Construction

• Seven plus years to build — contract to delivery.
• 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.
• 1,096 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.