This page last updated 4/28/02
(Click on the thumbnails below to view a larger picture)
I got the opportunity to visit the aircraft carrier, USS George Washington, while it was in port at Fort Lauderdale, Florida for a couple of days in June 1997. This was my first time aboard any naval vessel, and especially an aircraft carrier. This is one incredibly huge and complex machine.
I can't begin to tell you what it was like to wander around on the deck of this monster, and walk up to an F-14 Tomcat and pat it on it's belly! If you ever get a chance to visit one of these babies, don't pass up the opportunity!
Joseph Gennaro, sent me the two wide shots at the top of the page. His son is currently serving on the GW and he has a magnificent web page dedicated to his son and the incredible ship he serves on, featuring photos taken by the crew themselves. Feel free to check it out here...
Here's some vital statistics from a brochure they handed me when I came on board:
Builder: Newport News Shipbuilding Co.
Commissioned: July 4, 1992
Propulsion: Two nuclear reactors, permitting the ship to steam more than one million miles before refueling.
Length: 1,094 feet
Width: 257 feet
Area of Fight Deck: 4.5 acres
Size of Air Wing: approx. 75 aircraft
Displacement: Combat Load, nearly 97,000 tons
Aircraft Elevators: 4 (all deck-edge)
Size of Aircraft Elevators: 3,880 square feet
Arresting Wires: 4
Air Conditioning Capacity: 2,520 tons (enough to cool over 2,000 homes)
Meals served: Over 18,000 daily
Compartments: Over 2,500
Number of Anchors: 2
Weight of Anchor Chain: 360 pounds per link
Number of Screws: 4 (each has five blades)
Weight of each Screw: 66,220 pounds
Telephones: Over 2,000