T05:03:36Z")
> [@Bijou\_Drains](#): > > The aliens from Close Encounters …had no trouble moving very large ships around . They could hire them. Ah, yes - the _Cotopaxi_: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/7zE19l1e02A/hqdefault.jpg "the cotopaxi sequence") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zE19l1e02A) > **[SS Cotopaxi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Cotopaxi)** > > SS Cotopaxi was an Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) Design 1060 bulk carrier built for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) under the World War I emergency shipbuilding program. The ship, launched 15 November 1918, was named after the Cotopaxi stratovolcano of Ecuador. The ship arrived in Boston, 22 December 1918, to begin operations for the USSB, through 23 December 1919, when Cotopaxi was delivered to the Clinchfield Navigation Company under terms of sale. > During operation for the USSB t... ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/116 "2012-01-13T12:41:13Z")
It seem to me that if you can get a fleet of Osprey to haul a dome designed to wall off an entire city, why couldn’t we do the same with the ship? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2012, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/117 "2012-01-13T20:59:52Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > It seem to me that if you can get a fleet of Osprey to haul a dome designed to wall off an entire city, why couldn’t we do the same with the ship? Would the Navy let the EPA do that to one of their ships, no matter how misplaced it was? ---
**Author:** ![Gilbert1984](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Gilbert1984](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilbert1984)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/118 "2012-01-15T13:48:02Z")
Chuck Norris ---
**Author:** ![wolfpax181](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3da27b/32.png) [@wolfpax181](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpax181)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/119 "2012-01-17T21:05:51Z")
> [@cornflakes](#): > > I say we put rockets on it and try to get it into orbit! We need to launch two of them, along with an alien ship. Then we can weld them together in space and…er right, I’ll quit trying to recreate things. ---
**Author:** ![Celidin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Celidin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celidin)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794/120 "2012-01-17T22:03:05Z")
With all of the figuring out how to make the ship float with hydrogen or a big balloon - why can’t we just fill up the ship - or at least parts of it - with the hydrogen, thus removing the need for at least some of the balloons, rigging, etc? The ship is designed to be watertight, right? At least some of the compartments? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-an-nimitz-class-aircraft-carrier-was-found-in-a-cornfield-in-kansas/608794.md?page=7)