So just how fast are US nuclear powered aircraft carriers?

[Chantry]

Not quite as fast as people believe, I'll let the link explain why far better than I ever could: http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-028.php

[Pat Riot]

I can tell you that I believe this article is subterfuge. They can go faster. How much faster I am not positive, but I know my ship when traveling with the Ike, USS Eisenhower CVN-69, would travel faster than speeds listed in that article. I won’t say how much but it was faster. 

[Sedalia Dave]

32 minutes ago, Pat Riot, SASS #13748 said:

I can tell you that I believe this article is subterfuge. They can go faster. How much faster I am not positive, but I know my ship when traveling with the Ike, USS Eisenhower CVN-69, would travel faster than speeds listed in that article. I won’t say how much but it was faster. 

 

Agreed with no comment on how much faster.

[The Original Lumpy Gritz]

They are faster 

Especially our subs

OLG 

[Joke 'um]

I could tell ya, but, then I 'd hafta kill ya.

[Bad Bascomb, SASS # 47,494]

  No.....  THEY would kill you.  

[dannyd]

Nothing like escorting a Nuke carrier:  It's like an Ant trying to keep up this an elephant.   

[Chief Rick]

No comment.

 

Plane guard for a carrier is definitely "interesting".

[dannyd]

Been their done that too.  Rode every type in the picture but the subs.

 

 

 

[Barry Sloe]

A Spruance class destroyer was listed at 30+ knots. The + was classified.  During a search and rescue operation off the Oregon coast we were doing an impressive amount over the 30.

Oh the good old days. 

 

BS

[Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037]

Back in the day when I was on WesPac on the Kitty Hawk (World's largest anti-submarine platform), we had a problem with one of the screws, so did the whole cruise on three, with one trailing. Had to do a high speed run in the IO, no problem beating the 33.6 on three screws.

 

Rumor back then was the Big 'E' was the fastest in the fleet, being the first nuke they didn't know quite how it would work and built it with eight boilers like the others. Newer nukes only had two, like the article said.

 

One of the most impressive things I ever saw was during UnRep.  We had a turbine powered FF next to us, and when they uncoupled and throttled up, ship just lifted up and accelerated away, probably hit 30 in half a mile.

[dannyd]

Spent one cruise trying to keep up with Nimitz on an FFG.   She could run away and leave us behind any time, but the worst thing about a Nuke is they never pull in.  Refueling from the Nimitz the one of the best rides;  water line to the bridge and back over and over again.  

[Captain Clark]

48 minutes ago, Barry Sloe said:

A Spruance class destroyer was listed at 30+ knots. The + was classified.  During a search and rescue operation off the Oregon coast we were doing an impressive amount over the 30.

Oh the good old days. 

 

BS

Did You forget that back in those days you were going so darn fast cause all you swabbies were still swinging oars 

 

 

[Widder, SASS #59054]

I can't tell you exactly how fast, but I can tell you that it takes a fast plane or jet to catch up with one..... 

 

And according to the picture posted above, the carrier is 'cruising' with no wake but some of those other ship

are 'turnin and burnin' just to keep up with it..... 

 

..........Widder

 

[Dustin Checotah]

50 minutes ago, Widder, SASS #59054 said:

I can't tell you exactly how fast, but I can tell you that it takes a fast plane or jet to catch up with one..... 

 

And according to the picture posted above, the carrier is 'cruising' with no wake but some of those other ship

are 'turnin and burnin' just to keep up with it..... 

 

..........Widder

 

No wake for better skiing.

1 hour ago, Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037 said:

Big 'E' was the fastest in the fleet, being the first nuke they didn't know quite how it would work and built it with eight boilers

It the Enterprise being first had 8 smaller reactors. I was on the Nimitz and it had only 2 reactors but they were big.  We could outrun anything but a torpedo. When I was on they had the problem with 3 Mile Island in Pennsylvania. As a result of that the Navy changed some of the operating parameters of the reactor which degraded our output  and speed but we were still faster than everything else except the aforementioned torpedo. Something about a piece of equipment inside the reactor being made by Babcock & Wilcox. The problem at 3 Mile was supposedly the result of equipment made by B & W. 

[Dustin Checotah]

12 hours ago, Joke 'um said:

I could tell ya, but, then I 'd hafta kill ya.

That was exactly what my stepfather said to me when I asked him a question about arming nuclear weapons. I had read a book and in it there was a mention of arming nuclear weapons. My stepfather worked with nuclear weapons during his 29+ years with the Navy. I asked him this in the middle 80s and he had been retired since 1969. I said I am not asking how to arm them I am asking if what I had read was true. He then said oh yes. I knew he was kidding about that killing part. I think. Both my father and stepfather worked with nuclear things in the Navy that were supposed to explode and I worked with nuclear things that were NOT supposed to explode.

[Chief Rick]

4 hours ago, Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037 said:

One of the most impressive things I ever saw was during UnRep.  We had a turbine powered FF next to us, and when they uncoupled and throttled up, ship just lifted up and accelerated away, probably hit 30 in half a mile.

In the mid 90s we were building some new auxiliary ships with gas turbines.  The same LM2500 turbines as used on DDGs.

 

I was on a DDG and we unrepped with an AOE.

 

After a conducting an emergency break-away drill we came alongside again and had a drag race.  The DDG stepped out smartly and took the lead.  Very shortly afterwards, the AOE caught up and passed.

[Chief Rick]

3 hours ago, dannyd said:

Spent one cruise trying to keep up with Nimitz on an FFG.   She could run away and leave us behind any time, but the worst thing about a Nuke is they never pull in.  Refueling from the Nimitz the one of the best rides;  water line to the bridge and back over and over again.  

I've got some personal photos of a few unreps where the swells were reaching the deck of a DDG and an oiler.  Have also seen the water going into the open hangar door on a carrier.  All of my pictures are on my home computer.  I'd these fairly calm seas.

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

We were told, when I was in the Navy, that all top maximum speeds of any ship, or boat, or vessel, are classified. They may hint at a speed, but they won't divulge the actual maximum top speed. We were also told, that unless it was necessary to save the ship, or unless we were in a declared war, that the ship would not steam at the maximum top speed. Back then, they did not want the Russians, (or in today's world, the democrats) to have that information.

It all boils down to security, and secrecy, and safety. No use in letting the enemy know what you are capable of.  

In my case, because of what I did, and because of the clearance I had to have, we had to sign a statement, before we were discharged, that we would never reveal anything that we saw, or did, or face prison and fine...or worse.

I did not read, on that document, that I was required to sign, that there was an expiration date. So, if that is the case, even if I knew, I would not say anything. 

A person is only as good as their word. 

 

 

 

[Three Foot Johnson]

The only think that could possibly keep it a secret is tens of thousands of sailors and former sailors knowing the having an answer.

"18 knots"

"Nope, 26 knots"

"HA, HA, I saw 52 knots one time"

[Tequila Shooter]

4 hours ago, Three Foot Johnson said:

The only think that could possibly keep it a secret is tens of thousands of sailors and former sailors knowing the having an answer.

"18 knots"

"Nope, 26 knots"

"HA, HA, I saw 52 knots one time"

 

They used to say “as fast as the hull number”

[SOUTH-PACIFIC,SASS #59402]

uss sacramento  a.o.e. 1

[Chantry]

12 hours ago, Chief Rick said:

In the mid 90s we were building some new auxiliary ships with gas turbines.  The same LM2500 turbines as used on DDGs.

 

I was on a DDG and we unrepped with an AOE.

 

After a conducting an emergency break-away drill we came alongside again and had a drag race.  The DDG stepped out smartly and took the lead.  Very shortly afterwards, the AOE caught up and passed.

Probably either USS Sacramento (AOE-1) or USS Camden (AOE-2).  When the decision was made to scrap the USS Kentucky (the 5th Iowa class ship laid down) the engines were taken out and split between USS Sacramento & USS Camden.

 

"Now, I've heard all those wild Enterprise (CVAN-65) and New Jersey (BB-63) super-speed stories during the eight years of my enlistment. The Enterprise could certainly outrun Bainbridge and we never sailed with New Jersey. But, I have to say, I never saw any ship run away from us like the Sacramento did that day. She was running light (she looked like she was hydroplaning, because her hull bends were showing), and she ran like a deer. I've never seen anything like that in my life. A Spruance is said to be faster, but it didn't look like that to me. Sacramento just ran by us like we were standing still. We still beat her to San Diego, but only by a few hours. That ship really impressed me. Her sister ship Camden (AOE-2) was just as fast, of course. She once ran by us while fully loaded, trying to catch Kitty Hawk (CVA-63), which all of us in the formation were having trouble keeping up with (except the two Spruances)."

 

http://www.navweaps.com/index_tech/tech-095.php

 

Running light the USS Sacramento would have weighed about 20,000 tons with 100,000 SHP and for whatever reason was faster than the USS Camden and her other sister ships.     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Sacramento_(AOE-1)

 

On edit:  Oops I missed the part about the AOE being a new ship with the gas turbine engines.

 

 

[Sedalia Dave]

When I was stationed in Rota Spain a guy in my shop had home video of green water coming over the bow of the carrier he was aboard as part of a squadron deployment to a North Atlantic exercise. He said half the crew was sea sick. 

 

My room mate was aboard the Coral Sea when we kicked Qaddafi's butt back into the gutter in 86. He was woken up by the vibration of the ship as it was making its run to get on station. He said the rooster tail was higher than the flight deck during the transit and most of the fleet was no where to be seen when they finally slowed down. By the time they launched the air strike the rest of the fleet had caught up with her.

 

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

14 hours ago, Howlin Mad Murdock SASS #4037 said:

Back in the day when I was on WesPac on the Kitty Hawk (World's largest anti-submarine platform), we had a problem with one of the screws, so did the whole cruise on three, with one trailing. Had to do a high speed run in the IO, no problem beating the 33.6 on three screws.

I assume the trailing screw was disengaged from the power plant and allowed to "windmill"? Also wondering: some ships like cruise and cargo carriers have variable pitch screws. Would a cruiser, or any other large combat vessel be equipped with them? If so, can they be feathered like and airplane?

[Sedalia Dave]

4 minutes ago, Abilene Slim SASS 81783 said:

I assume the trailing screw was disengaged from the power plant and allowed to "windmill"? Also wondering: some ships like cruise and cargo carriers have variable pitch screws. Would a cruiser, or any other large combat vessel be equipped with them? If so, can they be feathered like and airplane?

 

Navy is pretty protective about the design of the propellers used on its ships.

[dannyd]

1 hour ago, Sedalia Dave said:

When I was stationed in Rota Spain a guy in my shop had home video of green water coming over the bow of the carrier he was aboard as part of a squadron deployment to a North Atlantic exercise. He said half the crew was sea sick. 

 

My room mate was aboard the Coral Sea when we kicked Qaddafi's butt back into the gutter in 86. He was woken up by the vibration of the ship as it was making its run to get on station. He said the rooster tail was higher than the flight deck during the transit and most of the fleet was no where to be seen when they finally slowed down. By the time they launched the air strike the rest of the fleet had caught up with her.

 

The one bad thing about the Coral Sea was she had F18's on board: they had limited range, so if you were on an escort ship you a had a front row seat for all three carriers attacks on Libya.  We had to close to half the normal distance for them to launch.