World’s largest luxury liner arrives in N.Y.
The largest ship afloat, the Jahre Viking.
I once had the distinct pleasure of riding, for several weeks, one of the largest warships afloat, the USS John C. Stennis (CVN-74), a Nimitz-class, nuclear powered aircraft carrier.
Length of flight deck: 1,092 ft (332.8 m)
Width of flight deck: 257 ft (78.3 m)
Height keel to mast: 244 ft (equal to 24-story building)
Area of flight deck: 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares)
Weight of carrier: 97,000 tons (87,997 metric tons)
The Stennis is powered by two nuclear reactors. Its top speed is classified, but exceeds 30 knots (34.5 mph, or 55.5 kph).
Getting keel-hauled on that one sounds like it might take most of the afternoon.
Very true. 
And I don’t care how well or poorly bred a monarch you are, I don’t recommend you try to sink this ship, astro. Not only is she pretty well armed herself, but she’s generally in company with some destroyers and cruisers. They’ll really lay a hurtin’ on.
Not much to add other than to ask “Why is the top speed of a carrier classified?” 
I mean, they’ll give us a minimum of 30 knots, and by common sense you can deduce the max is less than, say, 100 knots. Why not fill in the blanks? Are they afraid some rogue nation needs the exact speed to design an anti-carrier missile??
“Drat! Our new anti-carrier missile was only designed to travel at 40 mph and the capitalist’s fleet can do 43 mph.”
That’s the military for you, I suppose.
It’s classified so that aspects of the physical plant can’t be easily deduced.
Mr. Moto, How did you get to ride on the John C. Stennis? The Toadette is a “Nuke” and serving on the Stennis. I missed the Tiger cruise when they returned from Afghanistan, but did go out on the family day cruise last year. That was a great experience.
My daughter is coming home on leave this coming weekend because the Stennis will be deployed next month. I probably won’t see her again until October or November.
A couple of other tidbits about JCS: It’s 85 feet from the Flight deck to the waterline. Not only does she have those surface escorts, she also always has a sub escort.
Well, where to start.
From 1996 to 1998, I was a crew member aboard USS Monterey, which was in the Stennis battle group. When I left the Navy in 1998, I joined a defense contractor doing work on the Tomahawk cruise missile program.
I rode the Stennis in 1999 for those few weeks because we were testing some Tomahawk related systems located there for Y2K compatibility. I’m sure you’d all just love to know, the ship passed with flying colors.
I’m still working with a defense contractor, and I still visit Navy ships. I even get to ride them, occasionally. Last one was an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer, built in the 1990’s. Very modern, with lots of fun toys. 
Yep, can’t let other nations know much power the nuclear plants put out, or they would be able to figure out how long it takes to recharge the wave motion gun.
BTW, congrats to the Toadette on getting into the Nuke program and, most importantly, not washing out. That takes brains and mental discipline.
Thank her, for me, for her service to our country.
More Stennis facts. Lloyds of London ranks an aircraft carrier flight deck as the most dangerous working environment in the world. Just one F/A-18 Super Hornet on the flight deck cost the Navy 35 million dollars. The average age of a sailor fueling that plane and moving it around is 19.
Think about what you were like when you were 19. Could you have done what these young men and women are doing?
Hey, small world. I used to work for a company that built the Tomahawk missle too, although I worked on another program.
They are amazing. I was so impressed with all the kids on that ship. I will definitely pass your thanks on to my daughter. Toadette is one of the old-timers now - she turned 26 in January. She joined the Navy at 17, while she was still in high school. She joined because of the educational opportunities and picked the “nuke” program because of the accelerated pay and rank. She already has her BS degree and when she gets out next year, if she doesn’t re-enlist, she plans to go back to school to get her masters in engineering.
What (he asks) is a wave motion gun?
Hmm… Well what do you know! It shoots out broken web links also.
So in other words, it’s sort of like a…
C’mon guys, help me out here.
Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue…my brother got one for christmas!!! DAMNIT!
Umm… Something from the 1950s? No… That’s not it… Darnit.
My guy-getting-sucked-into-the jet engine link isn’t working so here’s an excellent (and somewhat grisly)page re carrier safety
Stylistic Rays of Death!!
Hmmmm, that doesn’t have the right ring to it…