George H.W. Bush Construction

Contract awarded January 26, 2001

Seven-year construction timeframe

Keel Laid September 6, 2003

Christened October 7, 2006

Delivery scheduled for late 2008

47,000 tons of structural steel and about a million pounds of aluminum

Modular construction process forms large individual units of the ship much like interlocking building blocks

Units welded together to form a module or superlift weighing up to 900 tons

Capability

Top speed exceeds 30 knots

Powered by two nuclear reactors that can operate for more than 20 years without refueling

Expected to operate as Navy warship for about 50 years

Typical Nimitz-class ship carries 80-plus combat aircraft

Three two-inch diameter arresting wires on the deck bring an airplane going 150 miles per hour to a stop in less than 400 feet

Size

Towers 20 stories above the waterline with a 4.5-acre flight deck

1,092 feet long: nearly as long as the Empire State Building is tall

Four bronze propellers, each 21 feet across and weighing more than 30 tons

Steering accomplished by two rudders, each 29 feet by 22 feet and weighing 50 tons

Four high speed aircraft elevators, each more than 4,000 square feet, bring planes to the flight deck from the hangar below

Capacity

Home to about 6,000 Navy personnel

Enough food and supplies to operate for 90 days: 18,150 meals served daily

Distillation plants providing 400,000 gallons of fresh water from sea water daily, enough for 2,000 homes

Nearly 30,000 light fixtures and 1,600 miles of cable and wiring

1,400 telephones, 14,000 pillowcases and 28,000 sheets