A Tactical Action Officer on a US Navy aircraft carrier explains how much time a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier needs to reach flank speed

Aircraft carrier of the US Navy

The U.S. Navy’s aircraft carriers remain the centerpiece of the force required for future operations. In times of crisis, the first question leaders ask is, “Where are the carriers?”

Often, the presence of an aircraft carrier has deterred potential adversaries from launching attacks against U.S. interests. Aircraft carriers support and operate aircraft that conduct strikes against air, sea, or land targets that threaten the free use of the seas and that conduct sustained show of force operations in support of U.S. and coalition forces.

The Nimitz- and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are the largest warships in the world. They are designed to have a service life of approximately 50 years and require only one mid-life refueling. USS Nimitz (CVN 68), USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) have all completed their Refueling Complex Overhaul (RCOH) in Newport News, Virginia, while USS George Washington (CVN 73) and USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) are currently undergoing Refueling Complex Overhaul.

The lead ship of the next generation of aircraft carriers, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), was delivered in 2017 as a structural replacement for USS Enterprise (CVN 65), which was decommissioned in 2012.

How long does it take for a US Navy aircraft carrier to reach flank speed?

With speeds of over 30 knots (over 34.5 miles per hour), Nimitz- and Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carriers are also very fast.

How long does it take (in time and distance) for a modern American aircraft carrier to reach flank speed?

“It’s hard to imagine what it’s like to see an aircraft carrier sailing at high speed,” recalls Ross Hall, Tactical Action Officer and Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer on one of the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, on Quora.

“During our transit to the North Arabian Sea, we met a group of amphibious animals in the Indian Ocean that were on their way back to the USA.

“That day, the amphibious vehicle guys were demonstrating their LCACs and we gave them an impromptu air show with a few flybys thrown in.

“As we were separating, our captain announced, ‘Let’s show them what an aircraft carrier can do.’ We were making little progress at that point. He ordered us to depart at high speed.”

He continues;

“I left the combat center and went to the rear of the ship to watch the fun. At the back of the hangar deck there is an area (see above) under the flight deck that can be accessed.

When flank speed is requested, power is transferred to the shafts to turn the aircraft carrier propellers

“When speed is requested, power is transferred to the shafts to turn the propellers. On the Nimitz-class carriers, the four propellers are about 25 feet in diameter and weigh about 30 tons each. When power is transferred, the torque is limited to the shafts to prevent damage – the shafts can ‘twist’ up to one and a half times (540 degrees). The longest shafts are 184 feet long.

“When the propellers start turning, the water behind the ship starts to boil – it looks like the sea is starting to boil. You can feel the ship vibrating as the engines rev up and the propellers start turning.”

He concludes:

“After about 10 minutes (I didn’t time it) we had reached the right speed. The rooster tail behind the ship was about eye level (4.5 to 6 meters above sea level). I guess if you have a long enough cable and a death wish you could ski behind the carrier on water skis.”

Photo credit: US Navy